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Signs of the Times, Vol. 3, No. 20.

OTHER PARABLES OF CHRIST

Signs of the Times

May 17, 1877

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · May 17, 1877

OTHER PARABLES OF CHRIST.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
(Concluded.)
The Saviour continued his parables to the listening people, saying, “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. 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.” In those days there were many who searched for treasure which was supposed to be buried in certain localities where great cities had once stood. In the great thoroughfare of travel, where Jesus was then teaching, it was not unusual to meet persons who had come long distances on their way to where it was supposed hidden treasure could be found. The desire for great riches led them upon a journey fraught with many perils. They had left their avocations upon a venture that seldom proved successful. But if they secured a small treasure they redoubled their exertions, hoping to realize still greater riches. Jesus had this class of his hearers in view, when he thus illustrated the mysterious riches of his grace, which, once having attracted the heart of man, lead him to seek higher attainments and greater blessings. The more he realizes of the peace of God, the more he desires to drink deeper at the fountain of his love. The thirst for righteousness, the longing and seeking for its treasures, continually increase.
In order to obtain a vast treasure that is supposed to be hidden in a field, or a gem that is of great and unknown value, the man who is seeking for riches invests all his substance in that field, or uses it to purchase the precious jewel, calculating that it will increase in value on his hands and bring him the fortune that he covets. So should the Christian, who desires the riches of Heaven, set aside all considerations that interfere with his eternal welfare, and put his soul into the work of securing the riches of Christ’s love. His talents, his means, his energies, should all be applied in such a way as to win the approbation of God. Jesus directs the minds of his hearers to infinite riches, hidden where all may engage in searching for them, sure of being successful, never doomed to the disappointment of fruitless toil. He came from Heaven to direct the search. High and low, rich and poor, stand upon an equal footing, and none need seek in vain. Obedience to his will is the one condition of success, and well may the earnest seeker afford to sell all that he has to possess this blessing of divine love—the pearl of great price.
There were many fishermen in the assembly that listened to the teachings of Jesus; and therefore he spoke a parable that would bring his truth directly home to their minds by an illustration drawn from their daily lives. Said he, “Again, 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.” Here again the separation of the wicked from the righteous at the end of the world is impressed upon the minds of his hearers, in words that cannot be mistaken.
Jesus had a wise purpose in making use of so many parables by which to teach the same important truths. All classes were before him, for it was a place where many different people met in the pursuit of their business or in their journeys. By using a variety of illustrations he succeeded in reaching many minds. The parable of the sower and that of the wheat and tares, applied to all. The fields were before them, and the laborers scattering the seed, or harvesting the earlier grain. Also the mustard that grew luxuriantly about them furnished a lesson for all.
But in order to press home his truths more closely, he also spoke other parables to suit particular cases. The searcher for riches represented a large class, who could not but be struck by the parable of the hidden treasure. And the leaven, buried in the meal, while it was an illustration that could be understood by all, brought home the truth with added power to the minds of the women, who knew so well the action of the leaven upon the meal, and were thus enabled to draw a forceful comparison between that and the workings of God’s grace upon the human heart. Jesus overlooked none in his teachings, and the humblest were remembered with tender pity.
The Saviour inquired of his disciples if they understood these things. They answered, “Yea, Lord.” 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.” In this parable, Jesus presented before his disciples the responsibility of those whose work it is to give to the world the light which they have received from him. The Old Testament was all the Scripture then in existence; but it was not written merely for the ancients; it was for all ages and for all people. Jesus would have the teachers of his doctrine diligently search the Old Testament for that light which establishes his identity as the Messiah foretold in prophecy, and reveals the nature of his mission to the world. The Old and the New Testament are inseparable, for both are the teachings of Christ. The doctrine of the Jews, who accept only the Old Testament, is not unto salvation, since they reject the Saviour whose life and ministry was a fulfillment of the law and the prophecies. And the doctrine of those who discard the Old Testament is not unto salvation, because it rejects that which is direct testimony of Christ. Skeptics begin with discounting upon the Old Testament, and it takes but another step to deny the validity of the New, and thus both are rejected.
