I don’t know if anyone here is a golfing enthusiast or
perhaps like me you live with a keen golfer, but whether
interested or not I’m sure no one could have missed the
excitement generated by the 146th Open Golf Championship
held this year at Royal Birkdale! There were thousands of
officials, marshals, golfers, their caddies and spectators,
in and around Birkdale. The atmosphere was electric and
everyone involved was full of excitement and expectation as
various dreams began to unfold. The golfers, the established
names and new names of those embarking on their sporting
journeys were all after the ultimate prize, the treasure
found in a trophy, treasure only achievable by listening and
learning from a coach with far greater wisdom than the
golfer; but a coach can only do so much and what follows
comes from how his or her wisdom has been received and
responded to. And so after gruelling rounds and battles
against the elements Jordan Spieth was rewarded with his
trophy, The Claret Jug!
Jesus could be likened to a coach in today’s gospel reading,
he told parables, short stories which communicate meaning
but unlike last week’s parable, today’s parables don’t have
the benefit of an explanation; they need personal
interpretation. Interestingly some scholars believe that the
parables with meanings weren’t actually from Jesus’ lips but
were the interpretations of the early church.
The parables relate to the Kingdom of Heaven - the gathering
of all who belong to and live for Christ in the name of the
Father and the text addresses how to establish ourselves in
that Kingdom. Jesus likens it to a mustard seed, yeast,
hidden treasure, fine pearls and a net, all things that
Jewish peasants would be familiar with.
The first two parables were addressed to the crowds. The
first being about the microscopic seed, it may look
insignificant but is capable of growing into an enormous
tree; it is a symbol of growth and hospitality within the
kingdom and the birds symbolise the nations of the world.
Jesus tells the crowds that the Kingdom is beyond the old
confines of Judaism and extends to include a home for the
Gentiles as well. The potential is there although initially
it is hidden. Similarly with the yeast, it can transform the
whole loaf. Yeast is a disturbing element in the dough, it
makes it rise and become active. Aren’t we all sometimes
called to disturb situations that have become dull or
inactive? One definition of priestly ministry is to disturb
the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. So yes, humans
can be transformed and in turn they can, with perseverance
transform society.
However generations of people from Jesus’ day until now have
questioned how there can possibly be a Kingdom when there
are so many atrocities and tragedies going on in the world.
Yet despite the appalling failures and sins of nations and
individuals there is no doubt that Christians throughout the
ages have made a difference and do have an amazing record in
compassion, health care, education and justice, and the
responses to recent events at The Manchester Arena and
Grenfell Towers certainly prove that. So yes, although it
can be difficult to accept, the dough does continue to rise
and seeds that are sown today can grow and spread into
something huge and ultimately lead us closer to our goal of
entering The Kingdom of Heaven.
After these two parables Jesus leaves the crowds to think
about his words and he moves on to talk to the
disciples with two more stories which stress the
incalculable value of the Kingdom, both the cost of gaining
it and the fact that it will cost all we have. He talks of
surprises and treasures. And we hear about treasure found by
accident by a poor man when his ploughshare suddenly hit on
a box. He reburied it until he was able to buy the whole
field.
The point is clear that suddenly against all the odds we can
discover Christ! I have often heard stories from people who
have had one specific moment when they recognised the
blessing of Christ in their lives.
The treasure in the next parable was a perfect pearl which
was found by conscientious and patient searching. Despite
other pearls of value on the market there were none to
compare with this one. This is how some people come to know
the Kingdom of God, they try many faiths, ideologies and
philosophies but then there is one moment of great joy when
the glory of God is revealed to them.
In both stories the treasure was found and both men were
prepared to sell everything in order to keep their findings.
St Gregory the Great commented how in the first case the
treasure seemed to have been stumbled upon, whereas in the
second, the pearl seems to have been hard sought. Both
situations offer a parallel with that greatest of gift of
all, Faith. What a gamble; someone else may have dug up the
treasure or the pearl merchant may have got it wrong! Our
paths towards the kingdom do involve taking drastic risks
but those risks are worth it as we will ultimately be given
the confidence of well-invested faith.
We then come to the final parable in the series which
highlights judgement and separation and like the golfers we
need patience and above all else perseverance; then at the
end of our journey we will be judged.
The coming of Jesus began the process of the final judgement
and as Jesus taught and lived the Kingdom the world was
sharply divided in two, those who followed him and hung on
his every word and those who rejected him and stuck blindly
with the old ways. God keeps the good but He loves everyone
and does not want the bad to stay bad. We are all are
given a chance to grow and be transformed until eventually
the time comes when judgment is made.
The disciples claimed that they understood, I wonder do we
fully take on board that our life choices will determine
whether we are gathered into the Kingdom or rejected from
it. We have stark choices to make and need wisdom to
recognise our deepest longing for the treasure still to be
found.
So what holds the parables together? It is the scribe in
verse 52, he is the disciples and he is us. He is the one to
use these stories to plant small ideas which will feed
family, friends and the world. He is the one who shows that
the treasure is so beautiful that it is worth sacrificing
all that we have to possess it. The stories highlight the
fact that those who risk selling their earthly belongings
will find the Kingdom of God and come to know the value of
their investment. No price is too high to pay for the
timeless treasure offered in the eternal kingdom. This a
practical invitation to put aside all our wealth, perceived
importance, prestige or comforts and so on because if we
overvalue them then we are devaluing God.
These parables although they are clear and familiar to us
they need to be reread on a regular basis, then we realise
they set us challenges on two levels, our understanding and
our actions. As Tom Wright says, understanding without
action is sterile; action without understanding is
exhausting and useless.
The parables seem to speak for themselves but like the
golfers in Birkdale we need to hear the words of our great
coach over and over again until they become second nature.
As a Christian community we are surrounded by the blessings
of God’s Kingdom and Jesus is pleading with us not to let
our faith lie buried in the field or resting on the seabed.
Jesus invites us to open our eyes to become aware of the
treasures that we have each received from God and through
love and faith we can bear fruit for the kingdom. And yes,
although the cost can be considerable, the treasure will be
priceless!