JESUS CAME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE

BY Pastor Mike Taylor

44 “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.

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46.)

Many within God’s church read the parables spoken by Jesus in this chapter, which are parables pertaining to the Kingdom of God.  In this chapter of Matthew, Jesus gives several examples pertaining to this coming Kingdom. The two parables speak about a man who finds treasure in a field hidden or a pearl of great price:


The traditional view of most believing Christians is that Jesus is speaking of the newly converted Christian, that when he believes in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, that he gives up all that he has to obtain salvation from the Lord Jesus….Understandably, we who are chosen by God, give up much of the life we were living to become new creatures in Christ Jesus and are commanded to turn away from the evil of this world and follow Jesus Christ, taking up our cross daily and following Him. But is that what Jesus was talking about when He was talking about the treasure in the field, or the pearl of great price? Let’s see.
8 “ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians2:8-9)

We  know that it is not anything that we have done, or could have done that deserves forgiveness of sin. No amount of tithing, church attendance, charity to the poor, or any other good works we can think of can rid us of the stain of human sin. Only Jesus can do that.

3:4 “ But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit;3:6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)

Jesus taught in parables and to a lot of folks they are hard to understand. Parables are an analogy. They are in story form, and they illustrate a truth drawn from the natural, material world to testify of a spiritual and eternal truth. It can teach eternal truth only because a unity exists between the material and spiritual. If the material had no similarities with the spiritual, it could not convey truth about the spiritual realities. Remember, "parable" suggests a side-by-side comparison. An earthly truth is the similitude of a heavenly one. Biblical parables thus show that the external, visible material world is a mirror through which we may understand the eternal, invisible spiritual realm.

Many times, the disciples came to Jesus to ask for the interpretation of the meaning of the parables He had just spoken to the people:

“And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He answered and said to them,"Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."(Matthew 13:10-13)

But do we, as Christians understand what Jesus was talking about? Only the Holy Spirit can reveal truths to you, not the traditions of men, as traditions can, even in good intentions, lead a person to believe in something that is not true. Like good works can save the sinner…not so, my reader. Remember what Jesus told the Pharisees.
9 “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” (Mark 7:9-13)

We as Christians must look to the deeper meaning of Jesus was talking about in the parables He spoke of….This is an example of the traditions of men concerning the hidden treasure in the field and the Pearl of Great Price and not discerning what the Lord was driving at.
6  “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.7  And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.”(Isaiah 64:6-7)

The idea of our righteousness being as a filthy rag is interpreted to mean a woman's discard menstrual cloth, a very unclean item in God's eyes and hardly what can be used to buy something so precious.

10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:

16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:

17 And the way of peace have they not known:

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.”(Romans 3:10-18)

Paul speaks that we are at enmity with God.

“ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”(Romans 8:7-8)

We do not search for God, He searches for us….not the other way around.

So how can we buy this hidden treasure in a field, or this “Pearl of Great Price” if we have nothing to purchase it with? Did you purchase your salvation through your many good deeds and charitable giving? Of course, we did not!! We have nothing to offer our God that would allow Him to pardon us for sins committed against His Holy name.

Then who does the merchant represent? Obviously, it can’t be us, as we naturally do not seek God or His kingdom, so how can we purchase something so valuable?

Jesus said in  Luke “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."(Luke 19:9-10)
And again in:
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. ” (John 6:44-45)

Have you figured it out yet? Who is this merchant who gave up everything to buy this “hidden field” or the “pearl of great price’?

This merchant is seriously and deliberately searching this world to secure the best and costliest gems and treasures. It is his livelihood, and he is diligent to travel extensively because he knows his efforts will be rewarded when he finds the best and purchases them. Since Christ is the One who seeks the sinner, noted in Luke 19, and John 6 above,  the merchant cannot represent the sinner giving up all he has to follow Jesus Christ.  The Shepherd seeks the sheep, not vice versa.
4 “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”(Isaiah 53:4-6)

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JESUS IS THE MERCHANT WHO SEEKS US

The use of the word "seeking" we quoted in Matthew 13, v. 45, helps identify the merchant as Christ, as it means "to depart from one place and arrive at another." Jesus did this Himself to pay the hidden field cost and the price for the pearl. He departed from heaven and arrived on earth to complete His mission
“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”. (Philippians 2:6-8)

And again in 2nd Corinthians, Paul speaks what Jesus did for us:

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich”. (2^nd Corinthians 8:9)

Jesus our Lord,  gave up everything—He sold all—to possess us! He emptied Himself of the glory of heaven, His position beside God the Father, and took on the form of a servant, a man like you and I. He was born to die……………..for you and for me!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.(John 3:16-18)

Can you understand the depths of God the Father's love that He would give up the most important thing in all of eternity, His only Son for something so unworthy, so unrighteous, an unclean thing in His sight? How can this be?
6 “ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.7  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”(Romans 5:6-8)

It comes down to one complete description of God’s Love…….AMAZING GRACE!

When John Newton wrote that beloved hymn, he summed it up when God called each of us because of His mercy and grace..

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but NOW I’m found, was blind, but now I see.”

My reader, Jesus paid it all….gave up all…came from glory in heaven to pay the price for your redemption. Jesus came to pay the ultimate price for our salvation by giving His life on the cross and His ultimate resurrection to life three days later and sits at God's right Hand making intercession for each of us that call upon His Name...He loves each of us that much.

6 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”(Romans 5:6-10)

You and I and all who believe are the treasure in a hidden field and the Pearl of Great Price. He lived, He died and rose again, that you might have eternal life. Not for anything you did, but for His unfathomable love and AMAZING GRACE. Won’t you accept His free gift…? It’s already bought and paid for. All you have to do is say “Yes, Lord, I believe”. Then internalize this great gift from God, by becoming a new creature. Not anything we can do, but what He can do in us. Although we are a lost and dying creation, God loved us, even when we were His enemies.

Jesus has for nigh 2000 years through God's Holy Spirit has been searching for those lost sheep and that sheep could be you, as it was I in times past:

4 “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”(Luke 15:4-7)

Jesus seeks that one lost sheep although He has many brethren. His mercy is boundless. You see, we didn't deserve so great a mercy, that God would give up everything He possessed (even His life), to redeem each of us that were so unworthy.

4” What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Psalms 8:4-9)

He came to save all who would follow Him by faith, love,  and obedience to become His treasure and His Pearl of Great Price. It was solely for our redemption and according to His unfathomable, matchless love. That love is for you, and for me.

8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Romans 10:8-13)

“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2^nd Corinthians 6:2)

My reader, Jesus is seeking the lost sheep of this world and He came for that one purpose, to save the lost soul from their sins and eternal death and separation from Almighty God. Won't you heed His voice and accept what has already been sought after and paid for with His very life? If you have not done so, may the Holy Spirit call you now.

This is pastor Mike Taylor praying for each of you that will hear the voice of God and make that decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. If there is anything that I can help you with, pray with you, or just to listen, drop me a line to pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com. Or visit me online for more biblical messages from the Word of Go at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com, . God bless you all,

Till we meet at Jesus feet.