Kingdom Parables | Awake and Enriched

Written by Jim Stern 

I am continually perplexed at how Christian teachings have whiffed so badly on the Kingdom. Once you see the Kingdom in Scripture, it is hard to miss because it is EVERYWHERE. If we measure importance by frequency, then just by the volume of references, the Kingdom must be tremendously significant for daily life.  

Look at this from the end of Paul’s ministry in Acts 28. He is under house arrest in Rome. Acts 28:30-31 summarize,  

And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered. 

After all Paul has been through in his journeys, he is still focused on sharing the truth, reality, and opportunity of the Kingdom. 

Folks, we simply can no longer get the Kingdom wrong. We cannot marginalize it or minimize it. We must be awakened to the co-existing reality of Jesus’s Kingdom in this world. For when we are saved, adopted, and Spirit-filled, we are delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the Kingdom (Colossians 1:13-14).  

Life in Christ is Kingdom life.  

The significance of the Kingdom is dramatically seen in Matthew 13 which we have been unpacking in this Overflow podblog series. Seven parables in one chapter. Seven. No other topic even comes close to having seven parables, let alone in one chapter. Did Jesus say enough about the Kingdom the first time? No. Second? No. Third? No. Seven times! Did He give us seven parables for Himself or for us?  

I wonder if Jesus was thinking, “I know My people can be slow to understand at times so I will give them seven parables so that they cannot miss!” 

Oops. 

But here we are. Those whose eyes have been opened to Kingdom energy. Pressing in. Asking the Holy Spirit to take the Kingdom deeper into our souls so that we are properly nourished.  

In His sixth parable, found in Matthew 13:45-46, Jesus teaches,  

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon  finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 

Like last week’s parable of the merchant finding treasure, Jesus emphasizes immense value. A merchant buys and sells goods. He is an expert at valuation and is constantly seeking highest value. He is to some degree a capitalist looking for the next greatest value that he can acquire for his business. On his quest for revenue, he finds the Kingdom. Once he sees the value, he sells everything to have it.  

The Kingdom is like a pearl of great value. To find one pearl of great value would be equivalent to finding the lottery ticket of life. Because of the pearl, I never have to worry about life again. I am set. I have the pearl! Of course, the man would sell everything. To do anything else would be idiotic.  

What would have happened to the merchant internally when he discovered the pearl? How would he have felt? Certainly, the discovery would have brought him great joy and enriched his soul. Consider the degree to which Jesus expects the Kingdom to enrich the one who finds it.  

Discovering the value of the Kingdom organically makes one feel enriched. So, a Kingdom question becomes – do I feel continually enriched by this pearl of great price?  

Our lives in Jesus are supposed to be experienced. We are to encounter such value in the Kingdom that surrendering everything else is the natural response. But then, as we walk, we continually experience enrichment.  

So, we have discovered the lottery ticket of life and we still have it. We have been made rich in the Kingdom, and we still enjoy the wealth! How many of us drift into mediocrity because we no longer encounter the riches of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Kingdom?  

When I was 26, I gave my life to Jesus and was delivered out of darkness into the Kingdom. My eyes opened to a new reality I did not know existed. My first thought upon converting was, “I just won the lottery ticket of life.” I was on fire. My second thought was, “Someone lied to me.” Everything the world told me to do and pursue, I did and pursued. And it was a lie. None of them worked. 

At 27, God our Father led me to leave the corporate world and serve Him in vocational ministry. I was petrified. I was petrified not because of what I was leaving but because I had no idea into what I was stepping into. Nevertheless, I found the pearl of great price. Walking away from millions of potential earnings in the business world was a no-brainer. What is money compared to the Kingdom? What is business reputation compared to the Kingdom? What is business title compared to running the race God created me to run?  

So, I quit my job and took a 66% pay cut to join a church staff in obedience to our Father’s will. And I have never regretted my decision. I have never “missed” what I surrendered. The pearl of great price dwarfs the world’s glitter.  

Are you enriched by the Kingdom? Do you see the smallness of everything else compared to the awe and wonder of this pearl? Are there things you need to surrender so that the Kingdom can move fluidly and freely in you and through you? We have been granted by grace the opportunity to live a Kingdom life – we truly have been given the lottery ticket of life! 

This is overflow.