kingdom pickers

Yesterday revisited.

This summer we have been reading and experiencing the encounter with christ in the gospel through the eyes of St. Matthew's gospel.

The gospel of matthew could be described as the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. In writing his gospel, in bringing to us the encounter with Christ, his actions and teachings, Matthew uses the phrase "kingdom of heaven" 32 times in 28 chapters.

When Jesus begins his ministry, he invites the people to reflect on the fact that the "kingdom of heaven is at hand" Matthew ch 4.

In chapter 6, in the middle of the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus teaches us how to pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" as he gives us the Our Father.

In chapter 16, Jesus tells Simon that "you are Peter, "rock" upon which I will build my church...I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, what you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, what you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

In chapter 28, at the very end of the gospel as Jesus is about to ascend he tells the 11 apostles that all authority in heaven and earth has been given him and thus they should go make disciples of all nations, that is they should spread the kingdom to the ends of the earth.


Over the past three weeks on Sunday we have been reading from ch 13 of Matthew's gospel in which Jesus has been giving us the sermon of the parables of the kingdom of heaven.

Each parable begins with "the kingdom of heaven in like...a sower who sows, a mustard seed planted, leaven in dough and this week the kingdom of heaven is like a man who finds a buried treasure, a merchant who find the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea.

These three parables are connected by the word "again." Jesus tell us that the kingdom is like a man who finds a treasure in a field, Again the kingdom is like a merchant who finds a pearl of great price, again the kingdom is like a net.

Thus, they belong together. If we want to understand them we must take all three together.

Look at the first two parables: A guy finds a treasure, sells everything to buy the field. Notice that the guy is not looking for the treasure. Rather, he seems to be just doing his work; he is earning a living. Day in and day out, he goes to the grind of living, routine to make ends meet and provide for his family and then the kingdom of heaven smacks him in the forehead.

The same goes for the merchant. He is looking for fine pearls, perhaps to sell to his customers, to make them happy and again to support his family. This is what he always does. In the midst of this routine of living he encounter life itself.

This is important for us. Jesus invites us to understand that we do not have to go far to find the kingdom. Rather, the kingdom is hidden right before us. God hides himself in our homes, our families, our jobs, in our places of leisure so that we might have the joy of discovery.

These two parables remind of the TV show: American pickers. The two guys on the show go around the US scouring through junkyards, barns, and basements looking for valuables. They dig through junk with an eye peeled for treasure.

The beauty of these two guys and what separates them from hoarders is that they can discriminate. They only take what is valuable and leave the junk behind.

This what Jesus invites us to do. In the parables, the two guys who find the treasure and the pearl are willing to sell everything, leave the junk for the prize. So to must we.

The parable of the net reminds us of this. The net is brought forth with all kinds if fish, but the good are kept the bad are thrown away.

We too must be able to discriminate. In the end, God will discriminate as JEsus reminds us. The angels will come to separate the wicked from the righteous.

God discriminates. And because he discriminates, his love is true.

How we discriminate here and now will determine whether we are discriminated for or discriminated against in the end.

We must learn to be pickers for the kingdom. We must be willing to leave the junk behind, to sell everything for the one thing.

We are invited to become pickers for the Kingdom.

This is what makes Solomon's prayer so important for us. Solomon prayed for an "understanding heart to discern what is good from what is bad."

This too is what we must attend to.
What do you pray for? How often do you pray for wisdom to discern the good from the bad?

For with Wisdom then truly we will certainly be able to pick out the prize amidst the junk the world as to offer and hold on tight.