EGW WritingsMatthew 13
Ellen G. White · Page 2 of 2
Read Matthew 13 in the BibleMatthew 13:33
Christ’s Object Lessons
Chapter 7—Like Unto Leaven
COL 95.1
Many educated and influential men had come to hear the Prophet of Galilee. Some of these looked with curious interest upon the multitude that had gathered about Christ as He taught by the sea. In this great throng all classes of society were represented. There were the poor, the illiterate, the ragged beggar, the robber with the seal of guilt upon his face, the maimed, the dissipated, the merchant and the man of leisure, high and low, rich and poor, all crowding upon one another for a place to stand and hear the words of Christ. As these cultured men gazed upon the strange assembly, they asked themselves, Is the kingdom of God composed of such material as this? Again the Saviour replied by a parable:COL 95.2
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”COL 95.3
Among the Jews leaven was sometimes used as an emblem of sin. At the time of the Passover the people were directed to remove all the leaven from their houses as they were to put away sin from their hearts. Christ warned His disciples, “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” Luke 12:1. And the apostle Paul speaks of the “leaven of malice and wickedness.” 1 Corinthians 5:8. But in the Saviour’s parable, leaven is used to represent the kingdom of heaven. It illustrates the quickening, assimilating power of the grace of God.COL 96.1
None are so vile, none have fallen so low, as to be beyond the working of this power. In all who will submit themselves to the Holy Spirit a new principle of life is to be implanted; the lost image of God is to be restored in humanity.COL 96.2
But man cannot transform himself by the exercise of his will. He possesses no power by which this change can be effected. The leaven—something wholly from without—must be put into the meal before the desired change can be wrought in it. So the grace of God must be received by the sinner before he can be fitted for the kingdom of glory. All the culture and education which the world can give will fail of making a degraded child of sin a child of heaven. The renewing energy must come from God. The change can be made only by the Holy Spirit. All who would be saved, high or low, rich or poor, must submit to the working of this power.COL 97.1
As the leaven, when mingled with the meal, works from within outward, so it is by the renewing of the heart that the grace of God works to transform the life. No mere external change is sufficient to bring us into harmony with God. There are many who try to reform by correcting this or that bad habit, and they hope in this way to become Christians, but they are beginning in the wrong place. Our first work is with the heart.COL 97.2
A profession of faith and the possession of truth in the soul are two different things. The mere knowledge of truth is not enough. We may possess this, but the tenor of our thoughts may not be changed. The heart must be converted and sanctified.COL 97.3
The man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a sense of obligation merely—because he is required to do so—will never enter into the joy of obedience. He does not obey. When the requirements of God are accounted a burden because they cut across human inclination, we may know that the life is not a Christian life. True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right because it is right—because right doing is pleasing to God.COL 98.1
The great truth of the conversion of the heart by the Holy Spirit is presented in Christ’s words to Nicodemus: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born from above, he can not see the kingdom of God.... That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit.” John 3:3-8, margin.COL 98.2
The apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, says, “God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:4-8.COL 98.3
The leaven hidden in the flour works invisibly to bring the whole mass under its leavening process; so the leaven of truth works secretly, silently, steadily, to transform the soul. The natural inclinations are softened and subdued. New thoughts, new feelings, new motives, are implanted. A new standard of character is set up—the life of Christ. The mind is changed; the faculties are roused to action in new lines. Man is not endowed with new faculties, but the faculties he has are sanctified. The conscience is awakened. We are endowed with traits of character that enable us to do service for God.COL 99.1
Often the question arises, Why, then, are there so many, claiming to believe God’s word, in whom there is not seen a reformation in words, in spirit, and in character? Why are there so many who cannot bear opposition to their purposes and plans, who manifest an unholy temper, and whose words are harsh, overbearing, and passionate? There is seen in their lives the same love of self, the same selfish indulgence, the same temper and hasty speech, that is seen in the life of the worldling. There is the same sensitive pride, the same yielding to natural inclination, the same perversity of character, as if the truth were wholly unknown to them. The reason is that they are not converted. They have not hidden the leaven of truth in the heart. It has not had opportunity to do its work. Their natural and cultivated tendencies to evil have not been submitted to its transforming power. Their lives reveal the absence of the grace of Christ, an unbelief in His power to transform the character.COL 100.1
“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. The Scriptures are the great agency in the transformation of character. Christ prayed, “Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth.” John 17:17. If studied and obeyed, the word of God works in the heart, subduing every unholy attribute. The Holy Spirit comes to convict of sin, and the faith that springs up in the heart works by love to Christ, conforming us in body, soul, and spirit to His own image. Then God can use us to do His will. The power given us works from within outwardly, leading us to communicate to others the truth that has been communicated to us.COL 100.2
The truths of the word of God meet man’s great practical necessity—the conversion of the soul through faith. These grand principles are not to be thought too pure and holy to be brought into the daily life. They are truths which reach to heaven and compass eternity, yet their vital influence is to be woven into human experience. They are to permeate all the great things and all the little things of life.COL 101.1
Received into the heart, the leaven of truth will regulate the desires, purify the thoughts, and sweeten the disposition. It quickens the faculties of the mind and the energies of the soul. It enlarges the capacity for feeling, for loving.COL 101.2
The world regards as a mystery the man who is imbued with this principle. The selfish, money-loving man lives only to secure for himself the riches, honors, and pleasures of this world. He loses the eternal world from his reckoning. But with the follower of Christ these things will not be all-absorbing. For Christ’s sake he will labor and deny self, that he may aid in the great work of saving souls who are without Christ and without hope in the world. Such a man the world cannot understand; for he is keeping in view eternal realities. The love of Christ with its redeeming power has come into the heart. This love masters every other motive, and raises its possessor above the corrupting influence of the world.COL 101.3
The word of God is to have a sanctifying effect on our association with every member of the human family. The leaven of truth will not produce the spirit of rivalry, the love of ambition, the desire to be first. True, heaven-born love is not selfish and changeable. It is not dependent on human praise. The heart of him who receives the grace of God overflows with love for God and for those for whom Christ died. Self is not struggling for recognition. He does not love others because they love and please him, because they appreciate his merits, but because they are Christ’s purchased possession. If his motives, words, or actions are misunderstood or misrepresented, he takes no offense, but pursues the even tenor of his way. He is kind and thoughtful, humble in his opinion of himself, yet full of hope, always trusting in the mercy and love of God.COL 102.1
The apostle exhorts us, “As He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15, 16. The grace of Christ is to control the temper and the voice. Its working will be seen in politeness and tender regard shown by brother for brother, in kind, encouraging words. An angel presence is in the home. The life breathes a sweet perfume, which ascends to God as holy incense. Love is manifested in kindness, gentleness, forbearance, and long-suffering.COL 102.2
The countenance is changed. Christ abiding in the heart shines out in the faces of those who love Him and keep His commandments. Truth is written there. The sweet peace of heaven is revealed. There is expressed a habitual gentleness, a more than human love.COL 102.3
The leaven of truth works a change in the whole man, making the coarse refined, the rough gentle, the selfish generous. By it the impure are cleansed, washed in the blood of the Lamb. Through its life-giving power it brings all there is of mind and soul and strength into harmony with the divine life. Man with his human nature becomes a partaker of divinity. Christ is honored in excellence and perfection of character. As these changes are effected, angels break forth in rapturous song, and God and Christ rejoice over souls fashioned after the divine similitude.God’s Amazing Grace
Like Yeast, January 10
AG 18.1
The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. Matthew 13:33.Our Father Cares
Like Yeast, August 2
OFC 226.1
The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. Matthew 13:33.This Day With God
The New Life, February 9
TDG 48.1
Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. Matthew 13:33.Sermons and Talks, vol. 2
Manuscript 82, 1898
2SAT 115.1
The kingdom of heaven can be felt, but not seen. The inward working of the Spirit of God is compared to leaven. Said Christ, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened” [Matthew 13:33]. And again, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” [Matthew 18:3].Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)
Lt 58, 1890
6LtMs, Lt 58, 1890, par. 7
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” Matthew 13:33. The work shows enlargement. It advances by growth. If you can have a work placed right before you where there will be no special responsibilities to bear, where there is no risk to be run, nothing to be ventured, you may do something if it is in your own way. For years you might have been consecrated to the work of God, keeping pace with the work, but you have lost years where “unfaithful servant” is written against you. Then when unoccupied, [when] you [are] not working in the line of your brethren, the devil gets up some sideshow which fruit is not good. It draws men to you, not to Jesus Christ.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Ms 68, 1898
13LtMs, Ms 68, 1898, par. 1
“Another parable spake he unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” [Matthew 13:33.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Ms 82, 1898
13LtMs, Ms 82, 1898, par. 1
The kingdom of heaven can be felt, but not seen. The inward working of the Spirit of God is compared to leaven. Said Christ, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” [Matthew 13:33.] And again, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 18:3.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)
Ms 193, 1901
16LtMs, Ms 193, 1901, par. 5
The Sanitarium is to accomplish a work not only acting as a hospital, but as instrumental in communicating the knowledge of the truth. There is to be a company of faithful workers as physicians of the soul, where the weary and heavy-laden souls are to find rest. [Read] Matthew 13:33. The leaven introduced in the meal is something brought and placed in the meal. It is not a natural product of the meal, or any part of the meal itself. The leaven represents divine grace, which is something we cannot create, but altogether a heavenly production. The introduction of the principles occasions a gathering to itself, which is a life contest. The leaven in the meal is an active, working element; the grace of God is a living, working element to absorb. The grace of truth in the heart works by faith and love in the patience of hope; it purifies and vivifies the whole mass. This very working agency is needed to convince the poor, sin-sick souls that shall come to the Sanitarium that they need a Saviour. Their repentance of sins brings pardon and hope. “What carefulness it wrought in you, ... yea what zeal.” [2 Corinthians 7:11.]Matthew 13:33-43
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Ms 14, 1898
13LtMs, Ms 14, 1898, par. 1
“Another parable spake he unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” [Matthew 13:33.]13LtMs, Ms 14, 1898, par. 14
“Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house, and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered, and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man.” He came to sow the world with seed of righteousness, goodness, and truth. “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered, and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of the world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that do offend, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” [Matthew 13:36-43.]Matthew 13:34
Christ Triumphant
Jesus Presented Truth by Using Familiar Objects, August 6
CTr 225.1
All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables. Matthew 13:34.Matthew 13:34-35
Special Testimonies On Education
Chapter 11—The Parable of the Growing Seed
SpTEd 67.2
The same principle appeared in his teaching; the unknown was illustrated by the known. Jesus taught by illustrations and parables drawn from nature and from the familiar events of every-day life. The inspired record says, “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 13:34, 35. In this way he associated natural things with spiritual, linking the things of nature and the life-experience of his hearers with the sublime, spiritual truths of the written word. And his lessons were repeated whenever their eyes rested on the objects which had been associated with eternal truth.The Voice in Speech and Song
Chapter 47—Illustrations and Visual Aids
VSS 277.1
The Scripture says, “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; ... that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 13:34, 35. Natural things were the medium for the spiritual; the things of nature and the life experience of His hearers were connected with the truths of the written Word. Leading thus from the natural to the spiritual kingdom, Christ’s parables are links in the chain of truth that unites man with God, and earth with heaven.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 17, 18.Jesus, Name Above All Names
Creator, February 21
JNN 60.1
“I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”—Matthew 13:35JNN 60.2
The Scripture says, “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; ... that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 13:34, 35). Natural things were the medium for the spiritual; the things of nature and the life-experience of His hearers were connected with the truths of the written word. Leading thus from the natural to the spiritual kingdom, Christ’s parables are links in the chain of truth that unites human beings with God, and earth with heaven.Matthew 13:36-37
The Great Controversy (1888 ed.)
