The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure …
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Kgs 3:5. 7-12; Ps 118; Rom 8:28-30; Mt 13:44-52
The “kingdom of heaven” emerges as the major theme in the 13th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel of which the last nine verses will be proclaimed on this 17th Sunday in ordinary time. These nine verses contain the last three parables in a series of seven which contine to throw light on what the “kingdom of heaven” actually is. Since this theme is not only central to this Sunday’s gospel text but also to the whole of Jesus’ message, we should not let this Sunday go by without having a better grasp of the meaning of this theme.
In his book “Church. The Human Story of God”, the brilliant theologian Edward Schillebeechx defines the kingdom of heaven as, “the saving presence of God, active and encouraging, as it is affirmed and welcomed among men and women, which takes concrete form above all in just and peaceful relationships among individuals and peoples.” Hence, the “kingdom of heaven” is not something spacial or territorial but refers to the precious presence of God which in the fullness of time was made manifest in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in the measure that men are open to this divine presence, that they believe in Jesus as the Son of God (Jn 20:13) and consequently allow themselves to be shaped by this truth, that the kingdom of God is realized on earth.
The parables of the kingdom present the “kingdom of heaven” as a both a gift and a task. Jesus stresses that his Father’s kingdom is open to all and not reserved for some elite group. It is an a priori gift of God to mankind flowing from his unconditional love for his human creatures. It is undeserved and gratuitous, inviting all to be come his sons and daughters in Christ.
In proposing (not imposing) the message of the kingdom, Jesus insistently calls for a personal response on the part of the addressee. Each individual is confronted with the responsibility of paying heed, of accepting, of choosing the values of the kingdom of heaven and of bearing witness to them. This is the task dimension of Jesus’ message of the kingdom, which is clearly manifested in the parable of the treasure wherein we are told that on finding the treasure, the treasure-finder “goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Finding the treasure is not enough! The disciple then has to undertake the step of selling “all that he has” to make the treasure his. The expression “all that he has” shows that this man was ready to loose everything to acquire something better than all that he had until now. This is the experience which Saint Paul describes in his letter to the Philippians: “I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish in order that I might gain Christ and be found in him” (Phil 3:8). May we too one day undergo this experience so that we may then be able to help others to do the same.
1 Kgs 3:5. 7-12; Ps 118; Rom 8:28-30; Mt 13:44-52
The “kingdom of heaven” emerges as the major theme in the 13th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel of which the last nine verses will be proclaimed on this 17th Sunday in ordinary time. These nine verses contain the last three parables in a series of seven which contine to throw light on what the “kingdom of heaven” actually is. Since this theme is not only central to this Sunday’s gospel text but also to the whole of Jesus’ message, we should not let this Sunday go by without having a better grasp of the meaning of this theme.
In his book “Church. The Human Story of God”, the brilliant theologian Edward Schillebeechx defines the kingdom of heaven as, “the saving presence of God, active and encouraging, as it is affirmed and welcomed among men and women, which takes concrete form above all in just and peaceful relationships among individuals and peoples.” Hence, the “kingdom of heaven” is not something spacial or territorial but refers to the precious presence of God which in the fullness of time was made manifest in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in the measure that men are open to this divine presence, that they believe in Jesus as the Son of God (Jn 20:13) and consequently allow themselves to be shaped by this truth, that the kingdom of God is realized on earth.
The parables of the kingdom present the “kingdom of heaven” as a both a gift and a task. Jesus stresses that his Father’s kingdom is open to all and not reserved for some elite group. It is an a priori gift of God to mankind flowing from his unconditional love for his human creatures. It is undeserved and gratuitous, inviting all to be come his sons and daughters in Christ.
In proposing (not imposing) the message of the kingdom, Jesus insistently calls for a personal response on the part of the addressee. Each individual is confronted with the responsibility of paying heed, of accepting, of choosing the values of the kingdom of heaven and of bearing witness to them. This is the task dimension of Jesus’ message of the kingdom, which is clearly manifested in the parable of the treasure wherein we are told that on finding the treasure, the treasure-finder “goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Finding the treasure is not enough! The disciple then has to undertake the step of selling “all that he has” to make the treasure his. The expression “all that he has” shows that this man was ready to loose everything to acquire something better than all that he had until now. This is the experience which Saint Paul describes in his letter to the Philippians: “I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish in order that I might gain Christ and be found in him” (Phil 3:8). May we too one day undergo this experience so that we may then be able to help others to do the same.
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