The foundation for grasping the truth here today is understanding the parable of the sower in Matthew 13: 3-23. Some seeds fell on the rocky ground but were soon scorched and withered away because they didn’t have much soil. This represents believers who hear the gospel, they hear the word of God: Salvation and eternal life through Christ, and much more.
They embrace this with joy. However, the pressures and challenges of life soon cause them to lose that love and joy. Eventually, they fall away. Because they didn’t learn more and grow that faith to a point where it is unshakeable, they are easily pulled away.
Then we have those who fall among thorns, and of course, are choked out. These people hear the word, but their minds are too occupied with cares of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth. The Message Version says they are worried about getting more and everything under the sun.
These people love the gospel, but they are more captivated by worldly things. They may not admit it, but they often put other pursuits ahead of God’s Word. Some may have embraced the gospel initially because of the promise of prosperity and still refused to grow beyond that notion. With this mindset and lifestyle, the Word is eventually choked out, producing no lasting fruit.
For both groups of people, the word and by extension, the kingdom of God is not of most value to them. When trouble strikes or wealth comes calling, they very quickly dispose of the kingdom of God and all that relates to it. And before we shake our heads in disapproval and disappointment, most of us are like this.
The heart of the matter is value. They did not see the Kingdom as worth everything. The word sounded good to them—inspiring, comforting, joyful even—but not yet precious. These two groups described above fall away not just because of trials or distractions, but because the word has not yet become their highest treasure. The Kingdom has not taken root deeply enough to outweigh pressure or outshine worldly desires.
In the same chapter, Jesus goes on to teach another set of parables. He shifts the focus from why people lose the Kingdom, from how people receive the word, to what it looks like when someone truly recognizes its incomparable value. In other words, He moves from exposure to the word to the appropriate response to its worth. If the sower parable reveals why many lose the Kingdom, the next parables reveal why some cling to it at any cost.
Jesus says in Matthew 13: 44-46 NIV that:
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
The understanding of this is that the kingdom is extremely precious, worth more than any possession you may have. Sometimes, we make it a point to remind God of our sacrifices; the jobs we let go of, money we parted with or time we gave up for His sake. But this scripture is, in fact, telling us that this is all worth it. There is no sacrifice here, per se, because the kingdom of God is worth it all and even more.
One of the conditions Jesus gave to becoming his disciple is that we must hate everyone and everything else (Lk. 14:26). We must deny ourselves worldly attachments (Mtt. 16:24-25). Now, He doesn’t mean we should not care for or about people or things, as many falsely interpret. What He means is that should it come to a point where you have to pick between Jesus or this, the Kingdom or that, you would choose Jesus and the Kingdom in a heartbeat.
But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
Philippians 3:7-8 BSB
Paul had the understanding that Christ is worth everything. He even goes further, saying he considers all things to be rubbish. The New International Version says Paul considered all things “garbage” in comparison to Christ and knowing Him.
God wants us to come to this level, where we consider Him and His kingdom to be above all and worth everything. When we get to this level, it becomes difficult for challenges of this world to steal the word from us, or for earthly pleasures to choke the growth of His word in our lives.
Whatever we lose for Christ is worth it. And whatever sacrifices He requires are in fact not sacrifices but joyful exchanges—giving up lesser things to gain the treasure of immeasurable worth: Him and His kingdom.
If you’re yet to receive Christ, you’re missing out on the greatest treasure you could ever have. If you want to make the decision to belong to Him today, please say this prayer: Dear Jesus, I thank you for your love towards me. Thank you for saving my soul. Today, I receive you into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Amen.
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