Treasures New and Old (Sermon Notes)

Sermon: Treasures New and Old – July 30, 2023 – Lebanon UMC
Proper 12 Year A — Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Romans 8:35-39; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Video of sermon preached at Lebanon here.

Introduction

I don’t know what an average person looks like. Whenever I encounter someone, I think may be an average Jane or Joe, they quickly dispel that notion as I get to know them. We all have those characteristics, traits, and peculiarities that make us quite unique. One of my peculiarities is a fondness for old shaving equipment.

This is one of the razors I use. It is called a safety razor (only because it is safer than a straight razor). I learned how to shave by watching my father shave. He would sometimes smear a bit of shaving cream on my face and give me a razor without a blade and let me ‘shave’ it off my face.

This is a special razor, the one I used this morning, was made about the same time as I was born. I bought it over the Internet. Indeed, I buy my razor blades and my shaving soaps online. In fact, if it weren’t for the Internet, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy this type of shaving. It is the new (the Internet) that allows me to enjoy the old (the shaving supplies). The old and the new come together for me to have this kind of experience.

Today’s Gospel Reading

Our Gospel lesson today consists of five parables and one saying of Jesus.

At the end of our Gospel reading, Jesus says “every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” (Mt 13:52 ESV)

In his ministry, Jesus has always been about a new perspective. He reminds us that he came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. (Mt 5:17) He reminds us again and again of the heart of the meaning of God’s law. He takes those ancient works, originally meant to draw the line of outward behavior in God’s covenant community and turns them inward as a means of demonstrating what Jeremiah referred to as the circumcision of the heart.

What do I mean by this? Think of the 10 commandments as ten points on a circle that defines an area of acceptable behavior in God’s covenant community. For example, if you spurn God’s name, you have crossed the line. If you commit adultery, you have crossed the line. If you neglect your elderly parents, you have crossed the line. You see how this works?

But Jesus doesn’t want people living on the fringes of acceptable behavior approaching the line as closely as possible just to stay inside. Rather, he wants us to turn towards the center of what God’s law describes. When we turn towards the center we are turning toward God. We are able to then understand the redemptive power in God’s ancient word.

This is why Jesus will say things like, “you have heard it said of old, you shall not commit adultery, but I say if you lust for someone you have already committed adultery in your heart.” (Mt 5:27-28) Or “you have heard it said of old, you shall not murder, but I say if you are angry with a brother or sister you are liable to judgment. If you call someone a fool you are in danger of the fires of hell.” (Mt 5:21-22)

Jesus is telling us that faithfulness isn’t found in keeping track of what we need to do to be acceptable, rather, it is the actual cultivation of holiness in our hearts. Our desire is greater than not getting God angry at us, but to actually live life in a manner that is pleasing to God and brings glory to God’s name.

In this manner, Jesus is training us for the Kingdom of heaven. Perhaps a better way to express it is to say he is teaching us to live in God’s Realm. You see, to Jesus, heaven is not about some ‘pie in the sky, bye and bye.’ Heaven is not just for the future after we die. Heaven is now. We are called to live in God’s reign now.

Jesus is that master of the household bringing out of his treasure what is old and what is new. He presents us God’s word, not as an archaic law tied to ancient understandings and ancient culture. No, he presents us with God’s word even as he is the embodiment of God’s Word. We now encounter God’s Word, not as ink on a page, or carving in a stone, but in the living presence of Christ. Jesus is both the old and the new.

Let’s Look at the Parables

Now, let us go back and take a closer look at this particular grouping of parables. The first two were addressed to the crowds (along with the parables we have talked about these last two Sundays). The next three parables are addressed to the disciples.

The first two parables deal with the growth of God’s Realm. The second two deal with the worth of the Kingdom or the desirability of living in God’s Realm. The fifth parable deals with the consequences of accepting or rejecting a life in God’s Realm.

Two Parables for the Multitudes

Let’s start off with the first two parables in today’s reading: the Parable of the Mustard Seed, and the Parable of the Leaven. In a minute I’ll get back to why I said leaven and not yeast.

The Mustard Seed

Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a small mustard seed which grows into a shrub great enough for the birds to come and make their nests in it. He compares it to a bit of leavening hidden in a rather large measure of flour that permeates the whole and creates an enormous loaf. Jesus begins his ministry by announcing the coming of God’s Realm — the Kingdom of Heaven, as Matthew puts it. When he sends his disciples out in pairs, he instructs them to do the same. The disciples of Jesus — the followers of Jesus — are to announce God’s Realm; they are to demonstrate what it means to live in God’s Realm; they are to offer that life to others. (Mt 10)

Both of these images are rather absurd. First you have the mustard seed. Jesus says that it is the smallest of seeds but grows into the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree. Okay, right there the problems start. It starts with small seeds that must take root each year since the mustard plant is an annual. And let me tell you, these plants are no trees, they aren’t even the greatest of shrubs! What is going on here. Why would Jesus say something like that?

