Waverly Church of Christ

SO WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?

It is something exciting and valuable. Finding it is finding a treasure which produces tremendous joy. It does not impoverish, but enriches the lives of those who find it. It is something hidden.

In what sense was the kingdom hidden? Not in the sense that . . .

1) It was invisible — there were a number of signs of its presence for those with the eyes to see.

2) It did not come in the way that people expected, but only as an insignificant seed.

It was hidden in the sense that many people were blind to what God was doing through His Son, Jesus. Jesus explained that God had given the disciples’ insight so that they might “know the mysteries of the kingdom of God” (Matthew 13:11). He also indicated that God had hidden “these things from the wise and intelligent and . . . revealed them to infants” (Matthew 11:25).

Those who had eyes to see realized that Jesus was . . .

1) John the Baptist — “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

2) Nathanael — “. . . the Son of God . . . the King of Israel” (John 1:49).

3) Peter — “the Holy One of God” who spoke “words of eternal life” (John 6:69b, 68b).

4) Peter — “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

It is the treasure for which a person would give everything. Both the man who found the hidden treasure and the pearl merchant sold everything in order to acquire their respective treasures.