We seek the Kingdom first, as commanded by Jesus during his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:33). But its secret mystery is hidden in the Word in his Parable but can be revealed only to those who listen and understand (Matthew 13:11, 35; cf. Psalm 78:2).
The Kingdom comes, as we say in the prayer taught by
Jesus (e.g. Matthew 6:10). And the coming of the Kingdom was figuratively
prophesized in light of the post-exilic Davidic kingdom, more than 600 years
before the coming of Christ in the human flesh (e.g. Isaiah 2:2-5; 9:6).
So, the Son was sent by the Father (John 3:16; 1
John 4:9), as the Holy Spirit was applied to the womb of the chosen virgin
(Luke 1:35), Mary, the Immaculate Conception, incarnating the Theos-Logos (Word-God) in the human
flesh (John 1:1, 14) of Jesus. And Jesus began his public ministry by
proclaiming that the Kingdom is at hand (Matthew 4:17).
The revelation of the secret of the Kingdom is one
thing. The question now is what are you going to do with your discovery of the
secret mystery of the Kingdom revealed to you?
Jesus spoke a set of two parables on this matter
(Matthew 13:44-46): the parable of the hidden treasure (v.44) and parable of
the pearl (vv.45-46).
In the first parable (v.44), Jesus said that the
Kingdom is like the treasure buried in the field, which a man finds by
coincidence. He was not necessarily seeking the treasure but found it rather
accidently. In contrast, the merchant in the second parable (vv.45-46) had a
clear intention to find and buy a fine pearl. And he rejoiced to have found one
with great value. What is common across
these two parables is that both the man in the first parable and the merchant
in the second parable sold all in their possessions to buy what they found. But
the man in the first parable, who accidently found the buried treasure in the
field, purchased the entire field, where he found the treasure and buried it
back. It means that this man was already thinking to multiply the treasure that
he found in the field, suggesting that he wanted the Kingdom to grow in the
field which he purchased.
Whether the Kingdom is juxtaposed to the buried treasure in the field or the pearl of great value, in this sent of parables, Jesus calls us to invest all our assets in the Kingdom and its growth. Why? Because we are called to seek the Kingdom first and above all things (Matthew 6:33). In fact, the teaching of seeking the Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33) by pouring out all our earthly assets, as illustrated in this set of parables (Matthew 13:44-46) is like Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the rich young man: following Jesus by selling all our assets (e.g. Luke 18:18-30).
Perhaps, the first parable (Matthew 13:44) reflects
non-Christian’s accidental encounter with the gem of Jesus’ in Jesus’ words on
the Kingdom leading to his conversion, And he invests not only all his assets
but his whole life in his commitment to the growth of the value of the gem for
the Kingdom at hand to grow where he is, as reflected in the parable of the
mustard seed to grow into a large tree (Matthew 13:31-32), as well as, in the
parable of the yeast to raise the dough (Matthew 13:33).
This reflects the fact that the majority of the
Christians todays are offspring of Gentiles, who converted and became devout
Christians, rather than Jews, though both of them encountered the words of
Jesus.
The second parable (Matthew 13:45-46) reflects cradle
Catholics, who seek t the Sacraments beyond the Sacrament of Baptism. The
merchant’s long ardent search for the perfect pearl can be juxtaposed to
Catholics’ journey of formation through the Sacraments of Initiation, upon
Baptism, and other Sacraments, to grow as fruitful servants of Jesus, doing his
work on the Kingdom on a greater scale (i.e. John 14:12). And ultimately, this
is the journey to seeking the Kingdom first, for which they pour everything
they have, including their entire lives.
Whether by accident or with a resolved intention, our encounter with the mystery of the Kingdom must result in our response to pour our all assets, including our whole lives, in committing to it. This is how Catholics should be, whether cradle Catholics or converted Catholics. It is because there is no greater treasure for us than the Kingdom at hand.
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