Chapter 28—The Investigative Judgment
GC88 481.2
There is a record also of the sins of men. “For God shall bring every work into Judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” [Ecclesiastes 12:14.] “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment.” Said the Saviour, “By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” [Matthew 13:36, 37.] The secret purposes and motives appears in the unerring register; for God “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” [1 Corinthians 4:5.] “Behold, it is written before me, ... your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord.” [Isaiah 65:6, 7.]Matthew 13:37-39
Christian Education
Chapter 10—The Science of Salvation the First of Sciences
CE 84.2
In the Bible every vital principle is declared, every duty made plain, every obligation made evident. The whole duty of man is summed up by the Saviour. He says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.... Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” [Matthew 13:37, 39.] In the word the plan of salvation is plainly delineated. The gift of eternal life is promised on condition of saving faith in Christ. The drawing power of the Holy Spirit is pointed out as an agent in the work of man’s salvation. The rewards of the faithful, the punishment of the guilty, are all laid out in clear lines. The Bible contains the science of salvation for all those who will hear and do the words of Christ.Matthew 13:37-43
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 19 (1904)
Ms 72, 1904
19LtMs, Ms 72, 1904, par. 12
“He that sowed the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” [Matthew 13:37-43.]Matthew 13:38
God’s Amazing Grace
Embraces the Whole World, January 19
AG 27.2
“The field is the world” (Matthew 13:38). We understand better what this saying comprehends than did the apostles who received the commission to preach the gospel. The whole world is a vast missionary field.34Gospel Workers, 27.Gospel Workers (1915 ed.)
The Gospel to all Countries
GW 27.2
“The field is the world.” [Matthew 13:38.] We understand better what this saying comprehends than did the apostles who received the commission to preach the gospel. The whole world is a vast missionary field, and we who have long known the gospel message should be encouraged by the thought that fields which were once difficult of access are now easily entered. Countries hitherto closed to the gospel are opening their doors, and are pleading for the word of God to be explained to them. Kings and princes are opening their long-closed gates, inviting the heralds of the cross to enter. The harvest truly is great. Eternity alone will reveal the results of well-directed efforts put forth now. Providence is going before us, and Infinite Power is working with human effort. Blind indeed must be the eyes that do not see the working of the Lord, and deaf the ears that do not hear the call of the True Shepherd to His sheep.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)
Ms 70, 1895
10LtMs, Ms 70, 1895, par. 1
The Lord calls upon men who occupy leading positions in His work to change their methods of labor. They are not to confine their interests to any one locality, not to multiply facilities in [a] particular place, but they are to bear in mind that “the field is the world.” [Matthew 13:38.] What excuse can be offered to God for the time, money, and means bestowed upon those who have had so many advantages, such abundant opportunity to become thoroughly imbued with the knowledge of the truth, but have failed to improve those advantages and wasted the opportunities?Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Ms 25, 1897
12LtMs, Ms 25, 1897, par. 10
In sending forth the seventy to proclaim the kingdom of God throughout Judea, Christ taught that the piety of His people is to be diffusive. He was educating His church to enlarge the borders of their labor and eventually to belt the world. “The field is the world.” [Matthew 13:38.] Christ annihilates the ancient distinctions made between Jew and Gentile. There is to be no boundary to our labor. It must take us from the small circle and plans, which would narrow the work, to the limits which selfishness would prescribe. He presents to our view the inhabitants of the world, who may become enlightened and lay hold upon immortality through faith in Jesus Christ. They are all exposed to the temptations of Satan, who hopes to see them taken in his snare; but the Lord calls those who would be laborers together with Him to bring every power into exercise to work for the deliverance of these souls from satanic agencies.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)
Ms 96, 1901
16LtMs, Ms 96, 1901, par. 16
“The field is the world.” [Matthew 13:38.] There are many thousands who have not yet been warned. The members of our churches in city and country are to encourage one another to make every effort for the salvation of the souls in their neighborhood. They are to be earnest and industrious, active in the service of God, and with this activity they are to unite an unreserved consecration of all they have and are. This they must do in order to fulfil their baptismal vows.Matthew 13:38-39
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)
Ms 113, 1899
14LtMs, Ms 113, 1899, par. 22
There has been a great departure from Christ’s principles, and this is the reason we are engaged in the warfare today. We might have been in the promised land ere this; but the gospel has not yet been proclaimed to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. In the parable of the sower Christ attributes to Satan the work of catching away from men’s minds the seeds of truth. In the parable of the tares He says, “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them is the devil.” [Matthew 13:38, 39.] Since the fall, the controversy between Christ and Satan has continued.Matthew 13:38-52
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 23 (1908)
Ms 138, 1908
23LtMs, Ms 138, 1908, par. 16
Let all who can who are not believers consider that it is for your present and eternal good: Matthew 13:38. “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one.” But many tares will be converted. Verse 43. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father; who hath ears, let him hear. Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field; which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field. Again, the 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.” [Verses 43-46.]23LtMs, Ms 138, 1908, par. 17
We do now entreat our wise workmen to present the privilege of verses 51, 52. The Lord has now presented me with the opportunity to invite those to whom the Lord has entrusted His goods in intelligent knowledge to walk in the light as Christ is in the light. Verse 52.Matthew 13:43
Selected Messages Book 2
The Glorious Resurrection Morning
2SM 271.3
Christ claimed to be the Only Begotten of the Father, but men encased in unbelief, barricaded with prejudice, denied the Holy and the Just One. He was charged with blasphemy, and was condemned to a cruel death, but He burst the fetters of the tomb, and rose from the dead triumphant, and over the rent sepulcher of Joseph He declared, “I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25). All power in heaven and in earth was vested in Him, and the righteous will also come forth from the tomb free in Jesus. They shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).That I May Know Him
A Holy Watcher, August 16
TMK 234.6
All heaven is interested in our salvation. The angels of God are ... marking the deeds of men. They record in the books of God’s remembrance the words of faith, the acts of love, the humility of spirit, and in that day when every man’s work shall be tried of what sort it is, the work of the humble follower of Christ will stand the test, and will receive the commendation of Heaven. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).22The Review and Herald, September 16, 1890.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 9 (1894)
Lt 65a, 1894
9LtMs, Lt 65a, 1894, par. 8
Christ claimed to be the only begotten of the Father, but men encased in unbelief, barricaded with prejudice, denied the holy and the just One. He was charged with blasphemy, and was condemned to a cruel death, but He burst the fetters of the tomb, and rose from the dead triumphant, and over the rent sepulchre of Joseph He declared, “I am the resurrection and the Life.” [John 11:25.] All power in heaven and in earth was vested in Him, and the righteous will also come forth from the tomb free in Jesus. They shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” [Matthew 13:43.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)
Lt 372, 1907
22LtMs, Lt 372, 1907, par. 12
“Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” [Matthew 13:43.] Then there will be no more dark passages in our experience. All darkness will have passed away, and the true Light will shine forth. There will be no more sorrow and pain when we have entered into the rest of the saints.Matthew 13:44
Christ’s Object Lessons
Chapter 8—Hidden Treasure
COL 103.1
“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 the field.”COL 103.2
In ancient times it was customary for men to hide their treasures in the earth. Thefts and robberies were frequent. And whenever there was a change in the ruling power, those who had large possessions were liable to be put under heavy tribute. Moreover the country was in constant danger of invasion by marauding armies. As a consequence, the rich endeavored to preserve their wealth by concealing it, and the earth was looked upon as a safe hiding place. But often the place of concealment was forgotten; death might claim the owner, imprisonment or exile might separate him from his treasure, and the wealth he had taken such pains to preserve was left for the fortunate finder. In Christ’s day it was not uncommon to discover in neglected land old coins and ornaments of gold and silver.COL 103.3
A man hires land to cultivate, and as the oxen plow the soil, buried treasure is unearthed. As the man discovers this treasure, he sees that a fortune is within his reach. Restoring the gold to its hiding place, he returns to his home and sells all that he has, in order to purchase the field containing the treasure. His family and his neighbors think that he is acting like a madman. Looking on the field, they see no value in the neglected soil. But the man knows what he is doing; and when he has a title to the field, he searches every part of it to find the treasure that he has secured.COL 104.1
This parable illustrates the value of the heavenly treasure, and the effort that should be made to secure it. The finder of the treasure in the field was ready to part with all that he had, ready to put forth untiring labor, in order to secure the hidden riches. So the finder of heavenly treasure will count no labor too great and no sacrifice too dear, in order to gain the treasures of truth.COL 104.2
In the parable the field containing the treasure represents the Holy Scriptures. And the gospel is the treasure. The earth itself is not so interlaced with golden veins and filled with precious things as is the word of God.COL 104.3
The treasures of the gospel are said to be hidden. By those who are wise in their own estimation, who are puffed up by the teaching of vain philosophy, the beauty and power and mystery of the plan of redemption are not perceived. Many have eyes, but they see not; they have ears, but they hear not; they have intellect, but they discern not the hidden treasure.COL 104.4
