The Mysteries of
the Kingdom of Heaven
9. THE
DIVINE COUNSEL AND PURPOSE.
The three parables which remain to be considered have
found interpretations more various and conflicting than the preceding ones, and
require, therefore, an examination proportionately the more careful. The former
were all spoken (with the exception of the interpretation of the second one,)
in the presence of the whole multitude, and they refer to a condition of things
to which the world at large is this day witness. But "Then," we read, these
four parables having been delivered, "Jesus sent the multitude away, and went
into the house, and His disciples came unto Him" (vs. 36). To these alone He
speaks the parables which follow, for they contain, not external history
merely, but the divine mind surely fulfilling amid all this outward confusion
and ruin, which the former parables have shown Him not ignorant of who foretold
it from the beginning.
It will not be necessary to advert to different
views prevailing as to the meaning of the parables before us, but only to seek
to show from Scripture itself, as fully as possible, the grounds for that which
will here be considered as the true.
The very number of the parables
tells of this. For as there are seven in all, the number from creation onward
the type and symbol of completeness,-so this number seven is divided further
into four and three. "Four" is the number of univer-sality, of the world at
large, from the four points of the com-pass, (as I take it)-east, west, north
and south. "Three" is the divine number-that of the Persons in the Godhead.
Here, then, the first four parables give us the world-aspect of the kingdom of
heaven; the last three, the divine mind accomplishing with regard to it.
PARABLE OF THE TREASURE IN THE FIELD
The first two parables
we shall put together, as they invite comparison by their evident resemblance
to one another:- "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a
field; the which, when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth
and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
PARABLE OF THE
PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a
merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great
price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it" (vs. 44-46).
The
parables are alike in this, that they both present to us the action of a man
who purchases what has value in his eyes at the cost of all he has. The
question is, who is presented here? The common voice replies that it is man as
the seeker of salvation or of Christ,- that we have here the story of
individual effort after the "one thing needful," flinging aside all other
things in order to obtain it. But is this consistent with the constant
representations of Scripture, or with the facts themselves? Do we thus buy
Christ at the cost of all we have? It is true we have in the prophet the
exhortation to "buy" (Isa. 55:1), where the "wine and milk" are no doubt the
figure of spiritual sustenance. But there (that there may be no mistake in such
a matter), the "buying" is distinctly said to be "without money and without
price." Man is never represented as seeking salvation with wealth in his hand
to purchase it. The prodigal seeks, but not until perishing with hunger. He
comes back beggared, driven by necessity, and only so. And all who have ever
come back really to the Father know this to be the truthful representation of
the matter.
On the other hand, the real Seeker, Finder, Buyer, everywhere
in Scripture, is the Lord Jesus Christ. The figure in both parables is most
evidently His. The same Person is represented in each, and the same work too,
though under different aspects. In the first parable, it is treasure hid in a
field that is the object of the Buyer. "The field," we are told in the
interpretation of the parable of the tares, "is the world." It is an object in
the world, then,- an earthly object,- that is sought for and obtained. So in
this parable He is represented as buying "that field" - buying the world. He
buys the field to get the treasure in it. Most certainly no man ever bought the
world to get Christ, so that the believer is not the "man" represented in the
parable.
Did Christ, then, buy the world by His sufferings? Turn to the last
chapter of this gospel, and hear Him say, as risen from the dead, "All power is
given unto Me in heaven and earth." Strictly, it is "authority," not "power."
He has title over all, and that as the risen One. "Ask of Me," is the language
of Jehovah to the Son begotten upon earth, "and I will give Thee the heathen
for Thine inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession"
(Psa. 2). Thus He takes the throne in the day of His appearing and His kingdom.
It is because of that wondrous descent of One "in the form of God" down to the
fathomless depths of "the death of the cross," that "therefore hath God highly
exalted Him, and given Him a Name above every name; that at the Name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth, and things
under the earth; arid that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2). It is that explains, what
perplexes some, that Peter can speak of those who, "denying the Lord that
bought them, bring upon themselves swift destruction" (2 Pet. 2:1). These are
not at all redeemed ones, but they are "bought," for all men and all the world
belong to Him as the fruit of His sufferings,- of that cross, where He, for the
sake of that which had beauty in His eyes, sold all that He had.
Thus I
conceive it unquestionable, that it is Christ Himself who is the central figure
in these two parables. We may now compare the two sides of His work presented
in them. In that of the treasure, we have seen it is the field of the "world"
that is bought for the sake of the treasure in it; while in that of the pearl,
no field is bought at all, hut simply the pearl itself. Are these two figures,
then, the treasure and the pearl, different aspects of the same thing, or
different things?- the same object from different points of view, or different
objects?
If we look for a moment at what has been already pointed out as to
"the kingdom of heaven" of which these parables are both similitudes, we shall
see that there are two spheres which it embraces, answering to those words of
the Lord we have just quoted, "All authority is given unto Me in heaven and in
earth." Christ is now, as a matter of fact, gathering out from the earth those
who are to "sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" -
not in earthly, but in heavenly blessing. But before "the appearing and
kingdom," this purpose having been accomplished, and the heavenly saints caught
up to meet the Lord,- He will gather to Himself, for blessing upon the earth, a
remnant of Israel and an election of the Gentiles. Take the two purposes of
Christ's death as expressed in John 11:51, 52, you have it as the inspired
comment upon Caiaphas' advice to the Jewish council, -"And this spake he, not
of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should
die for that nation; and not for that nation only," adds the inspired writer,
"but that also He should gather together in one the children of God which are
scattered abroad."
