Friday after the Festival of the Transfiguration of our Lord
Posted on February 3, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 13:44-52 (NKJV)
13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
52 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.”
Devotion
The parable of the dragnet is similar to that of the wheat and the tares, in that it teaches us that while all the fish in the sea and all the plants of the field may be gathered up together, there will be a sorting which takes place so that that which is pleasing to the Lord will be retained, even as the rest is rejected and consigned to the flames.
It is in the context of such an instruction concerning the judgment of the unbelieving that we hear of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. For those who hear and, by the work of the Holy Spirit, believe the Gospel, that which has been made known to them is beyond comparison with any worldly treasure. The children of God gladly sacrifice the things of this world for the sake of Christ, and when they are tempted to live according to the concerns of the world, the Word of God calls them to again repent and return to the way of life.
Prayer: O God, Who in the glorious Transfiguration of Thine Only-Begotten Son, hast confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of the fathers, and Who, in the voice that came from the bright cloud, didst in a wonderful manner foreshow the adoption of sons: Mercifully vouchsafe to make us coheirs with the King of His glory, and bring us to the enjoyment of the same; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