A man might pass over the place where treasure had been concealed. In dire necessity he might sit down to rest at the foot of a tree, not knowing of the riches hidden at its roots. So it was with the Jews. As a golden treasure, truth had been intrusted to the Hebrew people. The Jewish economy, bearing the signature of Heaven, had been instituted by Christ Himself. In types and symbols the great truths of redemption were veiled. Yet when Christ came, the Jews did not recognize Him to whom all these symbols pointed. They had the word of God in their hands; but the traditions which had been handed down from generation to generation, and the human interpretation of the Scriptures, hid from them the truth as it is in Jesus. The spiritual import of the sacred writings was lost. The treasure house of all knowledge was open to them, but they knew it not.COL 105.1
God does not conceal His truth from men. By their own course of action they make it obscure to themselves. Christ gave the Jewish people abundant evidence that He was the Messiah; but His teaching called for a decided change in their lives. They saw that if they received Christ, they must give up their cherished maxims and traditions, their selfish, ungodly practices. It required a sacrifice to receive changeless, eternal truth. Therefore they would not admit the most conclusive evidence that God could give to establish faith in Christ. They professed to believe the Old Testament Scriptures, yet they refused to accept the testimony contained therein concerning Christ’s life and character. They were afraid of being convinced lest they should be converted and be compelled to give up their preconceived opinions. The treasure of the gospel, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, was among them, but they rejected the greatest gift that Heaven could bestow.COL 106.1
And today men are eagerly seeking for earthly treasure. Their minds are filled with selfish, ambitious thoughts. For the sake of gaining worldly riches, honor, or power, they place the maxims, traditions, and requirements of men above the requirements of God. From them the treasures of His word are hidden.COL 106.4
The Saviour saw that men were absorbed in getting gain, and were losing sight of eternal realities. He undertook to correct this evil. He sought to break the infatuating spell that was paralyzing the soul. Lifting up His voice He cried, “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26. He presents before fallen humanity the nobler world they have lost sight of, that they may behold eternal realities. He takes them to the threshold of the Infinite, flushed with the indescribable glory of God, and shows them the treasure there.COL 107.1
The value of this treasure is above gold or silver. The riches of earth’s mines cannot compare with it.COL 107.2
“The depth saith, It is not in me;And the sea saith, It is not with me.
It can not be gotten for gold,
Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
It can not be valued with the gold of Ophir,
With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
The gold and the crystal can not equal it;
And the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of coral or of pearls,
For the price of wisdom is above rubies.” Job 28:14-18.
COL 107.3
This is the treasure that is found in the Scriptures. The Bible is God’s great lesson book, His great educator. The foundation of all true science is contained in the Bible. Every branch of knowledge may be found by searching the word of God. And above all else it contains the science of all sciences, the science of salvation. The Bible is the mine of the unsearchable riches of Christ.COL 107.4
The true higher education is gained by studying and obeying the word of God. But when God’s word is laid aside for books that do not lead to God and the kingdom of heaven, the education acquired is a perversion of the name.COL 107.5
There are wonderful truths in nature. The earth, the sea, and the sky are full of truth. They are our teachers. Nature utters her voice in lessons of heavenly wisdom and eternal truth. But fallen man will not understand. Sin has obscured his vision, and he cannot of himself interpret nature without placing it above God. Correct lessons cannot impress the minds of those who reject the word of God. The teaching of nature is by them so perverted that it turns the mind away from the Creator.COL 107.6
By many, man’s wisdom is thought to be higher than the wisdom of the divine Teacher, and God’s lesson book is looked upon as old-fashioned, stale, and uninteresting. But by those who have been vivified by the Holy Spirit it is not so regarded. They see the priceless treasure, and would sell all to buy the field that contains it. Instead of books containing the suppositions of reputedly great authors, they choose the word of Him who is the greatest author and the greatest teacher the world has ever known, who gave His life for us, that through Him we might have everlasting life.COL 108.1
Satan works on human minds, leading them to think that there is wonderful knowledge to be gained apart from God. By deceptive reasoning he led Adam and Eve to doubt God’s word, and to supply its place with a theory that led to disobedience. And his sophistry is doing today what it did in Eden. Teachers who mingle the sentiments of infidel authors with the education they are giving, plant in the minds of youth thoughts that will lead to distrust of God and transgression of His law. Little do they know what they are doing. Little do they realize what will be the result of their work.COL 108.2
A student may go through all the grades of the schools and colleges of today. He may devote all his powers to acquiring knowledge. But unless he has a knowledge of God, unless he obeys the laws that govern his being, he will destroy himself. By wrong habits he loses his power of self-appreciation. He loses self-control. He cannot reason correctly about matters that concern him most closely. He is reckless and irrational in his treatment of mind and body. By wrong habits he makes of himself a wreck. Happiness he cannot have; for his neglect to cultivate pure, healthful principles places him under the control of habits that ruin his peace. His years of taxing study are lost, for he has destroyed himself. He has misused his physical and mental powers, and the temple of the body is in ruins. He is ruined for this life and for the life to come. By acquiring earthly knowledge he thought to gain a treasure, but by laying his Bible aside he sacrificed a treasure worth everything else.COL 109.1
The word of God is to be our study. We are to educate our children in the truths found therein. It is an inexhaustible treasure; but men fail to find this treasure because they do not search until it is within their possession. Very many are content with a supposition in regard to the truth. They are content with a surface work, taking for granted that they have all that is essential. They take the sayings of others for truth, being too indolent to put themselves to diligent, earnest labor, represented in the word as digging for hidden treasure. But man’s inventions are not only unreliable, they are dangerous; for they place man where God should be. They place the sayings of men where a “Thus saith the Lord” should be.COL 110.1
Christ is the truth. His words are truth, and they have a deeper significance than appears on the surface. All the sayings of Christ have a value beyond their unpretending appearance. Minds that are quickened by the Holy Spirit will discern the value of these sayings. They will discern the precious gems of truth, though these may be buried treasures.COL 110.2
Human theories and speculations will never lead to an understanding of God’s word. Those who suppose that they understand philosophy think that their explanations are necessary to unlock the treasures of knowledge and to prevent heresies from coming into the church. But it is these explanations that have brought in false theories and heresies. Men have made desperate efforts to explain what they thought to be intricate scriptures; but too often their efforts have only darkened that which they tried to make clear.COL 110.4
This is the work of many in our day. Many churches are guilty of this sin. There is danger, great danger, that the supposed wise men of today will repeat the experience of the Jewish teachers. They falsely interpret the divine oracles, and souls are brought into perplexity and shrouded in darkness because of their misconception of divine truth.COL 111.1
The Scriptures need not be read by the dim light of tradition or human speculation. As well might we try to give light to the sun with a torch as to explain the Scriptures by human tradition or imagination. God’s holy word needs not the torchlight glimmer of earth to make its glories distinguishable. It is light in itself—the glory of God revealed, and beside it every other light is dim.COL 111.2
But there must be earnest study and close investigation. Sharp, clear perceptions of truth will never be the reward of indolence. No earthly blessing can be obtained without earnest, patient, persevering effort. If men attain success in business, they must have a will to do and a faith to look for results. And we cannot expect to gain spiritual knowledge without earnest toil. Those who desire to find the treasures of truth must dig for them as the miner digs for the treasure hidden in the earth. No halfhearted, indifferent work will avail. It is essential for old and young, not only to read God’s word, but to study it with wholehearted earnestness, praying and searching for truth as for hidden treasure. Those who do this will be rewarded, for Christ will quicken the understanding.COL 112.1
Men of piety and talent catch views of eternal realities, but often they fail of understanding, because the things that are seen eclipse the glory of the unseen. He who would seek successfully for the hidden treasure must rise to higher pursuits than the things of this world. His affections and all his capabilities must be consecrated to the search.COL 112.2
Disobedience has closed the door to a vast amount of knowledge that might have been gained from the Scriptures. Understanding means obedience to God’s commandments. The Scriptures are not to be adapted to meet the prejudice and jealousy of men. They can be understood only by those who are humbly seeking for a knowledge of the truth that they may obey it.COL 112.3
Do you ask, What shall I do to be saved? You must lay your preconceived opinions, your hereditary and cultivated ideas, at the door of investigation. If you search the Scriptures to vindicate your own opinions, you will never reach the truth. Search in order to learn what the Lord says. If conviction comes as you search, if you see that your cherished opinions are not in harmony with the truth, do not misinterpret the truth in order to suit your own belief, but accept the light given. Open mind and heart that you may behold wondrous things out of God’s word.COL 112.4
Faith in Christ as the world’s Redeemer calls for an acknowledgment of the enlightened intellect controlled by a heart that can discern and appreciate the heavenly treasure. This faith is inseparable from repentance and transformation of character. To have faith means to find and accept the gospel treasure, with all the obligations which it imposes.COL 113.1