Now I ask, is it not significant that we find in the
second of these parables the very type of UNITY,- the one pearl,- as that which
the merchant man bought? Is it not, then, permissible and natural to turn to
the other with the anticipation of finding in it "that nation" of Israel, for
which also Jesus died, under the figure of the "treasure hid in the field"?
Thus would Israel on the one hand and the Church upon the other be the
representatives of earthly and of heavenly blessing: the Gentile nations coming
in to share with Israel the one as the departed saints of the past
dispensations come in to share with the Church the other. The reason why these
two alone should be spoken of, and not along with the Church the saints of
former times, or along with Israel the Gentiles of the future, will, I think,
be plain to those who consider the Scripture mode of putting these same things.
Thus to Israel belong the "promises," as Rom. 9:4 declares. The Gentiles no
more come into view there than they do in the parable of the treasure here. Yet
many a Scripture promises the blessing of the Gentiles on a future day. But
they come in under the skirts of the now despised Jew (Zech. 8:23). Then again,
as to the Church, it is the only company of people gathered openly and avowedly
for heavenly blessing. And moreover, it is the company that is being gathered
now, and began to be with the sowing of the gospel-seed in the first parable of
those before us.
The Treasure in the Field is Israel
Let us
look now somewhat closer into the details of the parable of the treasure hid in
a field.
Of old it had been said, "The Lord hath chosen Jacob unto Himself,
and Israel for His peculiar treasure" (Psa. 135:4). But at the time when He who
had so chosen them came unto His own, there was but little appearance in the
condition of the people of the place they had thus in Jehovah's heart.
"Lo-Ammi," - "not My people," had long been said of them. They were even then
scattered among the Gentiles. The figure of the treasure hid in the field was
the true similitude of their condition, watched over as "beloved for the
father's sake," and yet trodden down by the foot of the oppressor, to none but
Him who yet longed over them known as having pre-ciousness for God.
But
there was One who recognized the value of this treasure. One who had in His
birth fulfilled to Israel Isaiah's prophecy of Emmanuel,-"God with us." One to
whom, so born, Gentiles had brought their homage as "King of the Jews." He
found this treasure, presenting Himself among them as One having divine power
to meet their condition, and bring them forth out of their hiding-place, and
make manifest the object of divine favour and delight. And those who knew best
His thoughts were ever expecting the time when He would bring forth this
treasure and display it openly. That question which they had proposed to Him
after His resurrection shows what had long been in their hearts, "Lord, wilt
Thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
And they understood not
when they saw the gleam of brightness which had shone out for them when He rode
in the meekest of triumphs, amidst the acclamations of the multitude, into
Jerusalem, fade and die out in the midday darkness which so shortly after fell
on Calvary. They understood not yet how He was in all this but the "man" in His
own parable, who, finding treasure in th.e field, hideth it, and for joy
thereof goeth forth and selleth all that He hath, and buyeth that field.
And the treasure is hidden still. Calvary is come and gone,- Joseph's new tomb
is emptied of its Guest,- they have stood upon the mount called Olivet, and
seen Him whom they have owned King of the Jews go up to take another throne
than that of David. Then they are found charging the people with their denial
of the Holy One and the Just, bidding them still repent and be converted, and
even now, He who had left them would be sent back to them, and the times of
refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. Scenes before the council
follow; one at last in which a man, whose face shines with the glory of heaven,
stands and charges the leaders of the nation with the accumulated guilt of
ages,-"Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do alway resist
the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye." And they cast him out of the
city and stone him. Those that were bidden have been called to the marriage,
and they will not come.
The city is destroyed, and the people scattered.
Israel are still a treasure hid. The parable gives no bringing forth. Simply
the field is bought. It is now but "Ask, and I will give Thee." All waits upon
the will of Him to whom now everything belongs. But He waits, and has waited
for nearly twenty centuries, as if the treasure were nothing to Him now and He
had forgotten His purpose.
The Pearl of Great Price is the
Church
Then the second parable comes in as what is needed by way of
explanation of the long delay. The "one pearl of great price" speaks of the
preciousness to Him of another objects on which He has set His heart. "Christ
loved the Church, and gave Himself for it" - "went and sold all that He had and
bought it." Not now the field of the world, for the Church is heavenly. Israel
has still the earthly "promises." We are blessed with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This Church is one - one pearl. Brought up
out of the depth of the sea, and taken out of the rough shell in which it is
first incased - taken out at the cost of the life of that to which it owes its
being, the pearl is a fitting type of that which has been drawn out of the sea
of Gentile waters, and out of the roughness of its natural condition, at the
cost of the life of Him in whom it was seen and chosen before the foundation of
the world. Of how "great price" to Him, that death of His may witness. The
title which the Christian heart so commonly and naturally takes to be His
alone, it is sweet to see that His heart can give His people. We, dear fellow
believers, are His precious pearl. Nor is there any "hiding again" here, or
suspension of this purpose. This is the second meaning of the cross, "who, when
he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought
it."
10. THE "EVERLASTING GOSPEL"
Home | Links | Literature