09.03 Prophetic Parables And Actions

09.03.21 PARABLE OF HIDDEN TREASURE

Bill Heinrich  -  Jan 04, 2016  -  Comments Off on 09.03.21 PARABLE OF HIDDEN TREASURE

09.03.21 Mt. 13:44

 

PARABLE OF HIDDEN TREASURE

 

13 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

 

Why would Jesus have referred to a treasure buried in a field?  Commercial banking systems did not exist as they do today.  People of means had to protect their money from thieves and tax collectors. A thief could quickly dig his way through a house if it was constructed with mud bricks near the Mediterranean coast instead of stone, as was done in the mountain region. Tax collectors carefully searched homes to look for hidden wealth – so the next best place to hide it was in a field, or take it to Jerusalem to be stored in the temple. The Mishnah states that this method of keeping money safe was common at the time.[1]  If an invading army came through the area, the family would often bury their wealth. But if those who buried the family’s treasure got killed, the treasure would be lost. The parables of Jesus connected with everyday life events of the first century.

Some scholars have suggested that this parable reflects deceitfulness.[2]  However, Jewish law stated that if the owner did not know of the treasure, he did not own it – it was ownerless.  But he did own the land.[3] One of the Dead Sea Scrolls, known as the Copper Scroll, is not a literary scroll but refers to temple treasures that were buried in various places prior to the Roman destruction. However, the identifiable landmarks described in the Scroll that would lead to the buried treasures, have long been removed and today no one knows where the treasures were hidden.[4]

 

09.03.21.A THE TREASURES OF THE COPPER SCROLL (2)

09.03.21.A THE TREASURES OF THE COPPER SCROLL. The Copper Scroll is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls (3Q15) that was discovered in 1952. Shown above is an electroformed facsimile section of the scroll that describes where the treasures of the temple were hidden prior to the Roman siege in A.D. 70. The account of the Copper Scroll reflects the cultural characteristics of the parable of Jesus. Photographed at the Jordan Archaeological Museum by the author.

[1]. Mishnah, Baba Mesi’a 3.11.

 

[2]. Issler, “Exploring the Pervasive References to Work in Jesus’ Parables.” 327.

 

[3]. Derrett, Law in the New Testament. 3.

 

[4]. The Copper Scroll can be seen in the Jordan Archaeological Museum located in the Citadel of Amman in Amman, Jordan. A few scholars believe that some of the temple treasures were accidently discovered by the Crusaders and carried back to Europe. For more information, see Grant Jeffrey, Unveiling Mysteries of the Bible. 153-60.

 



09.03.22 PARABLE OF VALUABLE PEARL

Bill Heinrich  -  Jan 04, 2016  -  Comments Off on 09.03.22 PARABLE OF VALUABLE PEARL

09.03.22 Mt. 13:45-46

 

PARABLE OF VALUABLE PEARL 

 

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.

 

In this parable, the Kingdom of Heaven is found as the result of a search, whereas in the previous parable (Mt. 13:44) the Kingdom is found by accident. In the Old Testament, Israel is at times referred to as God’s “treasured possession”[1] and the field is symbolic of the world.  But in the New Testament the treasure is God’s people who accepted the words and work of Jesus. Unlike the previous treasure that is reflective of Israel, any connection of the pearls to the Jewish people or Israel is unknown. It may be that since pearls come out of the sea, the imagery is representative of the Gentile nations (Dan. 7:1-2; Rev. 17:1, 15).[2]  John wrote that the gates of heaven are made of pearl (Rev. 21:21) indicating of their immense beauty and value. This underscores the value of the treasure that someone searched for in the parable.

 

The parable does illustrate, however, that common people had knowledge of objects and places far beyond the world in which they lived. Ancient countryside farmers would normally never encounter pearls, yet they were sufficiently aware of their existence that Jesus made reference to them as an ordinary fact. Jerusalem, with its many wealthy citizens, had pearls and other rare and expensive commodities that normally are not considered to have been part of first century Jewish culture. Only some of those living in a “big city could afford a pearl, which is why the Mishnah says that its price increases when it is brought into a city.[3]

 

“When he found one priceless pearl.” In this short parable, Jesus said that the merchant sold everything that he had to make the purchase, since the pearl was of “great value” or “great price.”  In the book of Acts (4:36) is the account of Barnabas who sold property, gave the funds to the apostles, and became a leader in the church.  He gave all that he had, including his life.