We need the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit in order to discern the truths in God’s word. The lovely things of the natural world are not seen until the sun, dispelling the darkness, floods them with its light. So the treasures in the word of God are not appreciated until they are revealed by the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness.COL 113.2
The Holy Spirit, sent from heaven by the benevolence of infinite love, takes the things of God and reveals them to every soul that has an implicit faith in Christ. By His power the vital truths upon which the salvation of the soul depends are impressed upon the mind, and the way of life is made so plain that none need err therein. As we study the Scriptures, we should pray for the light of God’s Holy Spirit to shine upon the word, that we may see and appreciate its treasures.COL 113.3
Let none think that there is no more knowledge for them to gain. The depth of human intellect may be measured; the works of human authors may be mastered; but the highest, deepest, broadest flight of the imagination cannot find out God. There is infinity beyond all that we can comprehend. We have seen only the glimmering of divine glory and of the infinitude of knowledge and wisdom; we have, as it were, been working on the surface of the mine, when rich golden ore is beneath the surface, to reward the one who will dig for it. The shaft must be sunk deeper and yet deeper in the mine, and the result will be glorious treasure. Through a correct faith, divine knowledge will become human knowledge.COL 114.1
No one can search the Scriptures in the spirit of Christ without being rewarded. When man is willing to be instructed as a little child, when he submits wholly to God, he will find the truth in His word. If men would be obedient, they would understand the plan of God’s government. The heavenly world would open its chambers of grace and glory for exploration. Human beings would be altogether different from what they now are, for by exploring the mines of truth men would be ennobled. The mystery of redemption, the incarnation of Christ, His atoning sacrifice, would not be as they are now, vague in our minds. They would be not only better understood, but altogether more highly appreciated.COL 114.2
In His prayer to the Father, Christ gave to the world a lesson which should be graven on mind and soul. “This is life eternal,” He said, “that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” John 17:3. This is true education. It imparts power. The experimental knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He has sent, transforms man into the image of God. It gives to man the mastery of himself, bringing every impulse and passion of the lower nature under the control of the higher powers of the mind. It makes its possessor a son of God and an heir of heaven. It brings him into communion with the mind of the Infinite, and opens to him the rich treasures of the universe.COL 114.3
This is the knowledge which is obtained by searching the word of God. And this treasure may be found by every soul who will give all to obtain it.COL 114.4
“If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:3-5.Christ’s Object Lessons
Search for the Treasure
COL 110.3
The priests and Pharisees thought they were doing great things as teachers by putting their own interpretation upon the word of God, but Christ said of them, “Ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God.” Mark 12:24. He charged them with the guilt of “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Mark 7:7. Though they were the teachers of the oracles of God, though they were supposed to understand His word, they were not doers of the word. Satan had blinded their eyes that they should not see its true import.COL 111.3
Our salvation depends on a knowledge of the truth contained in the Scriptures. It is God’s will that we should possess this. Search, O search the precious Bible with hungry hearts. Explore God’s word as the miner explores the earth to find veins of gold. Never give up the search until you have ascertained your relation to God and His will in regard to you. Christ declared, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:13, 14.COL 112.5
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. He may conjecture and imagine, but without the eye of faith he cannot see the treasure. Christ gave His life to secure for us this inestimable treasure; but without regeneration through faith in His blood, there is no remission of sins, no treasure for any perishing soul.Manuscript Releases, vol. 11 [Nos. 851-920]
MR No. 859—Miscellaneous Counsels
11MR 35.2
The kingdom of heaven is likened to 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” (Matthew 13:44). He buys it that he may work it, plow up every part of it, and take possession of its treasures. It is the Holy Spirit’s office to direct this search and to reward it. The searcher, while digging the field, finds leads of precious ore of which he seeks to estimate the value, and he sinks the shaft deeper for still more valuable treasure. Thus many a rich lode is discovered. The gold fields of the earth are not so interlaced with veins of precious ore as is the field of revelation with leads that bring to view the unsearchable riches of Christ.Manuscript Releases, vol. 3 [Nos. 162-209]
Search the Scriptures
3MR 92.1
Now we want everyone to count the cost, not from impulse, but search the Scriptures and thus learn your duty. We should dig deep and obtain the precious jewels that can be found in God’s Word. Christ says that “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.” Matthew 13:44. Everything should be secondary compared with the Holy Writ.That I May Know Him
A Hidden Treasure, February 21
TMK 58.1
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. Matthew 13:44.That I May Know Him
Exploring the Mine of Truth, July 8
TMK 195.5
The truth of heavenly origin is represented as “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” (Matthew 13:44) that he may work every part of it. In his persevering efforts he discovers concealed jewels and precious ore. He who labors wisely sinks the shaft deeper and deeper and discovers a rich and precious lode. He finds that the field of revelation is interlaced with golden veins of precious treasures and is indeed the storehouse of the unsearchable riches of Christ—light, truth, and life.11Manuscript 62, 1893.Ye Shall Receive Power
Looking for Treasures, April 6
YRP 105.1
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. Matthew 13:44.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 4 (1883 - 1886)
Ms 43, 1886
4LtMs, Ms 43, 1886, par. 11
Now we want every one to count the cost, not from impulse, but search the Scriptures and thus learn your duty. We should dig deep and obtain the precious jewels that can be found in God’s Word. Christ says that “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.” Matthew 13:44. This parable of Christ’s shows us that the truth is worth digging for. Everything should be secondary compared with the Holy Writ.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)
Lt 23, 1890
6LtMs, Lt 23, 1890, par. 41
The prayer of Christ to His Father just prior to the crucifixion was, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” [John 17:7.] (Matthew 13:44) tells of a man who found a treasure in a field, and for joy thereof went and sold all that he had and bought the field. He was willing to sacrifice all that he possessed to divest himself of many advantages, to suffer inconvenience, that he might win the treasure. My brother, you have lacked that earnest determination to possess the heavenly treasure at any cost. You have not realized your soul-need.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 8 (1893)
Lt 48, 1893
8LtMs, Lt 48, 1893, par. 3
The Lord Jesus has put you in possession of essential truths in the teaching of His sacred Word, but in these lessons there remains much to be discovered, new features of some truths, the immeasurable compass of others, and it is by comparing truth with truth that we see the harmony, link after link uniting in a perfect whole. This is not perceived by the casual reader. The development of truth is the reward of the diligent searcher after truth. “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,” in order that he may search every part of it and make himself possessor of the treasure. [Matthew 13:44.] In his diligent search he discovers more and more of the precious jewels of truth.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 8 (1893)
Ms 62, 1893
8LtMs, Ms 62, 1893, par. 10
The truth of heavenly origin is represented as “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” (Matthew 13:44) that he may work every part of it. In his persevering efforts he discovers concealed jewels and precious ore. He who labors wisely sinks the shaft deeper and deeper and discovers a rich and precious lode. He finds that the field of revelation is interlaced with golden veins of precious treasures and is indeed the storehouse of the unsearchable riches of Christ—Light, Truth and Life.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 11 (1896)
Lt 38, 1896
11LtMs, Lt 38, 1896, par. 6
The kingdom of heaven is likened to treasure hid in a field, “that which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field;” he buys it that he may work it, plough up every part of it, and take possession of its treasures. [Matthew 13:44.] It is the Holy Spirit’s office to direct this search and to reward it. The searcher, while digging the field, finds leads of precious ore of which he seeks to estimate the value, and he sinks the shaft deeper, for still more valuable treasure. Thus many a rich lode is discovered. The gold fields of the earth are not so interlaced with veins of precious ore as is the field of revelation with leads that bring to view the unsearchable riches of Christ.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Ms 45, 1898
13LtMs, Ms 45, 1898, par. 1
“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.” [Matthew 13:44.]13LtMs, Ms 45, 1898, par. 6
The treasure found in the field represents the gospel of Christ. Earthly treasures bear no comparison with this. “The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field, the which when a man hath found, he hideth it, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” [Matthew 13:44.] The Word of God is the field which contains this treasure. In His lessons Christ presents before fallen humanity the nobler world they have lost sight of. He brings it again before them, that they may behold eternal realities. He takes them to the threshold of the Infinite, flushed with the indescribable glory of God, and shows them the treasure there.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)
Ms 60, 1901
16LtMs, Ms 60, 1901, par. 8
“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.” [Matthew 13:44.] When Christ abides in us His life renews the soul as the blood in the physical body gives life to the whole being. He says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. ... Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” [John 15:1, 4-8.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)
Ms 35, 1901
16LtMs, Ms 35, 1901, par. 24
In the Bible the truth is compared to 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.” [Matthew 13:44.] He desires the privilege of searching every part of the field, that he may make himself the possessor of all its treasures. I call upon my brethren in the name of the Lord to sink the shaft deep into the mines of truth.Christ’s Object Lessons
