Algebra in the Bible

"[T]he kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. - Matthew 13:45-46

In algebra class we were given word problems. We had to express them in terms of variables ("x", "y", and "z") then solve the equation. We considered them both enlightening and confusing - enlightening if figured correctly, confusing if our equation was wrong.

Jesus taught parables both illustrating and obfuscating reality, but they can be seen like heavenly word problems that, with the right correlation of variables, reveal their secrets.

Jesus, here, says there is a Merchant man, a valuable pearl, and currency to purchase it - "x", "y", and "z". He also tells us the merchant man, "x", is really the Kingdom of Heaven. What, then, could the currency of Heaven be? Not gold, that's paving material, the valuable God had was his only Son.

"Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation]" - Galatians 3:13a (Amplified)

And the Pearl of great price, that would be you and me.

"... true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." - Jesus (John 4:23b NIV)

Do you see yourself as a valuable pearl? God does.

- fritz

Living up to our beliefs

"[T]he 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." - Jesus ¹

The cost of the kingdom of Heaven is the cost to the man in this parable - all that he had. But the man jumped at the chance; why? Because he was convinced of the value of that treasure and his opportunity.

Faith is not a leap in the dark, it action based on what we are convinced. Action based on what we hope is not faith, it's hope.

The man in this parable acted according to his faith, we all do whether we realize it or not.

"We often speak of people not living up to their faith. But ... genuine beliefs are made obvious by what people do. We always live up to our beliefs--or down to them, as the case may be..."

Want to know what you really believe? Look at what you are doing.

Having trouble giving your all? Ask Jesus to give you a better look at his treasure; to touch it, feel it, and bury it in your heart. Giving all you have will seem like a bargain!

Jim Elliott put it this way, "He is no fool who gives what he can not keep to gain what he can not lose."

- fritz

^{1 - Matthew 13:44
2 - The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard published by HarperCollins, copyright 1998
Related Post:Hidden Treasure (12/31/09)}

The WEED Definition Test...

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. - Matthew 13:22 (KJV)

Looking at Jesus' parable of the sower, fully one quarter of the seed sown was choked by the "weeds", what Jesus called the "cares of this world".

We don’t think we hold onto the cares of this world but call it something else like a “hurt” (as in, “I was hurt when ...”) or call it a “disappointment” (as in, “I was disappointed in ... when ... ”) or see it as an abuse (as in, "The Home Owners Association did this", or, "The Government takes too much of that") and we think it is our "right" to hold on. One day we discover every where we look the life is being chocked right out of us; and where did our "happy" go?!

Here’s the "WEED" definition test:

Do I care about it and does it burn? (Yeah, "BURN", you know what I mean) If so then it is a choker. We don't just hold onto it, it holds on to us!

God has an answer!

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. - 1st Peter 5:6-7 (KJV)

"Casting" is an intentional act of throwing; not just letting something drop - sometimes it won't let go without a fight. And it is not just throwing it down; it is casting it to Him.

This is God's prescribed way of humbling ourselves - casting our cares onto Him. It is humbling to throw some things away, but oh, the rewards!!!

Think about it; here is the choice: do I work it, fret with it, think about it, plan to get even in some way, or do I throw it to Jesus choosing to let the peace of Christ rule in my heart.

After all the scheming, planning, worry, and work, what do I get, or throwing it away, what do I get? Sure, someone may smirk, someone may think they "won", and it may turn out differently than I want, but what could possibly be worth more than the peace of God available right now.

Hidden Treasure

"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." (Mat 13:44 - KJV)

Jesus' parable describing the Kingdom of Heaven says some important things about this new journey I am on - setting my "affection" on things above (Colossians 3:3).

What would motivate someone to buy a metal detector? They, probably, believe something of value can be found below the surface in special locations, and they are willing to invest their money and time to look.

The man in Jesus' parable had somehow found a buried treasure in a field which he did not, yet, own and thought it of such great value he did two (2) things:

• The first thing he did was hide it. Since it was originally hidden, I guess he re-hid it.


• The second thing he did was sell all he had and bought the entire field. I guess he was unsure how much treasure was there and he wanted it all.

There are several things to learn here:
1. The Kingdom of God is the treasure and is very valuable, so much so that the man (who probably represents us) was calculating that all he had was worth the purchase. God's Kingdom is of such value that when recognized would lead any sane man to do what ever it would take to obtain that treasure.

2. The man could not get the treasure without purchasing the field; there was no sneaking around in the middle of the night to pull out the treasure. He wasn't trying to steal someone else's treasure he wanted to own it legitimately.

3. He joyfully sold all he had. Imagine the neighbors and his friends watching him cash out all he had and purchase a "worthless" plot of earth. "What a waste" they would have thought; that is until they started noticing his change in lifestyle.

4. The first thing he did was hide it. This is initially disturbing, because isn't the kingdom of Heaven to be shared instead of concealed? I think the point of this is that he wanted to make sure he had all he could hold before sharing. He wanted to take his time and enjoy it at his own pace without someone interfering or spoiling it first. I believe God wants us to share out of the overflow of what we experience of Him. We can't honestly recommend something for others we have not experienced for ourselves; God does not expect us to.

5. Where one looks is very important. Those who purchase metal detectors don't just use them anywhere, they pick a place where they think the things they want are located. The Bible tells us in Colossians 2:3 that it is in Christ where all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.

-fal