God has called the Christian to Share in His Glory

God calls us to share in the glory of His eternal Son (Second Reading), and the Kingdom of the Church is the vehicle Jesus gave us to bring us to that glory when, one day, we reach God’s heavenly Kingdom. Saint Paul wrote that all who demonstrate their love for God by seeking His divine will in their lives, believing in all He has taught, and living according to that teaching, have received a unique promise. No matter what happens for good or for ill and in success or suffering, all that we experience on our journey of faith is part of God’s divine plan for our lives. God will turn every experience, even suffering, to the benefit of our salvation if we persevere in faith, obey God’s commandments, and trust Him with our lives.

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Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study; used with permission

The Conclusion of the Kingdom Parables

In the Gospel Reading, Jesus tells the last three of the seven “Kingdom Parables.” The focus of the last three parables is the Last Judgment at the end of the Age of Humanity, which brings to a close the Messianic Era, the Age of the earthly New Covenant Church in Salvation History (see the chart on the twelve periods of salvation history). Jesus promised that His Kingdom is a treasure for which we should be willing to give up all earthly pursuits and attachments. The Church welcomes all people to join the community of Jesus’s earthly Kingdom (the good and the bad). However, only the righteous souls who fully submit themselves to God and offer Him their undivided love, demonstrated by obedience to His commandments, will inherit the promise of eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom. Living forever in the presence of God is the unequaled treasure Jesus promised those who live by what St. Paul called “the obedience of faith.”

Matthew 13:44-46 ~ The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and The Parable of the Pearl without Price

Jesus’s disciples are like the person who found the hidden treasure and the merchant who found a precious pearl. When they discovered the Messiah who came to announce the Kingdom of God, they left everything worldly behind to follow Christ and to possess a place in His Kingdom. The theme of both parables is the value of the Kingdom of Heaven and the joy of those who discover the treasure of eternal life. Both the laborer, who found the treasure in the field, and the merchant, who discovered a valuable pearl, had the wisdom to understand the value of what they found and the determination to give up everything worldly to keep it. The Old Testament Scriptures imparted wisdom (see Prov 2:1-4and Is 33:6), but the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ gives a new form of wisdom in the revelation of God the Son and His gift of eternal life.

Matthew 13:47-48 ~ The Parable of the Sorting of the Good and Bad Fish

The seven Kingdom Parables conclude with the subject of the Last/Final Judgment at the end of the age. All people are welcomed into the Kingdom of the earthly Church (the good and the bad), but only the righteous/good souls who love God and obey His commandments will be set aside and kept for eternal life.

Matthew 13:49-50 ~ Jesus’s Summary statement for the last three parables

The angels, who were the “harvesters” in the parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat (Mt 13:30, 39-43), will separate the wicked from the righteous. These last parables compare the conditions of the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are the ones who treat the kingdom like a precious treasure worth more than anything earthly life can offer. They are the “good fish” separated from the “bad fish” and destined for eternal glory. The wicked treat the kingdom as though it has no value for them. They are like the “bad fish,” and their choices destine them for eternal damnation.

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Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study; used with permission