How Hidden
COL 105.2
“Among the chief rulers also many believed on Him,” we read; “but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue.” John 12:42. They were convinced; they believed Jesus to be the Son of God; but it was not in harmony with their ambitious desires to confess Him. They had not the faith that would have secured for them the heavenly treasure. They were seeking worldly treasure.COL 106.2
“The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned,” 1 Corinthians 2:14.COL 106.3
“If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4.Matthew 13:44-46
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 20 (1905)
Ms 114, 1905
20LtMs, Ms 114, 1905, par. 15
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a 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 the field.” [Matthew 13:44.]20LtMs, Ms 114, 1905, par. 18
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when had found one pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it.” [Matthew 13:45, 46.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)
Ms 60, 1895
10LtMs, Ms 60, 1895, par. 10
I spoke one hour from Matthew 13:44-46. I had the evidence that the Lord did strengthen me and give me a message for the people. One hundred were present, and the softening, subduing influence of the Spirit of God was in our midst. We then had a testimony meeting, and those newly come to the truth bore excellent testimonies. There were several keeping their first Sabbath.10LtMs, Ms 60, 1895, par. 13
Spoke in Ashfield. The hall was filled and the Lord gave much freedom in speaking from Matthew 13:44-46. The meeting was most interesting, from the commencement to the close. There was intense interest manifested by the hearers. The social meeting was excellent.Matthew 13:45
Jesus, Name Above All Names
Heavenly Merchantman, May 29
JNN 160.1
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls.”—Matthew 13:45Matthew 13:45-46
Christ’s Object Lessons
Chapter 9—The Pearl
COL 115.1
The blessings of redeeming love our Saviour compared to a precious pearl. He illustrated His lesson by the parable of the merchantman seeking goodly pearls “who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Christ Himself is the pearl of great price. In Him is gathered all the glory of the Father, the fullness of the Godhead. He is the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person. The glory of the attributes of God is expressed in His character. Every page of the Holy Scriptures shines with His light. The righteousness of Christ, as a pure, white pearl, has no defect, no stain. No work of man can improve the great and precious gift of God. It is without a flaw. In Christ are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3. He is “made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30. All that can satisfy the needs and longings of the human soul, for this world and for the world to come, is found in Christ. Our Redeemer is the pearl so precious that in comparison all things else may be accounted loss.COL 116.1
Christ “came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” John 1:11. The light of God shone into the darkness of the world, and “the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:5. But not all were found indifferent to the gift of heaven. The merchantman in the parable represents a class who were sincerely desiring truth. In different nations there were earnest and thoughtful men who had sought in literature and science and the religions of the heathen world for that which they could receive as the soul’s treasure. Among the Jews there were those who were seeking for that which they had not. Dissatisfied with a formal religion, they longed for that which was spiritual and uplifting. Christ’s chosen disciples belonged to the latter class, Cornelius and the Ethiopian eunuch to the former. They had been longing and praying for light from heaven; and when Christ was revealed to them, they received Him with gladness.COL 116.2
In the parable the pearl is not represented as a gift. The merchantman bought it at the price of all that he had. Many question the meaning of this, since Christ is represented in the Scriptures as a gift. He is a gift, but only to those who give themselves, soul, body, and spirit, to Him without reserve. We are to give ourselves to Christ, to live a life of willing obedience to all His requirements. All that we are, all the talents and capabilities we possess, are the Lord’s, to be consecrated to His service. When we thus give ourselves wholly to Him, Christ, with all the treasures of heaven, gives Himself to us. We obtain the pearl of great price.COL 116.3
Salvation is a free gift, and yet it is to be bought and sold. In the market of which divine mercy has the management, the precious pearl is represented as being bought without money and without price. In this market all may obtain the goods of heaven. The treasury of the jewels of truth is open to all. “Behold, I have set before thee an open door,” the Lord declares, “and no man can shut it.” No sword guards the way through this door. Voices from within and at the door say, Come. The Saviour’s voice earnestly and lovingly invites us: “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich.” Revelation 3:8, 18.COL 117.1
The gospel of Christ is a blessing that all may possess. The poorest are as well able as the richest to purchase salvation; for no amount of worldly wealth can secure it. It is obtained by willing obedience, by giving ourselves to Christ as His own purchased possession. Education, even of the highest class, cannot of itself bring a man nearer to God. The Pharisees were favored with every temporal and every spiritual advantage, and they said with boastful pride, We are “rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing”; yet they were “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:17. Christ offered them the pearl of great price; but they disdained to accept it, and He said to them, “The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.” Matthew 21:31.COL 117.2
We cannot earn salvation, but we are to seek for it with as much interest and perseverance as though we would abandon everything in the world for it.COL 117.3
We are to seek for the pearl of great price, but not in worldly marts or in worldly ways. The price we are required to pay is not gold or silver, for this belongs to God. Abandon the idea that temporal or spiritual advantages will win for you salvation. God calls for your willing obedience. He asks you to give up your sins. “To him that overcometh,” Christ declares, “will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” Revelation 3:21.COL 118.1
There are some who seem to be always seeking for the heavenly pearl. But they do not make an entire surrender of their wrong habits. They do not die to self that Christ may live in them. Therefore they do not find the precious pearl. They have not overcome unholy ambition and their love for worldly attractions. They do not take up the cross and follow Christ in the path of self-denial and sacrifice. Almost Christians, yet not fully Christians, they seem near the kingdom of heaven, but they cannot enter there. Almost but not wholly saved, means to be not almost but wholly lost.COL 118.2
The parable of the merchantman seeking goodly pearls has a double significance: it applies not only to men as seeking the kingdom of heaven, but to Christ as seeking His lost inheritance. Christ, the heavenly merchantman seeking goodly pearls, saw in lost humanity the pearl of price. In man, defiled and ruined by sin, He saw the possibilities of redemption. Hearts that have been the battleground of the conflict with Satan, and that have been rescued by the power of love, are more precious to the Redeemer than are those who have never fallen. God looked upon humanity, not as vile and worthless; He looked upon it in Christ, saw it as it might become through redeeming love. He collected all the riches of the universe, and laid them down in order to buy the pearl. And Jesus, having found it, resets it in His own diadem. “For they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land.” Zechariah 9:16. “They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels.” Malachi 3:17.COL 118.3
But Christ as the precious pearl, and our privilege of possessing this heavenly treasure, is the theme on which we most need to dwell. It is the Holy Spirit that reveals to men the preciousness of the goodly pearl. The time of the Holy Spirit’s power is the time when in a special sense the heavenly gift is sought and found. In Christ’s day many heard the gospel, but their minds were darkened by false teaching, and they did not recognize in the humble Teacher of Galilee the Sent of God. But after Christ’s ascension His enthronement in His mediatorial kingdom was signalized by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost the Spirit was given. Christ’s witnesses proclaimed the power of the risen Saviour. The light of heaven penetrated the darkened minds of those who had been deceived by the enemies of Christ. They now saw Him exalted to be “a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31. They saw Him encircled with the glory of heaven, with infinite treasures in His hands to bestow upon all who would turn from their rebellion. As the apostles set forth the glory of the Only-Begotten of the Father, three thousand souls were convicted. They were made to see themselves as they were, sinful and polluted, and Christ as their friend and Redeemer. Christ was lifted up, Christ was glorified, through the power of the Holy Spirit resting upon men. By faith these believers saw Him as the One who had borne humiliation, suffering, and death that they might not perish but have everlasting life. The revelation of Christ by the Spirit brought to them a realizing sense of His power and majesty, and they stretched forth their hands to Him by faith, saying, “I believe.”COL 120.1
Then the glad tidings of a risen Saviour were carried to the uttermost bounds of the inhabited world. The church beheld converts flocking to her from all directions. Believers were reconverted. Sinners united with Christians in seeking the pearl of great price. The prophecy was fulfilled, The weak shall be “as David,” and the house of David “as the angel of the Lord.” Zechariah 12:8. Every Christian saw in his brother the divine similitude of benevolence and love. One interest prevailed. One object swallowed up all others. All hearts beat in harmony. The only ambition of the believers was to reveal the likeness of Christ’s character, and to labor for the enlargement of His kingdom. “The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul.... With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:32, 33. “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Acts 2:47. The Spirit of Christ animated the whole congregation; for they had found the pearl of great price.COL 121.1
These scenes are to be repeated, and with greater power. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the former rain, but the latter rain will be more abundant. The Spirit awaits our demand and reception. Christ is again to be revealed in His fulness by the Holy Spirit’s power. Men will discern the value of the precious pearl, and with the apostle Paul they will say, “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:7, 8.God’s Amazing Grace
Bought Without Money, June 21
AG 180.3
The blessings of redeeming love our Saviour compared to a precious pearl [Matthew 13:45, 46]....In Heavenly Places
