Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 12 A)
July 26, 2026
St. John’s Lutheran Church – Taylor, MI
Trinity Lutheran Church – Wyandotte, MI
Sermon Text: Matthew 13:44–52
The Treasure of the Kingdom / The Treasure Sought by Christ
“in his joy he goes and sells all that he has” (Matthew 13:44)
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Where do we keep our treasure, our wealth, our money? I suspect that, like most people, we keep our money in a bank. Some invest their wealth in stocks or bonds. Others prefer more tangible places, like storing their valuables in a strongbox or a wall safe. And then there are childhood hiding places. When I was six years old, my treasures were kept in a shoebox under my bed. Of course, what I considered a safe place was actually one of the easiest places to lose something, as my idea of cleaning the room was to shove everything under my bed.
But where we keep our treasures is only part of the question. The more important question is this: What do we treasure? What do we value so highly that we would sacrifice almost anything to keep it or obtain it? For some, it is financial security. For others, it is a home, a career, our family, a family heirloom, or a lifetime of accomplishments. We all have treasures, things we prize, protect, and organize our lives around.
This question about treasure leads us directly into today's Gospel message.
In Matthew 13, Jesus gives us seven parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. Today we are going to look at the final three parables, where Jesus reveals the surpassing value of the Kingdom of Heaven and the joy of those who receive it. Here Jesus moves His disciples beyond simply hearing the Word of God to understanding the true nature of the Kingdom of Heaven – its priceless value, the cost of discipleship, and the joy of those who have received it as a gift.
The first two of these final three parables, the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value, are often considered together because they tell remarkably similar stories. Yet Jesus includes one important distinction between them.
In the first parable, a man unexpectedly discovers treasure hidden in a field. He was not searching for it; he simply stumbles upon it and recognizes its incredible worth. In the second parable, a merchant spends his life searching for fine pearls until he finally finds one pearl of surpassing value.
One man discovers the treasure unexpectedly. The other finds it after a lifetime of searching. Yet both respond in exactly the same way. Filled with joy, they are willing to give up everything to possess that treasure, to possess that pearl of great value.
Many people understand these parables to mean that the treasure and the pearl represent the Kingdom of Heaven, and that the men represent those who believe. The lesson then becomes that the kingdom is so valuable that it is worth giving up everything to obtain it.
Yet we must be careful not to misunderstand these parables. The Kingdom of Heaven is not something we can earn through our own efforts or purchase through our sacrifices. Rather, the joy of the believer is found in recognizing the priceless gift that Christ has given and willingly letting go of all that would stand between Him and us.
It is certainly true to say that the Kingdom of Heaven is worth more than everything we possess. But if that becomes the primary point of these parables, we quickly run into a problem. We begin to hear them as though the kingdom is something we obtain by giving up enough, by sacrificing enough, or by proving our devotion enough. But that is not how the Kingdom of Heaven works.
The Bible teaches that the Kingdom of Heaven is never something we earn or buy. It is God's gracious gift. As St. Paul writes, "By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works" (Ephesians 2:8–9). If entering the kingdom depended upon us giving up enough or sacrificing enough, none of us would ever receive it. Our hands would always be found empty, because we could never offer enough to earn what God freely gives.
So how should we understand these parables? The best way is to read them as pointing us to Christ. Christ is the One who gives up everything, who leaves behind the glory of heaven and humbles Himself for our salvation. He is the One who willingly pays the ultimate price to obtain a treasure of immeasurable worth. And what is that treasure? It is you, it is I, it is all of us.
We are the treasure Christ came to seek and save. We are the pearl of great value for which Christ gave His all. Not because there was anything in us that made us worthy, but because of His great love and mercy toward us. Jesus gave up everything, not to gain something for Himself, but to redeem us and make us His own.
Notice how well this understanding fits with the rest of Scripture. Christ is always the One who comes seeking the lost, the sinners. At times He finds those who were not looking for Him at all, like the man who unexpectedly discovered the treasure hidden in the field. Other times, He draws those who are searching, like the merchant seeking fine pearls. Yet in every case, salvation begins with Christ, not with our searching, not with our efforts, not with our decision, but with His grace and His initiative.
Jesus Himself says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). The Kingdom of Heaven is not something we discover by our own wisdom or obtain by our own merit. It is a treasure that Christ reveals to us, a gift Christ gives us, and a kingdom into which He graciously brings us.