Well, many of the parables that Jesus teaches with are often contain an absurdity or create an image that is fantastical. This parable tells us something about the Kingdom of Heaven. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Mt 13:31b-32 NRSVue)

Now there are different varieties of mustard plants, and they serve different purposes. One variety is used to make yellow mustard, another to make the Dijon style mustard, another for its greens, then there is the variety called the garlic mustard. Mustard plants can easily become invasive and undesirable. The garlic mustard has a garlicy smell and a bitter taste. (Garlic Mustard; “Garlic Mustard”)

My grandfather would grow clover for feeding his cattle. There would inevitably be some mustard plants volunteering in the field with the clover. Apparently, the taste of the mustard would put the cattle off their feed. So, my grandfather would pay me a John F Kennedy 50 cent piece to go out into the field and pull up the mustard plants and remove them from the clover. Mustard plants may be desirable to some people and unwelcome by others.

Maybe Jesus is saying that unless you are really looking the Kingdom of God may not look like much to you. But to those who do see the kingdom see an incredible sight, a puny plant that grows into a great tree that the birds of the air can come and make their nests in its branches. That’s what the Kingdom of God is like!

The Leaven

Then Jesus shares another parable. Let me read it from the American Standard Version: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.” (Mt 13:33 ASV) This is important because leaven and yeast aren’t the same. We think of yeast as that stuff that comes in little packets used to make bread. Nice, neat, and easy. As for leaven, think of a sourdough starter. (Levine 118) Or perhaps a kombucha starter. Those things all look pretty nasty, don’t they?

Leaven could be seen both negatively or positively. Remember, Jesus warns, “beware of the leaven of the pharisees.” The Apostle Paul also uses leaven in a negative context warning that boasting acts like leaven, a little bit can spoil the who batch. (1 Cor 5:6)

Also, the Greek text does not say that the woman kneaded the leaven in the flour. Rather, she hides the leaven in about fifty pounds flour. (Levine 131) There is a lot going on here. The woman hides the leaven. There is an incredible amount of flour being used — enough to feed 100 people. (Hare 157)

Now, remember the story of the three men who came to visit Abraham. He instructed Sarah to quickly make bread with three measures of flour. This story is one we associate with hospitality and generosity — generous hospitality if you will. (Levine 136) So the leaven in our parable may convey both negative and positive images.

Both of these parables carry the idea of incredible and wonderful possibilities. The Kingdom of God moves into the ordinary to produce something extraordinary.

The question then becomes: will it take root? As in the Parable of the Sower, we are looking for evidence of good grain for a plentiful harvest. The Kingdom of God grows in extraordinary ways! When the Kingdom of God takes root in someone’s life, we will see the evidence of it. It will be as obvious as the presence of leaven in bread dough as we watch the loaf rise.

 

Three Parables for the Twelve

The second set of parables deal with the desirability of the Kingdom of God. To possess this great treasure, we live in God’s Realm. What are you willing to give to live in God’s realm?

The United States remains a favorite location for people seeking to relocate for a better life. Whether they enter the country legally or illegally, they share this in common: they are often people who have risked everything they have for the chance of a new life. Often, they leave behind friends and family they know they will never embrace again. Often, they are leaving the comfort of understanding people around them who have shared the same culture and language since birth. Often, they arrive with what they are wearing and what they can carry in a couple of bags. They may be people who have little to nothing, but they give up the security for what they do have for the hope of a future.

You might say that these are people who give up everything for the hope of a new life.

Jesus is asking us if we are willing to do the same to live in God’s Realm. The question is NOT, do you believe in it. The question is, will you live in it.

The Treasure and the Pearl

Let’s look at the first two of these parables. These parables are NOT addressed to the crowds, but to the Apostles. Jesus seems to be telling them that you cannot just walk away with this treasure by right. The man who discovers the treasure can’t just walk away with it. No, he must sell all he owns to have enough to buy the field and the treasure that comes with it. So it is that we are called to do the same.

Remember the rich young man who comes to Jesus asking what he must do to have eternal life (Mt 19:16-22). Jesus tells him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (vs. 21).

The young man cannot pay the cost, so he walks away. Apparently, the disciples are quite astonished in witnessing this. Peter says, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” (vs 27). In Luke’s account Peter says, “Look, we have left our homes and followed you” (Lk 18:28).

Jesus replies, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not get back very much more in this age and in the age to come eternal life” (Lk 18:29-30).

Yes, everything is on the line. But the rewards will be great — it this life AND in the life to come.

Now, at first glance, the parable of the pearl seems like the parable of the treasure. But there is a difference. In the parable of the treasure, the kingdom of heaven I like a treasure. In the parable of the pearl, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a merchant in search of fine pearls. It does not say that the kingdom of heaven is like a pearl — no, it is like the man in search of pearls. (Levine 141, 146) Perhaps the point is that here is a man who is searching for something wonderful, but he really doesn’t know what it is until he discovers it. He stumbles upon it.