Inestimable Treasure, February 12
HP 49.1
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman, 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.Maranatha
Heaven’s Flawless Pearl, March 5
Mar 72.1
The 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.Our Father Cares
The Priceless Pearl, May 7
OFC 139.1
Again, the 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.That I May Know Him
The Priceless Pearl, March 18
TMK 83.1
Again, the 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.From the Heart
The Pearl of Great Price, April 18
FH 120.1
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful 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.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)
Ms 30, 1889
6LtMs, Ms 30, 1889, par. 56
We attended meetings in South Lancaster, and the fruits were good. We had the same spirit and power that attended the first and second angels’ messages. I have given you an account of these meetings. The Lord wrought upon all hearts, and many were able to say, “The Lord hath put a new song in my mouth, the matchless love of Jesus.” His excellencies were kept before the mind’s eye, and souls began to see the delights in Jesus. They could speak of His love and tell of His power. The Sun of righteousness was rising in the hearts of nearly all present. Many were zealous and were repenting of their lukewarmness and complying with the invitation of the Merchantman, “Buy of me gold tried in the fire,” “and white raiment,” “and eyesalve.” [Revelation 3:18.] Their testimony was, “I have found the pearl of great price.” [Matthew 13:45, 46.] Hearts were impressed, confessions were made of wrongs to unbelievers and believers, and restitutions were made.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Ms 154, 1898
13LtMs, Ms 154, 1898, par. 1
“Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman, seeking goodly pearls; who, when he hath found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” [Matthew 13:45, 46.]Matthew 13:46
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Ms 44, 1898
13LtMs, Ms 44, 1898, par. 1
Among the Jews, the pearl is estimated as the most valuable of precious stones. Our Saviour compared the blessing of redeeming love to a pearl of great price. He illustrated this truth by the parable of a merchantman seeking goodly pearls, “who when he had found the pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” [Matthew 13:46.]Matthew 13:47
The Upward Look
The Life That Lasts, January 21
UL 35.1
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind. Matthew 13:47.Homeward Bound
The Gospel Net, August 20
HB 257.1
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind.—Matthew 13:47.Matthew 13:47-50
Christ’s Object Lessons
Chapter 10—The Net
COL 122.1
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind; which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”COL 122.2
The casting of the net is the preaching of the gospel. This gathers both good and evil into the church. When the mission of the gospel is completed, the judgment will accomplish the work of separation. Christ saw how the existence of false brethren in the church would cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of. The world would revile the gospel because of the inconsistent lives of false professors. Even Christians would be caused to stumble as they saw that many who bore Christ’s name were not controlled by His Spirit. Because these sinners were in the church, men would be in danger of thinking that God excused their sins. Therefore Christ lifts the veil from the future and bids all to behold that it is character, not position, which decides man’s destiny.COL 123.1
Both the parable of the tares and that of the net plainly teach that there is no time when all the wicked will turn to God. The wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest. The good and the bad fish are together drawn ashore for a final separation.COL 123.2
Again, these parables teach that there is to be no probation after the judgment. When the work of the gospel is completed, there immediately follows the separation between the good and the evil, and the destiny of each class is forever fixed.COL 123.3
God does not desire the destruction of any. “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” Ezekiel 33:11. Throughout the period of probationary time His Spirit is entreating men to accept the gift of life. It is only those who reject His pleading that will be left to perish. God has declared that sin must be destroyed as an evil ruinous to the universe. Those who cling to sin will perish in its destruction.Matthew 13:51-52
Christ’s Object Lessons
Chapter 11—Things New and Old
COL 124.1
While Christ was teaching the people, He was also educating His disciples for their future work. In all His instruction there were lessons for them. After giving the parable of the net, He asked them, “Have ye understood all these things?” They said unto Him, “Yea, Lord.” Then in another parable He set before them their responsibility in regard to the truths they had received. “Therefore,” He said, “every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”COL 124.2
The treasure gained by the householder he does not hoard. He brings it forth to communicate to others. And by use the treasure increases. The householder has precious things both new and old. So Christ teaches that the truth committed to His disciples is to be communicated to the world. And as the knowledge of truth is imparted, it will increase.COL 125.1
All who receive the gospel message into the heart will long to proclaim it. The heaven-born love of Christ must find expression. Those who have put on Christ will relate their experience, tracing step by step the leadings of the Holy Spirit—their hungering and thirsting for the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He has sent, the results of their searching of the Scriptures, their prayers, their soul agony, and the words of Christ to them, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” It is unnatural for any to keep these things secret, and those who are filled with the love of Christ will not do so. In proportion as the Lord has made them the depositaries of sacred truth will be their desire that others shall receive the same blessing. And as they make known the rich treasures of God’s grace, more and still more of the grace of Christ will be imparted to them. They will have the heart of a little child in its simplicity and unreserved obedience. Their souls will pant after holiness, and more and more of the treasures of truth and grace will be revealed to them to be given to the world.COL 125.2
The great storehouse of truth is the word of God—the written word, the book of nature, and the book of experience in God’s dealing with human life. Here are the treasures from which Christ’s workers are to draw. In the search after truth they are to depend upon God, not upon human intelligences, the great men whose wisdom is foolishness with God. Through His own appointed channels the Lord will impart a knowledge of Himself to every seeker.COL 125.3
If the follower of Christ will believe His word and practice it, there is no science in the natural world that he will not be able to grasp and appreciate. There is nothing but that will furnish him means for imparting the truth to others. Natural science is a treasure house of knowledge from which every student in the school of Christ may draw. As we contemplate the beauty of nature, as we study its lessons in the cultivation of the soil, in the growth of the trees, in all the wonders of earth and sea and sky, there will come to us a new perception of truth. And the mysteries connected with God’s dealings with men, the depths of His wisdom and judgment as seen in human life—these are found to be a storehouse rich in treasure.COL 126.1
But it is in the written word that a knowledge of God is most clearly revealed to fallen man. This is the treasure house of the unsearchable riches of Christ.COL 126.2
The word of God includes the Scriptures of the Old Testament as well as of the New. One is not complete without the other. Christ declared that the truths of the Old Testament are as valuable as those of the New. Christ was as much man’s Redeemer in the beginning of the world as He is today. Before He clothed His divinity with humanity and came to our world, the gospel message was given by Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah. Abraham in Canaan and Lot in Sodom bore the message, and from generation to generation faithful messengers proclaimed the Coming One. The rites of the Jewish economy were instituted by Christ Himself. He was the foundation of their system of sacrificial offerings, the great antitype of all their religious service. The blood shed as the sacrifices were offered pointed to the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. All the typical offerings were fulfilled in Him.COL 126.3
Christ as manifested to the patriarchs, as symbolized in the sacrificial service, as portrayed in the law, and as revealed by the prophets, is the riches of the Old Testament. Christ in His life, His death, and His resurrection, Christ as He is manifested by the Holy Spirit, is the treasure of the New Testament. Our Saviour, the outshining of the Father’s glory, is both the Old and the New.COL 127.1
Of Christ’s life and death and intercession, which prophets had foretold, the apostles were to go forth as witnesses. Christ in His humiliation, in His purity and holiness, in His matchless love, was to be their theme. And in order to preach the gospel in its fullness, they must present the Saviour not only as revealed in His life and teachings, but as foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament and as symbolized by the sacrificial service.COL 127.2
Christ in His teaching presented old truths of which He Himself was the originator, truths which He had spoken through patriarchs and prophets; but He now shed upon them a new light. How different appeared their meaning! A flood of light and spirituality was brought in by His explanation. And He promised that the Holy Spirit should enlighten the disciples, that the word of God should be ever unfolding to them. They would be able to present its truths in new beauty.COL 127.3
Ever since the first promise of redemption was spoken in Eden, the life, the character, and the mediatorial work of Christ have been the study of human minds. Yet every mind through whom the Holy Spirit has worked has presented these themes in a light that is fresh and new. The truths of redemption are capable of constant development and expansion. Though old, they are ever new, constantly revealing to the seeker for truth a greater glory and a mightier power.COL 127.4
In every age there is a new development of truth, a message of God to the people of that generation. The old truths are all essential; new truth is not independent of the old, but an unfolding of it. It is only as the old truths are understood that we can comprehend the new. When Christ desired to open to His disciples the truth of His resurrection, He began “at Moses and all the prophets” and “expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Luke 24:27. But it is the light which shines in the fresh unfolding of truth that glorifies the old. He who rejects or neglects the new does not really possess the old. For him it loses its vital power and becomes but a lifeless form.COL 128.1