In these parables, Jesus says that the man sells everything "in his joy." This is what Christ has done for us. St. Paul explains it in his letter to the Philippians: “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6–8)
This points us to what Christ has done for us. He did not give Himself reluctantly or under compulsion, but willingly and joyfully carried out the Father’s plan of salvation. Not because we deserved it. Not because we are righteous. Not because of anything within us. We are His because He loves us. We are His treasured possessions.
Christ did not go to the cross reluctantly or begrudgingly. Hebrews tells us that "for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross" (Hebrews 12:2). That joy that was set before Him is our salvation – redeeming us from our sins, forgiving our trespasses, reconciling us to the Father, and making us heirs of His eternal kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.
That is the heart of the Gospel message. Christ, of His pure love for us, bore our sins and guilt and took our punishment. He declared us worthy by laying down His own life for ours. St. Paul reminds us, "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). That price was not paid with gold or silver but with Christ's very own body and blood.
Now, looking at the parables this way, we see these parables are no longer demanding or describing what we must do. They are joyful declarations of what Christ has already done for us.
And what does this mean for us? How do we respond to what Christ has done? Does His saving work leave us with no response at all? By no means! While our salvation is entirely the work of Christ, saving faith is never idle. Faith always bears fruit.
When we come to know that Christ has redeemed us, purchased us with His own body and blood, and made us His own treasured possession, our hearts begin to change. Our priorities are reordered. The treasures of this world no longer hold the same grip on us – not because we are trying to earn God's favor or secure a place in heaven, but because heaven has already been won and given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Freed from striving to save ourselves, we are free to live for Him, joyfully ordering our lives around the treasure that can never perish.
The things we once clung to so tightly begin to lose their hold on us. We begin to treasure forgiveness more than pride, mercy more than revenge, and eternal life more than the temporary pleasures of this world. This is what it means for the Christian to "sell all." It is not a transaction by which we purchase salvation, but the transformation that naturally flows from the salvation Christ has already won and freely given. Having received the kingdom as a gift of grace, we gladly loosen our grip on the things of this world because our hearts have been firmly fixed on the greater treasure found in Christ alone.
Jesus concludes these kingdom parables with one final image – the Parable of the Net. "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad" (Matthew 13:47–48).
This parable reminds us of the present reality of the Church in this fallen world. Until Christ returns in glory, the visible Church will contain both believers and unbelievers. Just as the field contains both wheat and weeds, and the net gathers both good fish and bad, the Church on earth remains a mixture of those who belong to Christ and those who outwardly appear among His people but do not have saving faith. The final separation belongs not to us, but to Christ, who alone knows the hearts of all people and will judge with perfect righteousness when He comes again.
At that time, Christ says, the angels will separate the righteous from the wicked. This is not an easy teaching to hear, but it is a necessary one. It reminds us that the time of God’s grace is now. The day of judgment is coming, but today the Gospel is still being preached and proclaimed. Today the net is still being cast into the waters of this world. Today Christ continues to seek the lost, find those who have wandered, sins are forgiven through His grace, and gather His people into His eternal kingdom.
How does He do that? He gathers us through His Means of Grace. Through His Word, He declares His love for us and that we belong to Him. Through Holy Baptism, He claims us as His own. Through the Lord's Supper, He gives us His very body and blood, the price of our redemption and for the forgiveness of our sins.
These are not empty rituals or mere outward ceremonies. They are the gracious gifts through which Christ continues to deliver His forgiveness, life, and salvation to His treasured people. Through these means, He strengthens our faith, assures us of His promises, and keeps us securely within His kingdom until the day He returns.
Finally, Jesus concludes this series of parables with these words: "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old" (Matthew 13:52).
What a fitting conclusion. Those who have received Christ's treasure are now called to share it with others. The old treasure is the ancient promise of God given throughout the Scriptures – the promise of a Savior who would come to redeem His people. The new treasure is the fulfillment of that promise in Jesus Christ and the continual proclamation of His saving work to every generation.
We do not earn this treasure; we do not discover it by our own wisdom or effort. It is given to us by grace. We receive it, rejoice in it, and faithfully share it with others.
So where is your treasure? Ultimately, it is not found in a bank account, a retirement fund, or a safe place. Your treasure is in Christ.
And even more wonderfully, in Christ, you are His treasure. You have been purchased, redeemed, forgiven, and loved. In Him, you possess a treasure that cannot be stolen, that cannot decay, and that can never be lost. For in Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven is not merely a future promise – it is already yours through faith, and it will be yours forever. Amen.
Now may this knowledge that the treasure Christ sought was not something He wanted to possess – it is a people He wants to redeem – guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen.