Season of Kaitha
KAITHA FOURTH SUNDAY
MATTHEW 13:44-52
THE GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
INTRODUCTION
The Kingdom of Heaven, that Jesus established, was
a difficult to understand concept for the ordinary people. Hence, Jesus
used examples from the people’s experience to illustrate it. Chapter 13
of Matthew presents seven such parables, each giving different aspect of
the kingdom. Jesus addressed the first four to the crowds that gathered
around him on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He shared the other three
in private with the disciples at the house where he stayed in Capernaum.
The parables of the treasure and pearl show the value of the Kingdom of
Heaven, for which the disciples have to sacrifice everything else to
gain them. The parable of the net warns of the separation of the good
and evil. While the just will inherit the eternal reward, the wicked
will face destruction. Hence let us value our church and practice the
religion.
BIBLE TEXT (MATTHEW 13:44-52)
(Mt 13:44) The kingdom of heaven is like a
treasure hidden in a field. The man who finds it buries it again; and so
happy is he, that he goes and sells everything he has, so that he may
buy that field. (45) Again the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who is
looking for fine pearls. (46) Once he has found a pearl of exceptional
quality, he goes away, sells everything he has and buys it.
(Mt 13:47) Again, the kingdom of heaven is
like a big fishing net let down into the sea, in which every kind of
fish has been caught. (48) When the net is full, it is dragged ashore.
Then they sit down and gather the good fish in baskets, but throw the
worthless ones away. (49) That is how it will be at the end of time; the
angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just (50) and throw
them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth.” (51) Jesus asked, “Have you understood all these things?”
“Yes,” they answered. (52) So he said to them, “Well, therefore every
teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple of the kingdom is like a
householder who takes out from his storeroom things both new and old.”
Matthew’s 13th chapter is the third of the
five discourses of Jesus in Matthew that gives seven parables on the
Kingdom of Heaven. Hence, this discourse is known as the Parabolic
Discourse. It also contains explanations of two parables by Jesus. He
addressed the first four parables sitting on a boat at the sea of
Galilee to enormous crowds stood around him at the shore (Mt 13:1-2).
The parables in this discourse and their parallel passages in the other
gospels are:
1. The parable of the Sower and its
interpretation (Mt 13:3-9; 13:18-23; Mk 4:3-9, 14-20; Lk 8:4-15).
2. The parable of the weeds among the wheat
and its explanation (Mt 13:24-30, 36-43; Mk 4:26-29).
3. The parable of the Mustard Seed (Mt
13:31-32; Mk 4:30-32; Lk 13:18-19).
4. The parable of the yeast (Mt 13:33; Lk
13:20-21).
Jesus explained to the disciples the reason
for speaking to the crowds in parables in Matthew 13:10-17. Then he
dismissed the crowds, went into the house, and spoke the rest to his
disciples (Mt 13:36). We are focusing on the three parables Jesus
addressed to the disciples there.
5. The parable of the hidden treasure (Mt
13:44).
6. The parable of the fine pearl (Mt
13:45-46).
7. The parable of drawing in the net (Mt
13:47-50).
Matthew 13:51-52 is the conclusion of the
parables.
The chapter ends with the people of Jesus’
native place Nazareth, rejecting him while preaching in their synagogue
(Mt 13:54-58).
The parables of the treasure and the pearl have the
same theme and message. Jesus compares a person who was fortunate to
find a valuable treasure or pearl to the one who comes across the
Kingdom of heaven. He understands the immeasurable value of it and
purchases the land for the treasure or buys the pearl, sacrificing
everything he has. Similarly, the one who finds and realizes the value
of the Kingdom of Heaven will have to sacrifice everything he has to
inherit that kingdom of eternal life. The apostles who had left
everything they had, might have found assurance in their action and
would be ready to face hardship in their ministry and even martyrdom for
the eternal reward in heaven.
Jesus told a parable in a single verse to
compare the exceptional and unexpected cases of finding a hidden
treasure to knowing the secret of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is like a
treasure more valuable than all the material possessions one owns. Only
a few people might find it.
The Synoptic gospels widely use the Kingdom
of Heaven or the Kingdom of God. Both mean the same. Matthew preferred
the Kingdom of heaven because he avoided the word “God” that his Jewish
readers would not use. In a broader sense, both refer primarily to the
rule of the Almighty over all the entire universe with no territory,
because everything belongs to God without any border. “The LORD has set
his throne in heaven; his dominion extends over all.” (Ps 103:19).
