Worship Helps for Pentecost 10

Title: The Parable of the Buried Treasure

Artist: Edward Riojas

Edward was a presenter at the WELS Worship Conference in July. I’ll be writing about this painting in next week’s Bread for Beggars art post. Study the painting and try to figure out the symbolism.

Worship Theme: The Christian seeks spiritual wealth. Our Scripture lessons show people who have come into great wealth, but yet this earthly wealth only serves to illustrate where true treasure lies. We see that true, spiritual wealth can only be found in God and his eternal blessings for us in Christ.

Old Testament: 1 Kings 3:5-12

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." ⁶ Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. ⁷ "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. ⁹ So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" ¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

1. Why did Solomon ask for a “discerning heart”?

2. What other gifts did God promise Solomon?

3. What would you have asked for? If anything in the world could be yours, what would be your request? God only gave one man the choice between unlimited riches and spiritual wealth. Can you imagine facing his dilemma? What should I pick, temporal blessings or eternal ones? What should I value, the things of this world or the things of God?

Epistle: 1 Timothy 6:17-21

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. ²⁰ Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, ²¹ which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.

4. What are the greatest riches we can have?

5. What sufferings come into the lives of those who covet money?

6. Why are Paul’s words not only appropriate for young pastor Timothy, but also appropriate and timely for pastors preaching to this generation?

Gospel: Matthew 13:44-52

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. ⁴⁵ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. ⁴⁷ "Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁵¹ "Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they replied. ⁵² He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."

7. What great encouragement do all kingdom workers find in the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price?

8. The parable of the net stresses the outcome of the disciples’ work in the kingdom. What will become clear at the end of the world?

Answers:

1. He saw the great task that lay before him of being king over the nation of Israel and honestly accepted his own limitations.

2. Riches and honor. After choosing spiritual treasure, God blessed Solomon in unbelievable ways. (Do the math on the twenty-five tons worth of gold that was part of Solomon’s annual income.) Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given you as well.

3. We marvel at Solomon’s faith in choosing great wisdom over great riches—especially since we so often fail in the pitifully small choices we make! It’s not for all the riches in the world that we turn down spiritual wealth, but for paltry over-time hours, or a little extra in the check book that we shaved off our offering. For such small things we are willing to trade away opportunities for true spiritual wealth. Look at Solomon and see an example of what God means by spiritual wealth. He doesn’t mean we need to live as mendicant monks; he doesn’t ask us to forgo all earthly treasure. He just doesn’t want us to value them more than the pearl of great price.

4. Godliness with contentment. Christians have God as their true treasure. In addition, Christians have God’s promise that he will take care of them always.

God commands us not to trust in earthly treasure because he wants us to have a firm foundation on which to stand, a certainty on which to place our hope. That can only be found in spiritual wealth. God richly provides for us, and then we give thanks by being rich in good deeds. Spiritual wealth is certain and secure, for it is treasure laid up in heaven.

5. They fall into temptation and a trap and into foolish and harmful desires. That is, they consume their time and energy seeking money and sometimes resort to immoral ways to get it. In doing this, they wander from the faith.

6. Paul instructs preachers everywhere to warn the rich about the two pet sins of the wealthy: arrogance and false hope. Mankind so easily falls in the error of thinking that earthly treasures can provide security or a sense of worth. In our affluent society both of those sins run rampant in many a Christian heart.

7. Jesus’ parables teach us to seek spiritual wealth. Both of the men in the parables found great treasure. For one it was a complete surprise, as unexpected as it was valuable. For the other it came from an expert search by a discerning man. Before they found these new treasures, both men no doubt valued what they previously owned. But once they saw this new treasure, see how little they valued all else they had! The spiritual wealth of Christ and his Gospel puts everything else into perspective; in fact it marginalizes all else.

8. All people, rich and poor, will be caught up in the Lord’s net on the Last Day. Only those who found true spiritual wealth are spared the furnace. Jesus concludes with an encouragement for the preacher of the Gospel: you have found true wealth in Christ; you have been given a storeroom full of treasures new and old. Bring them out to God’s people with joy and delight.

Putting your faith into action

Solomon was presented by God with what we might call a “golden opportunity.” Solomon was instructed to ask for whatever he wanted God to give him as king. How would most people respond to such an offer? How would you respond? Some might ask for financial security, a good family, long life, or a position of power and prestige. Solomon asked for wisdom, for a discerning heart, so that he could govern God’s people well. What a great choice! A discerning heart is also a great blessing for Christian stewards. It is a great blessing because it helps the wise stewards to recognize that all of life and life’s resources really do belong to God and are to be used for his purposes.

A reading from the Book of Concord for Pentecost 10

It is not God’s will that anyone should be damned, but that all people should be converted to Him and be saved.

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. (Ezekiel 33:11)

God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Out of His immense goodness and mercy, God provides for the public preaching of His divine eternal Law and His wonderful plan for our redemption, that of the holy, only saving Gospel of His eternal Son, our only Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  By this preaching He gathers an eternal Church for Himself from the human race and works in people’s hearts true repentance, knowledge of sins, and true faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ.  By this means, and in no other way (i.e., through His holy Word, when people hear it preached or read it, and through the holy Sacraments when they are used according to His Word), God desires to call people to eternal salvation.  He desires to draw them to Himself and convert, regenerate, and sanctify them.

The world did not know God through wisdom, [yet] it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. (1 Cor. 1:21) – Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article II, Free Will (paragraphs 49-51)