Today we have three more short Parables – a treasure hidden in the field, a merchant finding a pearl and a net cast into the sea. All of them are descriptions of the Kingdom of Heaven.
As before, the parables are very simple. They are taught in the outdoors and to big crowds. The message is for those who have ears to hear.
Working from the last to the first, the net cast into the sea explains an aspect of the Church with which we are very familiar. The church is full of good fish, but it also has bad fish. The warning of the parable is: it is not our work to sort out the good from the bad. That is the job of the fisherman, the Lord. The punch line of the parable is do not judge others, simply mind your own business.
The merchant who finds a pearl of great price is clearly Jesus Christ who has paid a great price for the Church, the people of God. He has given his life on the Cross.
Again the treasure hidden in the field is an image of the Church. What we said about the pearl applies here too. But I would like to put another side to this parable. Each one of us is the treasure hidden in the field. The parable has said that someone has found us and hidden us again, and goes off happy and sells everything he owns and buys the field! This is a story of my salvation history. I am redeemed, i.e., bought back at the priceless cost of the Blood of Jesus.
The parables are simple, but profound. They are meant to lead us to commitment. A good story teller will bring stories from the storeroom, both new and old. That is how a scribe becomes a disciple.
As before, the parables are very simple. They are taught in the outdoors and to big crowds. The message is for those who have ears to hear.
Working from the last to the first, the net cast into the sea explains an aspect of the Church with which we are very familiar. The church is full of good fish, but it also has bad fish. The warning of the parable is: it is not our work to sort out the good from the bad. That is the job of the fisherman, the Lord. The punch line of the parable is do not judge others, simply mind your own business.
The merchant who finds a pearl of great price is clearly Jesus Christ who has paid a great price for the Church, the people of God. He has given his life on the Cross.
Again the treasure hidden in the field is an image of the Church. What we said about the pearl applies here too. But I would like to put another side to this parable. Each one of us is the treasure hidden in the field. The parable has said that someone has found us and hidden us again, and goes off happy and sells everything he owns and buys the field! This is a story of my salvation history. I am redeemed, i.e., bought back at the priceless cost of the Blood of Jesus.
The parables are simple, but profound. They are meant to lead us to commitment. A good story teller will bring stories from the storeroom, both new and old. That is how a scribe becomes a disciple.
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