In a specific sense, Israel was the kingdom
of God because God’s kingdom is a spiritual rule over the lives and
hearts of those remain faithful to Him. Jesus reconstituted it, forming
the church with Jesus as its head. This kingdom is spiritual, and that
is why Jesus said to Pilate: “My kingdom does not belong to this world.”
(Jn 18:36). The church is only a foretaste of God’s kingdom that will
happen later in its fullness when the time of redemption is over and
when the time of judgement will arrive with the second coming of Christ.
God will govern His kingdom that is eternal, peaceful, free from any
struggle, and is open only for the faithful children of God. “In the
lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that
shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it
shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it
shall stand forever.” (Dan 2:44). Thus, the Kingdom of God has various
stages. God initially established it in the world at large, then among
the chosen people of Israel, and later Jesus revived it by establishing
the church, and it will come to its perfection with the second coming of
Christ.
In the ancient times, when there was no banking
system or safety locker, people used to hide their non-perishable
treasure by burying it in clay pots in the ground so that the thief
would not find to steal it. They used this method mostly during war to
avoid plunder by the enemy. Because of war, the owner of the treasure
might die, taken in exile, or flee until the war is over with the hope
of return to retake the treasure. But the owner might not come back to
claim it and the treasure would remain unknown to all. So, whoever owns
the land later will be unaware of the hidden treasure in his or her
property.
Jesus compares the hidden treasure one owns to the Kingdom of heaven. Though it is among the people, they might not know of it. Unlike the secrecy kept for the unknown treasure, John the Baptist and Jesus revealed that to the world on time. “John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’” (Mt 3:1-2). Only through repentance one can unearth and possess it. When King Herod Antipas arrested John, Jesus withdrew from Judea to Galilee. He preached in Capernaum by the sea and said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17). Jesus was announcing the Kingdom of Heaven through parables, “lain hidden from the foundation of the world” (Mt 13:35b).
The laborer who plows or unearths the land for
cultivation or construction might accidentally find a hidden treasure.
He would keep it secret and bury again so no one else might know of it.
According to the law of the time, the treasure would belong to the
landowner and not the one who unearthed it. So, after burying it again
in secret, he sells everything he has and buys that field. Similar
instances would have happened those days that were known to the people.
Though the Kingdom of Heaven is the most valuable
treasure, one can gain it only by joining the church Jesus established.
Here the church represents the field with the treasure. Being a member
of the church could be challenging, especially in the early church when
there was severe persecution from the Jews and the Romans.
Since the Kingdom of Heaven is spiritual, only
those who are receptive to the teachings of Jesus will find it. While
Jesus was teaching on his Kingdom in parables to the crowd, the
disciples asked him why he was speaking to them in parables. His reply
was, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has
been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted” (Mt 13:11).
Only those who are open-minded and receptive to Jesus’ teachings could
find and understand the Kingdom of Heaven. “I give praise to you,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these
things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the
childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things
have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except
the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to
whom the Son wishes to reveal him” (Mt 11:25).
Unlike the one who finds the hidden treasure buries
it again to gain that for himself, Jesus and his disciples reveal the
Kingdom of Heaven to all the nations so that those who believe them can
possess it (Lk 9:1-6; Mk 15:15-16; Mt 24:14). Quoting Isaiah 6:9-10,
Jesus said, “You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed
look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly
hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with
their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and
be converted, and I heal them” (Mt 13:14-15). So, finding the treasure
of the Kingdom of Heaven is a gift of God for those who welcome the
messengers of the Kingdom.
In the secular world, the one who finds the hidden
treasure will bargain with the owner of the treasure- hidden land to
purchase it. The owner who does not know of his hidden treasure might
sell it at a reasonable price. The one who buys it will sell everything
he has to purchase the treasure-hidden land, knowing that he would have
a high benefit by losing everything else he had. So, he would be happy
to lose everything to gain the most valuable treasure that would make
him rich instantly. The conduct of the man in this parable is immoral or
unlawful according to the modern standards. As a parable, the point here
is the value of precious treasure one discovers, the joy in finding it,
and the sacrifice of giving up everything he owns to buy the field that
contains the treasure compared to the immense value and joy in finding
the Kingdom of Heaven and one’s sacrifices to achieve it.
