We wrap up the Gospel of Matthew’s parables discourse in our reading today. In it, Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to both a treasure found in a field and a pearl of great price. In evaluating the response to discovery in these stories we find that Jesus appears to condone a certain level of risk and even deviance when it comes to obtaining the Kingdom. In other words, for Our Lord, we ought to stop at nothing to obtain the prize of Heaven to which nothing else compares.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Davies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.
Hahn, Scott, ed. Catholic Bible Dictionary. New York; London; Toronto; Sydney; Auckland: Doubleday, 2009.
Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.
Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.
REFERENCES
Psalm 78:2 - "I will open my mouth in parables"
1 Kings 4:32 - "He [Solomon] also uttered three thousand proverbs [LXX: παραβολάς, parabolas]."
Sirach 39:1-3 - "On the other hand he [a scribe] who devotes himself to the study of the law of the Most High will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients, and will be concerned with prophecies; he will preserve the discourse of notable men and penetrate the subtleties of parables; he will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs and be at home with the obscurities of parables."