[1]. Ex. 19:5; Deut. 14:2; Ps. 135:4.

 

[2]. Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ. (Video “B”).

 

[3]. Mishnah, Arakin 6.5.

 



09.03.23 PARABLE OF THE DRAGNET

Bill Heinrich  -  Jan 04, 2016  -  Comments Off on 09.03.23 PARABLE OF THE DRAGNET

09.03.23 Mt. 13:47-50

 

PARABLE OF THE DRAGNET

 

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish, 48 and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous, 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

This is another parable of separation.  Fishermen worked together to cast a large net in the Sea of Galilee, then men at both ends would drag it to shore.  When the entire dragnet was out of the water, the bad fish were separated from the good ones.

 

09.03.23.A. DRAGNET (4)

09.03.23.A. DRAGNET.  This net is 750 to 1,000 feet long, and with one end on the shore several fishermen in a boat take it out in the water about 300 feet and loop around and return to the shore in a semi-circular manner.  The net has floats along one edge and weights on the other edge that sinks along the bottom.  The ends are then pulled on shore until the entire net is out of the water and the fish are sorted. Google image.

 

The following is another parable of separation.  It is not about those outside of the church, but about those inside. Notice the list of characters:

 

            Cast of Characters

The Sea                       = The local church

Good fish                    = Believers who resisted temptations by the evil one

Worthless fish             = Believers who accepted temptations by the evil one

Angels                         = Agents for the final Judge

 

Some interpretations indicate that the sea represents all the people of the earth, as this is the accepted interpretation of the “sea” in Revelation. However, this parable refers to the fish in the net (church) not all the fish in the sea (world).

 

The Greek term for dragnet is sagene (4522) and appears only once in the New Testament (Mt. 13:47).[1] The sagene net is a long net with each end attached to a boat.  The boats are maneuvered in a circular pattern toward the shore while the drag net literally sweeps the bottom of the sea (hence its name).[2]  It obviously captures everything within the encircled area.[3]

 

Homer, in his Odyssey (12:384-389), states that the slain suitors in the halls of Ulysses were like the fish on the shore caught by nets with a myriad of meshes, meaning dragnets.[4]  But this type of net also has a tendency to catch round river stones which are pulled unto shore along with the fish.  This is why Jesus asked, “If your son would want a fish, would you give him a stone?”  Yet related to this is the fact that the Jews lived according to kosher dietary rules described in Leviticus 11. The good fish collected in baskets were those with fins and scales, such as the fresh water sardine and musht (now called St. Peter’s fish). The undesirable fish was the catfish that had fins but no scales.

 

“Throw them into the blazing furnace … there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Again Jesus used the judgmental language of John the Baptist, insisting that those who reject His message will be damned to an eternal hell. The subject of hell is mentioned more frequently in the New Testament than the subject of heaven.

[1]. See also Isa. 19:8 and Ezek. 26:8; Lang, Know the Words of Jesus. 243; Vine, “Net.” Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary. 2:430.

 

[2]. Nun, The Sea of Galilee and its Fishermen in the New Testament. 16-22.

 

[3]. http://studybible.info/trench/Net. Retrieved December 8, 2013.

 

[4]. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament. 111.

 



09.03.24 PARABLE OF TREASURES

Bill Heinrich  -  Jan 04, 2016  -  Comments Off on 09.03.24 PARABLE OF TREASURES

09.03.24 Mt. 13:51-53

 

PARABLE OF TREASURES 

 

51 “Have you understood all these things?”

 

“Yes,” they told Him.

 

52 “Therefore,” He said to them, “every student of Scripture instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old.” 53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He left there.

 

A landowner, or in today’s terminology, a homeowner goes to the pantry to get some food.  The implication is that sometimes old food must be thrown out first. Likewise Jesus said that one must cling to the good and discard the bad.

 

“When Jesus had finished these parables.”  Matthew placed this quotation in his gospel as an indicator to the end of this particular teaching. It is a literary tool.  The apostle wrote his gospel as a textbook for Jews to study the Messiahship of Jesus and His Kingdom of God in five teaching sections. Since chapter divisions were unknown at that time (these divisions were added about the year 1250) he used this phrase as a literary device to end one of these sections.  Another literary device is the phrase, “When Jesus had finished saying all these things …” found in 11:1; 19:1; and 26:1.[1]

[1]. Ladd, “Matthew.” 29.



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