Renouncing the worldly possession for the Kingdom
of Heaven was one condition Jesus laid out to become his disciple. He
taught, “Everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:33). To a young man who wished to be
perfect, Jesus said, “‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have
and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come,
follow me.’ When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Amen, I
say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of
heaven’” (Mt 19:21-23).
The apostles left everything they had to follow
Jesus to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven he established. However, Judas
Iscariot failed in his vocation when he resumed his greed for money.
Simon Peter asked Jesus, “‘We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Amen, I say to you that
you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated
on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging
the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or
brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the
sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit
eternal life’” (Mt 19:27-29). Jesus preached during the sermon on the
mountain, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves
break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your
heart be” (Mt 6:19-21). Thus, Jesus taught his disciples to gain the
Kingdom of Heaven by sacrificing the worldly treasures. They did it,
suffered for the church Jesus established, and even became martyrs for
the Kingdom.
Paul expressed his joy in suffering and losing
everything for the Kingdom of God. “In everything we commend ourselves
as ministers of God, through much endurance, in afflictions, hardships,
constraints, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, vigils, fasts; by
purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, in a holy spirit, in unfeigned
love, in truthful speech, in the power of God; with weapons of
righteousness at the right and at the left; through glory and dishonor,
insult and praise. We are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful; as
unrecognized and yet acknowledged; as dying and behold we live; as
chastised and yet not put to death; as sorrowful yet always rejoicing;
as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all
things” (2 Cor 6:4-10).
Jesus connects the parable of fine pearls
with that of the hidden treasure by using the word “again.” The pearls
were highly valuable in the past than now. Hence Jesus said, “Do not
give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they
trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Mt 7:6).
There are similarities and differences among
the pearl, the treasure, and the Kingdom of Heaven. The similarities
are:
1. The hidden treasure, the fine pearl, and
the Kingdom of Heaven are highly valuable and desirable. The one who
desires them knows the value of what he or she is going to get.
2. The person who bought the fine pearl or
the field with the treasure had to sell everything else he owned to
possess it. The one who seeks the Kingdom of God also has to sacrifice
worldly riches and conveniences for the sake of the Kingdom.
3. The one who buys the field, pearl, or the
Kingdom would feel boundless joy in obtaining them despite the
sacrifices involved.
4. The person who buys the field or pearl
becomes instantly rich. Those who seek the Kingdom of God become
fabulously wealthy in heaven.
5. To achieve any of the three, a quick
action has to take place. When Jesus called the apostles, they
immediately followed him.
The differences in the parables of the hidden
treasure, the fine pearl, and the Kingdom of Heaven are:
1. The one who finds the hidden treasure come
across it unexpectedly. The merchant who found the fine pearl had been
seeking it for a long time. God had promised the Kingdom of Heaven for
centuries and people had been expecting it since then. However, it
arrived unexpectedly.
2. There is secrecy and moral issue involved
in purchasing the field with hidden treasure. That is not the case with
buying the fine pearl or joining the Kingdom of Heaven.
3. Both the parables deal with possessions of
the temporal world. Whereas the Kingdom of God is a spiritual and
eternal achievement. So, all might not comprehend it.
4. The one who bought the field paid less
than the value of the hidden treasure. In contrast, the trader pays the
market price for the fine pearl. In the Kingdom's case, the outcome is
far valuable than the sacrifice in this world.
Like the trader who had been seeking the fine pearl found the exceptional quality pearl, those who have been waiting for the Kingdom of God found it. Jesus told his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it” (Mt 13:17). When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the east came in search of the newborn King of the Jews and found him after a long journey of hardships and adverse weather (Mt 2:1-12). For them, Infant Jesus, who was born as the Messiah, was the pearl of exceptional quality they have been strenuously searching for. Simeon, who blessed infant Jesus when his parents presented him in the Temple, “was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord” (Lk 2:25-26). Anna, the prophetess, and the people in the Temple were waiting for the Messiah. “Coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem” (Lk 2:38). John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to Jesus, asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” (Lk 7:19). Thus, many have been seeking the Messiah and found him in Jesus.