Most of the commentaries I consulted treat these parables as a pair that pretty much make the same point. What is your response to finding something so wonderful? What would you give or do for this incredible thing? Of course, we know that the kingdom of God cannot be purchased. We can’t buy it or earn it. It is a gift. (Hare 158)

But then, what is your response to the gift offered and given?

The Net and the Fish

Now to the final parable — “the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind” (vs. 47). The catch contains both good and bad fish that need to be sorted. It’s a bit like the parable from last week — the wheat and the tares. The day of sorting will come.

Now, the work of creation isn’t easy, and it is ongoing. The work of redemption isn’t easy, and it is ongoing. Again and again, Jesus reminds his disciples — his followers — that they will need to take of their cross daily and follow him. He reminds them that things will be turned upside down — that the first will be last and the last first. But persevere, persevere, persevere.

For one day creation will be completed. One day the work of redemption will be completed. There will be a sorting out of all that is evil and destructive to God’s purposes. This is the meaning of that final parable.

How Are We to Respond?

Being a disciple of Jesus means being a follower of Jesus. He tells us up front that it will not be an easy thing. There may be days we just want to throw in the towel and walk away. In the 6th chapter of John, the 66th verse it says that many of his followers found his teaching too hard and they stopped following him. They were like the children of Israel who found the rigors of the desert and freedom so great they were willing to give it all up and return to Egypt and to a live of slavery.

I think one of the biggest mistakes Christians often make is believing that this physical world is evil. The scriptures don’t say that. The scriptures give witness to evil, destructive forces at work in the world and in our lives. The world is not evil but broken — fallen. It is in need of redemption. This is God’s creation and God’s love for the world is so great that he sent his son into the world.

This is why we say that the mission of the church is to make disciples for the transformation of the world. This is not some arrogant boast that we are capable of fixing everything that is broken, because we can’t. That is not our job — it is God’s But we surrender our wills to his, to be instruments of healing and grace. We don’t give up because we serve one who can do all things; the one who is capable of fixing all things. We trust that our efforts are part of God’s plan; that we are ourselves part of his redemptive work.

This is God’s way of restoring holiness to his creation.

Holiness is not about otherworldliness. If it were, God never would have sent his Son into this world. Holiness is very much about this world. This is God’s creation. Even now God is making all things new. His redemptive power has taken root in our lives and in this world. He has charged us to be the stewards of this wonderful creation; to be a part of what is happening even as the world itself groans and longs for redemption.

We witness the pain and brokenness all around us. We see the impact of evil on what was created to be good and holy. But the day of sorting it all out is coming and we have a glimpse of what that day will be like.

Have you ever read a novel and found yourself getting so involved in the characters that your concern for them grows as the questions mount. You know: Jim and Allison have gotten together by page 57, but Allison’s colleagues at the hospital are involved in an organ transplant scheme with ties to the mob. by page 157 you are wondering if they will close in on Jim as he gets closer to the truth in his investigation? Will Jim and Allison both survive to the end of the novel? Will they still be together? Will they live happily ever after? You are so concerned for them that you must know.

So, you just take a peek at the end of the book. You just want to glance at the closing paragraphs — just long enough to see that Jim and Allison are still there; still alive; and still together. With that assurance you can go back to page 157 and finish reading the novel. You know that no matter what happens, regardless of what danger they will face, in the end they will be okay.

The Book of Revelation does exactly that for the exiled John. Exiled to the island of Patmos, he is concerned for his Christian brothers and sisters. He is concerned for the Body of Christ and for the mission entrusted to it by their Lord. He cries out to God in his prayers, and he is given a vision. A look at the last pages if you will.

He looks and sees a Lamb, slain.

Is this a vision to comfort?

He looks again and sees a Lion, triumphant!

“And I see a new heaven and a new earth. I see a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth. And God will reside with his people there. There will be no more death, no more pain or suffering. The leaves of the tree of life will be for the healing of the nations. There will be no crying there, for God will wipe away every tear.” (Revelation, chapters 22 and 23, passim).

I don’t know about you. But I’m not ready to call it quits. I’m not ready to give up. I want to be a part of something bigger than myself. I want to live in God’s Realm; and by his grace, though the road is often narrow, and rough, and difficult, I press on.

References

Garlic Mustard. 11 Mar. 2020, https://extension.psu.edu/garlic-mustard.

“Garlic Mustard: Invasive, Destructive, Edible.” The Nature Conservancy, 22 July 2020, https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/indiana/stories-in-indiana/garlic-mustard/.

Hare, Douglas R. A. Matthew. John Knox Press, 1993.

Levine, Amy-Jill. Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi. HarperOne, 2015.