Matthew 13:44-58
Today's Passage: Matthew 13:44–58
A friend told me about an app he installed on his phone called WeCroak. From the app website, “The WeCroak app is inspired by a Bhutanese folk saying: to be a happy person, one must contemplate death five times daily. Each day, we'll send you five invitations to stop and think about death. Our invitations come at random times and at any moment, just like death.”
Five times a day, the app sends a notification saying, “Don’t forget, you’re going to die.” This is not an endorsement for the app (especially since it often accompanies those messages with thoughts and ideas from secular humanists), but I think it’s a morbidly humorous reminder of the truth our passage presents—if the Lord tarries, no one leaves this world alive!
So, if death or the Lord’s return is a quickly approaching inevitability for all of us, what is of truest value and greatest worth?
In seminary, I would often ask people how they did on an assignment or exam. When asking a friend named Sam, he would often respond, “It’s all going to burn anyway” (1 Cor 3:12–15). Again, it’s a great reminder that my value and worth cannot be found in what I do, what I learn, performance, acceptance, or any other fleeting thing. Truest value and greatest worth are only those things that are eternal, those things the Lord calls “good.”
If we discovered an enormous treasure in a field or a pearl of great price, we would be foolish not to give everything we had to gain something of substantially more value than our own assets. If I sold everything I had to get a property that’s worth billions, everyone would say that’s a good trade. What is my meager life savings compared to that? In the same breath, what is the meager offering of my life in light of eternity? The dragnet is coming—every person will be caught in the snare of death and judgement.
Verses 53–58 provide an amazing contrast to the parables of Jesus. Notice their questioning, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?...Where then did this man get all these things?” In other words, they saw the valuable treasure and the pearl of great price, but notice their response, “…and they took offense at him.” Wait, what?
Even recognizing the value of Jesus’ wisdom and works, the hometown crowd rejected it. “Then he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” Their rejection and unbelief literally hampered seeing Jesus work in their midst.
Here’s one of the things that strikes me in this passage—Jesus’ works and wisdom must be of truest value and highest worth in my life, and if it is, I will see more of his wisdom and experience more of his works. Additionally, it’s of greatest value and highest works because only those things that align with Jesus’ work and wisdom will last into eternity.
“Don’t forget, you’re going to die.” So what are you investing in today that will last?
Written By: Tyler Short
A friend told me about an app he installed on his phone called WeCroak. From the app website, “The WeCroak app is inspired by a Bhutanese folk saying: to be a happy person, one must contemplate death five times daily. Each day, we'll send you five invitations to stop and think about death. Our invitations come at random times and at any moment, just like death.”
Five times a day, the app sends a notification saying, “Don’t forget, you’re going to die.” This is not an endorsement for the app (especially since it often accompanies those messages with thoughts and ideas from secular humanists), but I think it’s a morbidly humorous reminder of the truth our passage presents—if the Lord tarries, no one leaves this world alive!
So, if death or the Lord’s return is a quickly approaching inevitability for all of us, what is of truest value and greatest worth?
In seminary, I would often ask people how they did on an assignment or exam. When asking a friend named Sam, he would often respond, “It’s all going to burn anyway” (1 Cor 3:12–15). Again, it’s a great reminder that my value and worth cannot be found in what I do, what I learn, performance, acceptance, or any other fleeting thing. Truest value and greatest worth are only those things that are eternal, those things the Lord calls “good.”
If we discovered an enormous treasure in a field or a pearl of great price, we would be foolish not to give everything we had to gain something of substantially more value than our own assets. If I sold everything I had to get a property that’s worth billions, everyone would say that’s a good trade. What is my meager life savings compared to that? In the same breath, what is the meager offering of my life in light of eternity? The dragnet is coming—every person will be caught in the snare of death and judgement.
Verses 53–58 provide an amazing contrast to the parables of Jesus. Notice their questioning, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?...Where then did this man get all these things?” In other words, they saw the valuable treasure and the pearl of great price, but notice their response, “…and they took offense at him.” Wait, what?
Even recognizing the value of Jesus’ wisdom and works, the hometown crowd rejected it. “Then he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” Their rejection and unbelief literally hampered seeing Jesus work in their midst.
Here’s one of the things that strikes me in this passage—Jesus’ works and wisdom must be of truest value and highest worth in my life, and if it is, I will see more of his wisdom and experience more of his works. Additionally, it’s of greatest value and highest works because only those things that align with Jesus’ work and wisdom will last into eternity.
“Don’t forget, you’re going to die.” So what are you investing in today that will last?
Written By: Tyler Short
No Comments