This parable speaks about what would happen to
those who join the Kingdom of God in this world, the church. Seeking and
entering the Kingdom is not enough. The discipleship involves continuous
commitment to God and action based on Jesus’ teachings. He told his
disciples, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in
heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we
not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’ (Mt 7:21-23). Though
many are selected into the Kingdom of God in this world, there will be a
final selection of the righteous at the last judgement when the Son of
God comes again at the end of time.
Though Jesus has conquered Satan and freed humanity
from the original sin, we are still under attack from Satan until the
second coming of Christ. There can be scandal and bad people in the
church who joined it for diverse reasons. So, Jesus will make a final
selection of the righteous who would inherit the Kingdom of Heaven in
its fullness in the afterlife.
Since Jesus was preaching near the Sea of
Galilee, the disciples were familiar with fishing. Besides, at least
seven of them were fishermen. Jesus selected them as fishers of men (Mt
4:19; Mk 1:17; Lk 5:10). So, they could well understand this parable
Jesus applied from the fishing industry. He compared the church to a
large fishing drag-net cast into the sea that stands for the world. The
net receives all kinds of fish, good and bad.
Jesus’ inclusion of Judas Iscariot as one of
the apostles is an example. The separation of the good and rejection of
the bad would take place only after the completion of fishing. This
parable has resemblance to the parable of the weeds among the wheat (Mt
13:24-30) and to the ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom (Mt
25:1-13). There is a mixture of good and evil within the members of the
church who would stay together until the final separation and judgement
(Mt 25:31-46).
The sea contains a variety of creatures.
During the fishing with the drag-net, all types of sea creatures and
weeds will get into the net. Some of them are unsuitable for use. So,
the fishermen will sort out the catch collecting the good ones in
baskets for sale or personal use and throw away the rest. Jesus presents
this to imply how the church would also contain good and worthless
members.
Similar to what happens at the end of fishing
would take place at the end of the age. The angels who are the agents of
God would separate the unfaithful people from the just. This is like the
parable of the weeds among the wheat (Mt 13:24-30). “The harvest is the
end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are
collected and burned [up] with fire, so will it be at the end of the
age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of
his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will
throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and
grinding of teeth” (Mt 13: 39-42).
Another example Jesus used is the separation
of the sheep from the goats. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and
all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them
one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He
will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left” (Mt
25:31-33). This will happen when Jesus returns in glory to judge the
living and the dead, and to establish his kingdom forever. That will be
the end of evil in the world.
This gospel passage does not clarify what
makes one wicked or just. However, we find that elsewhere in the
gospels. According to Jesus in John 3:15-21, everyone who believes in
Jesus will have eternal life. “Whoever believes in him will not be
condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this
is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred
darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does
wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so
that his works might not be exposed” (Jn 3:18-20). Faith in Jesus
includes faith in action, keeping the commandments of God that came
through Jesus. “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will
never see death” (Jn 8:51). The verdict of the last judgement gives
specific examples of the difference between the good and the bad (Mt
25:31-46).
The fishermen will throw away the sea weeds
and worthless creatures. However, in the Kingdom of God and in the
parable of the weeds among the wheat, the angels will throw the wicked
people in blazing furnace. That shows the everlasting and unbearable
suffering the wicked people will end up. “Blazing furnace” or “fiery
Gehenna” is a metaphorical presentation of the eternal punishment for
the sinners. Literal meaning of Gehenna is "the valley of the sons of
Hinnom." Though unknown today, Hinnom must be the name of someone lived
in ancient Israel.
Gehenna is a deep and narrow valley in the
south of Jerusalem that was famous for idolatrous worship of Molech
where the pagan worshippers sacrificed their children (2 Chr 28:3). God
strictly prohibited the pagan worship and child sacrifice though some
Jews, including King Ahaz (2 Chr 28:1-3), sacrificed their children as
burned offering to the false god (Jer 19:4). King Josiah later stopped
the sacrifices in this cursed valley (2 Kgs 23:10).
Later Gehenna became a disposal place where
people burned waste, including the dead bodies of animals and criminals.
Because of the dumped refuse of the city, it was also a place of worms
and maggots. Since the fire kept burning there all the time, this place
became a symbol of everlasting destruction of sinners in the afterlife.