There are those who profess to believe and to teach the truths of the Old Testament, while they reject the New. But in refusing to receive the teachings of Christ, they show that they do not believe that which patriarchs and prophets have spoken. “Had ye believed Moses,” Christ said, “ye would have believed Me; for he wrote of Me.” John 5:46. Hence there is no real power in their teaching of even the Old Testament.COL 128.2
Many who claim to believe and to teach the gospel are in a similar error. They set aside the Old Testament Scriptures, of which Christ declared, “They are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39. In rejecting the Old, they virtually reject the New; for both are parts of an inseparable whole. No man can rightly present the law of God without the gospel, or the gospel without the law. The law is the gospel embodied, and the gospel is the law unfolded. The law is the root, the gospel is the fragrant blossom and fruit which it bears.COL 128.3
The Old Testament sheds light upon the New, and the New upon the Old. Each is a revelation of the glory of God in Christ. Both present truths that will continually reveal new depths of meaning to the earnest seeker.COL 128.4
Truth in Christ and through Christ is measureless. The student of Scripture looks, as it were, into a fountain that deepens and broadens as he gazes into its depths. Not in this life shall we comprehend the mystery of God’s love in giving His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. The work of our Redeemer on this earth is and ever will be a subject that will put to the stretch our highest imagination. Man may tax every mental power in the endeavor to fathom this mystery, but his mind will become faint and weary. The most diligent searcher will see before him a boundless, shoreless sea.COL 129.1
The truth as it is in Jesus can be experienced, but never explained. Its height and breadth and depth pass our knowledge. We may task our imagination to the utmost, and then we shall see only dimly the outlines of a love that is unexplainable, that is as high as heaven, but that stooped to the earth to stamp the image of God on all mankind.COL 129.2
Yet it is possible for us to see all that we can bear of the divine compassion. This is unfolded to the humble, contrite soul. We shall understand God’s compassion just in proportion as we appreciate His sacrifice for us. As we search the word of God in humility of heart, the grand theme of redemption will open to our research. It will increase in brightness as we behold it, and as we aspire to grasp it, its height and depth will ever increase.COL 129.3
Our life is to be bound up with the life of Christ; we are to draw constantly from Him, partaking of Him, the living Bread that came down from heaven, drawing from a fountain ever fresh, ever giving forth its abundant treasures. If we keep the Lord ever before us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him, we shall have a continual freshness in our religious life. Our prayers will take the form of a conversation with God as we would talk with a friend. He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Often there will come to us a sweet joyful sense of the presence of Jesus. Often our hearts will burn within us as He draws nigh to commune with us as He did with Enoch. When this is in truth the experience of the Christian, there is seen in his life a simplicity, a humility, meekness, and lowliness of heart, that show to all with whom he associates that he has been with Jesus and learned of Him.COL 130.1
In those who possess it, the religion of Christ will reveal itself as a vitalizing, pervading principle, a living, working, spiritual energy. There will be manifest the freshness and power and joyousness of perpetual youth. The heart that receives the word of God is not as a pool that evaporates, not like a broken cistern that loses its treasure. It is like the mountain stream fed by unfailing springs, whose cool, sparkling waters leap from rock to rock, refreshing the weary, the thirsty, the heavy laden.COL 130.2
This experience gives every teacher of truth the very qualifications that will make him a representative of Christ. The spirit of Christ’s teaching will give a force and directness to his communications and to his prayers. His witness to Christ will not be a narrow, lifeless testimony. The minister will not preach over and over the same set discourses. His mind will be open to the constant illumination of the Holy Spirit.COL 130.3
Christ said, “Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life.... As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me.... It is the Spirit that quickeneth; ... the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:54-63.COL 130.4
When we eat Christ’s flesh and drink His blood, the element of eternal life will be found in the ministry. There will not be a fund of stale, oft-repeated ideas. The tame, dull sermonizing will cease. The old truths will be presented, but they will be seen in a new light. There will be a new perception of truth, a clearness and a power that all will discern. Those who have the privilege of sitting under such a ministry will, if susceptible to the Holy Spirit’s influence, feel the energizing power of a new life. The fire of God’s love will be kindled within them. Their perceptive faculties will be quickened to discern the beauty and majesty of truth.COL 131.1
The faithful householder represents what every teacher of the children and youth should be. If he makes the word of God his treasure, he will continually bring forth new beauty and new truth. When the teacher will rely upon God in prayer, the Spirit of Christ will come upon him, and God will work through him by the Holy Spirit upon the minds of others. The Spirit fills the mind and heart with sweet hope and courage and Bible imagery, and all this will be communicated to the youth under his instruction.COL 132.1
The springs of heavenly peace and joy, unsealed in the soul of the teacher by the words of Inspiration, will become a mighty river of influence to bless all who connect with him. The Bible will not become a tiresome book to the student. Under a wise instructor the word will become more and more desirable. It will be as the bread of life, and will never grow old. Its freshness and beauty will attract and charm the children and youth. It is like the sun shining upon the earth, perpetually imparting brightness and warmth, yet never exhausted.COL 132.2
God’s holy, educating Spirit is in His word. A light, a new and precious light, shines forth from every page. Truth is there revealed, and words and sentences are made bright and appropriate for the occasion, as the voice of God speaking to the soul.COL 132.3
The Holy Spirit loves to address the youth, and to discover to them the treasures and beauties of God’s word. The promises spoken by the great Teacher will captivate the senses and animate the soul with spiritual power that is divine. There will grow in the fruitful mind a familiarity with divine things that will be as a barricade against temptation.COL 132.4
The words of truth will grow in importance, and assume a breadth and fullness of meaning of which we have never dreamed. The beauty and riches of the word have a transforming influence on mind and character. The light of heavenly love will fall upon the heart as an inspiration.COL 132.5
The appreciation of the Bible grows with its study. Whichever way the student may turn, he will find displayed the infinite wisdom and love of God.COL 133.1
The significance of the Jewish economy is not yet fully comprehended. Truths vast and profound are shadowed forth in its rites and symbols. The gospel is the key that unlocks its mysteries. Through a knowledge of the plan of redemption, its truths are opened to the understanding. Far more than we do, it is our privilege to understand these wonderful themes. We are to comprehend the deep things of God. Angels desire to look into the truths that are revealed to the people who with contrite hearts are searching the word of God, and praying for greater lengths and breadths and depths and heights of the knowledge which He alone can give.COL 133.2
As we near the close of this world’s history, the prophecies relating to the last days especially demand our study. The last book of the New Testament scriptures is full of truth that we need to understand. Satan has blinded the minds of many, so that they have been glad of any excuse for not making the Revelation their study. But Christ through His servant John has here declared what shall be in the last days, and He says, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein.” Revelation 1:3.COL 133.3
“This is life eternal,” Christ said, “that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” John 17:3. Why is it that we do not realize the value of this knowledge? Why are not these glorious truths glowing in our hearts, trembling upon our lips, and pervading our whole being?COL 133.4
In giving us His word, God has put us in possession of every truth essential for our salvation. Thousands have drawn water from these wells of life, yet there is no diminishing of the supply. Thousands have set the Lord before them, and by beholding have been changed into the same image. Their spirit burns within them as they speak of His character, telling what Christ is to them, and what they are to Christ. But these searchers have not exhausted these grand and holy themes. Thousands more may engage in the work of searching out the mysteries of salvation. As the life of Christ and the character of His mission are dwelt upon, rays of light will shine forth more distinctly at every attempt to discover truth. Each fresh search will reveal something more deeply interesting than has yet been unfolded. The subject is inexhaustible. The study of the incarnation of Christ, His atoning sacrifice and mediatorial work, will employ the mind of the diligent student as long as time shall last; and looking to heaven with its unnumbered years he will exclaim, “Great is the mystery of godliness.”COL 134.1
In eternity we shall learn that which, had we received the enlightenment it was possible to obtain here, would have opened our understanding. The themes of redemption will employ the hearts and minds and tongues of the redeemed through the everlasting ages. They will understand the truths which Christ longed to open to His disciples, but which they did not have faith to grasp. Forever and forever new views of the perfection and glory of Christ will appear. Through endless ages will the faithful Householder bring forth from His treasure things new and old.Matthew 13:52
Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers
“Except as We Shall Forget”
TM 13.1
“Every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” Matthew 13:52.The Upward Look
Be a Faithful Householder, July 10
UL 205.1
Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. Matthew 13:52.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 4 (1883 - 1886)
Ms 29, 1885
4LtMs, Ms 29, 1885, par. 24
In the evening I spoke from Matthew [13?]:52. A young man consented to serve as my interpreter. His father encouraged him to do this. We hope this effort will help him. He says it is the first time he has interpreted for anyone. He has a good education, and we hope he will have moral courage to take his stand on the true platform. His father seems interested to hear me speak.Jesus, Name Above All Names
Faithful Householder, March 30
JNN 98.1
Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”—Matthew 13:52Matthew 13:54-55
From Heaven With Love
Chapter 24—“Is Not This the Carpenter’s Son?”