The Bible frequently uses the phrase “weeping
and gnashing of teeth.” Wicked persons gnash their teeth against the
righteous to express their hatred or anger as they did at the trial of
Stephen (Acts 7:54). Psalm 37:12 states: “The wicked plot against the
righteous and gnash their teeth at them.” Jesus used this as a part of
the last judgement. The grinding of teeth, along with wailing, expresses
great and lasting anguish at the loss of everlasting life in heaven. It
also would be their expression of disagreement in seeing others, like
the Gentiles and former sinners, enjoying eternal reward with the
ancestors. “And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the
kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out” (Lk 13:28).
Since Jesus was speaking in parables about the
Kingdom of Heaven, a supernatural entity, the public could not
understand the parables well. He explained them to the disciples at
their request as a privilege for them. To the disciples’ question, “Why
do you speak to them in parables?” Jesus replied, “Because knowledge of
the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to
them it has not been granted” (Mt 13:10-11). So, Jesus asked the
apostles to assure whether they understood his explanation about the
Kingdom he was about to establish.
Though the disciples gave a positive answer, they
got a full awareness only from the day of Pentecost when they received
the Holy Spirit. Even Jesus’ prediction of his resurrection was not
clear to them. Like the other Jews during that period, they expected the
Messiah to overthrow the foreign rule and establish an earthly kingdom
according to God’s promise to David. Instead, Jesus taught them through
parables that the kingdom will start with them on a small scale under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It will face persecution and will
eventually spread all over the world. The wicked and the righteous will
live together until the second coming of Christ when Jesus would destroy
the unfaithful, and the just will enter the eternal life where Jesus
will rule over them forever with no evil influence.
The teacher of the law was an expert in the laws of
Moses, given in the first five books of the Bible, called Torah or
Pentateuch. People called these professionals, the scribes. They were
experts in the Old Testament, made copies of the Holy Scripture, and
served in the synagogues as readers and interpreters of the Bible. The
difference between a scribe and scholar of the law is that the scholar
of the law was a scribe who specialized in the Mosaic laws than in other
sections of the scripture. Such scholars of the Torah were in demand
because the written laws and their interpretations governed the whole
lives of the Jews.
Jesus built up his church on the foundation of the
Old Testament. His goal was not to abolish the laws and teachings of the
Old Testament. Jesus told his disciples, “Do not think that I have come
to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to
fulfill” (Mt 5:17). However, he was not satisfied with the virtue of the
Scribes and Pharisees. So, he advised his disciples, “I tell you, unless
your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will
not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:20). The advice of Jesus to
the crowds and the disciples was, “The scribes and the Pharisees have
taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all
things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For
they preach but they do not practice” (Mt 23:2-3). Jesus called them
hypocrites who block entry into the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus was
about to open. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You
lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter
yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter” (Mt
23:13). By rejecting the Messiah, they were preventing salvation of
themselves and the people.
Jesus wanted his disciples, who had accepted him,
to be aware of the Old and the New, to be teachers of the Kingdom of
Heaven. After the resurrection, Jesus commanded his apostles, “Go,
therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20). Hence, Jesus
assigned his disciples as teachers of the new law based on the old.
Jesus compared his disciples like a house owner who
uses the antique treasures of the old, along with the newly gained
valuables. Christianity is not a break away from the past, but a renewal
of the past based on God’s revelation through Jesus Christ. The old and
new are not contrary, but complementary with additional revelations and
practical applications. Matthew often quotes from the Old Testament to
illustrate how Jesus fulfilled in his life and teachings the prophesies
about the Messiah. Paul wrote to Timothy, “All scripture is inspired by
God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for
training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16).
MESSAGE
1. As Christians, we have a double citizenship:
citizen of our earthly nation and that of the Kingdom of Heaven. Both
are demanding and supportive of us. Since the Kingdom of God is
spiritual, some might ignore it and live for the worldly achievements
that would become useless for them after death. So, let us save
resources for us in the everlasting heaven.
2. The parables of the hidden treasure and fine
pearl remind us of the immense value of the Kingdom of Heaven. However,
that involves losing achievements in this world. Are we worldly
motivated or heavenly driven?
3. The parable of the net warns us the presence of
wicked people even within the church whom God would destroy at the end.
So, we have to be careful not to fall into their snares because they can
be more dangerous than the outside enemies.
4. The baptism alone does not guarantee our
salvation. We have to practice what Jesus taught and the teachings of
the church. We are awaiting the second coming of Christ when his angels
will separate the good and the wicked. So, let us give proper importance
to practice faith in our lives.
5. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Let us study the whole Bible to become teachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.