HLv 150.1
Across the bright days of Christ’s ministry in Galilee, one shadow lay—the people of Nazareth rejected Him. “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” they said. Matthew 13:55. During His youth, Jesus had worshiped among His brethren in the synagogue at Nazareth. Since the opening of His ministry He had been absent from them, but as He again appeared, their expectation was excited to the highest pitch. Here were the familiar faces He had known from infancy. Here were His mother, His brothers and sisters, and all eyes were turned on Him as He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and took His place among the worshipers.HLv 153.4
Again as they listened to His words the Nazarenes were moved by the Divine Spirit. But even now they would not admit that this Man, brought up among them, was greater than themselves. Still there rankled the bitter memory that while He had claimed to be the Promised One, He had really denied them a place with Israel; for He had shown them less worthy of God’s favor than a heathen man and woman. Though they questioned, “Whence hath this Man this wisdom, and these mighty works?” (Matthew 13:54), they would not receive Him as the Christ of God. Because of their unbelief, the Saviour could not work many miracles among them, and reluctantly He departed, never to return.Matthew 13:54-56
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Ms 53, 1898
13LtMs, Ms 53, 1898, par. 13
The Jewish doctors knew of Christ’s humble position, and they were astonished at His learning. The question was asked, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” [John 7:15.] And on another occasion, the question was asked, “Whence hath this man this wisdom? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother Mary? and his brethren, James and Joses and Simeon and Judas? and his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?” [Matthew 13:54-56.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 17 (1902)
Ms 133, 1902
17LtMs, Ms 133, 1902, par. 1
“Is not this the carpenter’s son?” [Matthew 13:55.]17LtMs, Ms 133, 1902, par. 10
“They were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not His mother called Mary? and His brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?” [Matthew 13:54-56.]Matthew 13:55
Jesus, Name Above All Names
Meek Pattern, July 16
JNN 210.2
A large portion of those who profess to be looking for Christ would be as forward as the Pharisees were to have the disciples silenced, and they would doubtless raise the cry, “Fanaticism! Mesmerism! Mesmerism!” And the disciples, spreading their garments and branches of palm trees in the way, would be thought extravagant and wild. But God will have a people on the earth who will not be so cold and dead but that they can praise and glorify Him. He will receive glory from some people, and if those of His choice, those who keep His commandments, should hold their peace, the very stones would cry out.Matthew 13:57
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 11 (1896)
Ms 80, 1896
11LtMs, Ms 80, 1896, par. 7
Many spend their precious moments in wishing they could do some great thing. Their desires are apparently very great; but they do nothing in the sphere where God has placed them. They neglect the opportunities within their reach; for they are too common-place for them to see and improve. Idle and useless, they wish and hope and look for some great thing to come for them which it will be an honor for them to do. Unless their consciences are enlightened, and they have the mind of Christ, they will always be dissatisfied. Christ spent his life in doing good just where he saw good to be done within the sphere where he lived and to those objects within his reach. He was not received in his own country and among his own people; but he found work among them on every hand. There were some places, however, where he did not many mighty miracles on account of their unbelief; for he himself declared, “A prophet is not without honor save in his own country, and in his own house.” [Matthew 13:57.]Matthew 13:58
Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3
Spiritual Gifts
3SG 28.1
2. The unbelief of the professed followers of Christ in the manifestation of spiritual gifts is sufficient reason why they are not more fully manifested. It is said of Christ, “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” Matthew 13:58. There is an impious unbelief with many at this day who profess to take the Bible as their guide, which resembles that of those who, mockingly, said of Christ as he hung on the cross, “Let Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” It is sometimes said in reply to the Bible evidences of the perpetuity of spiritual gifts, “Just work a few miracles, and we will believe your doctrine.” It is not God’s plan to gratify such spirits; for should they see as powerful manifestations as were seen in the days of Christ, of Paul, and Peter, they would scoffingly attribute it to the power of Satan or some other cause besides the power of God.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 4 (1883 - 1886)
Lt 35, 1885
4LtMs, Lt 35, 1885, par. 32
Christ said of a people, He could not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. [Matthew 13:58.] Will we humble ourselves before God? Will we put sins and deception out of our hearts? Will we be as merciful and tender and pitiful of others as we wish them to be of us? God help us to love one another.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 4 (1883 - 1886)
Ms 11, 1885
4LtMs, Ms 11, 1885, par. 12
There were many places in which Christ could not do many mighty works, “because of their unbelief.” [Matthew 13:58.] Unbelief is cruel, and we should cast every vestige of it out of our hearts. If God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us, think you that He will withhold from us any needed blessing?Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)
Lt 43a, 1890
6LtMs, Lt 43a, 1890, par. 8
If in Christ’s day they had known that He was the Prince of life, they would not have crucified Him. Again the statement is made, “He could not do many mighty works” in certain places “because of their unbelief.” [Matthew 13:58.] If Jesus, the Source of all power and light and life, was bound about and His way obstructed by unbelief, what could be expected of those who are finite instruments?Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)
Ms 24, 1890
6LtMs, Ms 24, 1890, par. 8
In the divine arrangement, God does nothing without the co-operation of man. He compels no man’s will. That must be given to the Lord completely, else the Lord is not able to accomplish His divine work that He would do [through] the [human] agency. Jesus declared that in a certain place, He could not do many mighty works among the people because of their unbelief. [Matthew 13:58.] He wanted to do for them, in that place, just what He knew that they needed to have done, but He could not because unbelief barred the way. The potter cannot mold and fashion, unto honor, that which has never been placed in his hands. The Christian life is one of daily surrender, submission, and continual overcoming, gaining fresh victories every day. This is the growing up into Christ, fashioning the life into the divine model.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)
Lt 30, 1895
10LtMs, Lt 30, 1895, par. 25
How can a man who has a beam in his own eye see clearly to pick out the mote that is in his brother’s eye? Yet this is a picture of your condition, and shows the manner in which you have acted in the Sydney church. We read that Christ was hindered from doing the mighty works of God because of the unbelief of the people. The record states that when He visited His own country, “He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” [Matthew 13:58.] This is the reason that mighty works are not done in the Sydney church. God speaks to you in Sydney, saying, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” [Hebrews 3:12.] Unbelief always results in separation from God; men refuse to hear His voice, and as a result the heart is hardened.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Lt 85, 1897
12LtMs, Lt 85, 1897, par. 13
He who is mighty in counsel, and to whom is given all power in heaven and in earth will come to the help of His people if they are not faithless, but believing. Christ declares of certain places that He could not do many mighty works there because of unbelief. [Matthew 13:58.] Thus we see that it is of great importance that we have faith. Faith is that principle that waits not for the work to be done before it ventures and does the very thing that a pure, true faith would do. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things that are seen were not made of things which do appear.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 15 (1900)
Ms 55, 1900
15LtMs, Ms 55, 1900, par. 5
Jesus declared that in a certain place He could not do many mighty works among the people because of their unbelief. [Matthew 13:58.] He wanted to do the work that needed to be done for the people, but He could not because unbelief barred the way. The Potter cannot mold and fashion unto honor that which has never been placed in His hands. The Christian life is one of daily surrender, submission, and continual overcoming. Every day fresh victories will be gained. Self must be lost sight of, and the love of God must be constantly cultivated. Thus we grow up into Christ. Thus the life is fashioned according to the divine model.EGW Writings — Ellen G. White. Ellen G. White Estate · all rights reserved
Matthew 13:31-33
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Ms 27, 1897
12LtMs, Ms 27, 1897, par. 17
Our Lord taught the same truth by the grain of mustard seed. He presents the truth in parables, using varied illustrations and different figures which will meet different minds. Each parable carries its own peculiarity. “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” [Matthew 13:31, 32.] In this parable Christ would teach us that we are individually to be sowers of the seed. No one is to be idle or indifferent. Each has his or her work to do according to his entrusted capabilities; and these capabilities are to grow.12LtMs, Ms 27, 1897, par. 18
“Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” [Verse 33.] This is another representation of the seeds of truth which work from the inward to the outward. As leaven, or yeast, though hidden in the flour, and deposited only in one place, brings all surrounding it under its leavening process, so the working of truth continues secretly, silently, steadily, pervading all the faculties of the soul and all the kingdoms of the world.