The Jews have little influence over the Christian world in showing them the importance of the commandments, including the binding law of the Sabbath, because in bringing forth the old treasures of truth, they throw aside the new ones in the personal teachings of Jesus. On the other hand the strongest reason why Christians fail to influence the Jews to accept the teachings of Christ as the language of divine wisdom, is because, in bringing forth the treasures of his word, they treat with contempt the riches of the Old Testament, which are the earlier teachings of the Son of God, through Moses. They reject the law proclaimed from Sinai, and the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, instituted in the garden of Eden. But the minister of the gospel, who follows the teachings of Christ, will gain a thorough knowledge of both the Old and the New Testament, that he may present them in their true light to the people as an inseparable whole—the one depending upon and illuminating the other. Thus, as Jesus instructed his disciples, they will bring forth from their treasure “things new and old.”
In looking abroad over the various fields where he had labored, Jesus was filled with compassion for those scattered ones who had accepted him as their Saviour, and looked to him for the bread of life. They seemed to him like sheep to be left without a shepherd, when he should ascend to Heaven. Before his sufferings and death, it was necessary that he should commission his disciples to go forth as his representatives, that the believers might look to them as divinely appointed teachers, so that in the approaching time of darkness and discouragement they would not be left without counselors. Calling the twelve about him, he said to them: “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.” As yet the disciples had little experience in preaching the practical truths received from their Lord; but they had been his companions for several months, and he had occasionally sent them forth to labor by themselves for a short time, to prepare them for their future mission when he should no longer be with them. But he now separated them in pairs, and sent them away from him in different directions. He delegated to them the power of working miracles, but they were in no case to employ this power for their own exaltation or advantage. They were to be gone but a few days, and they were not sent among strangers on this first tour, but among their brethren who were to prepare their way that they might have access to the people, many of whom earnestly desired to know more of the doctrines of Christ.
In sending out his disciples, Jesus instructed them, upon entering a town or city, to seek those who were of good repute and abide with them during the time in which they labored in that locality; for the influence of such persons would be beneficial to the cause. But if the disciples were not received by those to whom they went, they were to shake off even the dust from their feet against the house that was closed against them, or the city that refused to hear their message. This act was calculated to impress the people with the importance of the gospel message, and with the fact that it could not be slighted or rejected with impunity. The great Teacher declared to his disciples, with startling emphasis, that it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment than for the city that refused to hear them.
Jesus enjoins his disciples to make known to others those truths which he had spoken to their ears alone, saying, “What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the house-tops.” Knowing the rebuffs and persecution they are to meet in the ministry upon which they are now about to enter, he strengthens them for their work by assuring them that in all their coming toils and dangers, God will watch over them. They are to go on unmindful of the opposition of men, seeking only to please God in whose hands they are: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” They are to go forward, bearing their testimony of truth, and leave their fate with their Heavenly Father. Jesus comforts them with a knowledge of the divine care that watches over their lives, saying, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
And finally, he crowns his instruction and encouragement with the grand assurance of eternal reward to those who accept the Son of God and obey his teachings, and of denunciation to those who reject them: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in Heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven.”
Thus the Saviour commissioned his disciples to go out into the world and preach his word, to heal the sick, and comfort the sorrowful as they had seen him do, and they went forth, working according to his directions. The mission of God’s servants to-day is of the same vital importance as that of the apostles whom Christ sent from him with such solemn words of instruction. To accept or to reject the message of Christ will insure the results indicated by the Master to his disciples on that solemn occasion when he commissioned them to teach his word to the people.

The Neglected Bible.

It lay upon the mantle-shelf, Mid dust profusely spread— 'Mid wreaths of smoke and clouds of steam, Festooned with webs o'er head. And even so its owner's heart, Alike unsearched, unknown, Defiled by sin, and vailed by doubts, Immovable as stone.
That holy word—unheard—unread, Breaks not the flinty heart; That Lamp of Life, whose light is hid, No blessing can impart— No clouds dispel—no darkness quell— No sin no doubt display— Directs not to the Lamb of God, The Life, the Truth, the Way.
Like some rich mine hid 'neath the soil, Unnoticed and unwrought, Through years of poverty and toil, It yields its owner naught. Oh! 'tis a fearful thing to hold The word of God unread— Eternal life within one's reach, And yet forever dead.

No Armor for the Back.

Let me advise you to wear no armor for your back when you have determined to follow the track of truth. Receive upon your breastplate of righteousness the sword-cuts of your adversaries; the stern metal shall turn the edges of your foreman's weapon. Follow truth for her own sake; follow her in evil report; let not many waters quench your love for her. Yield to no established rules if they involve a lie. Do not evil that good should come of it. “Consequences!” this is the devil’s argument. Leave consequences to God, but do right. If friends fail thee, do the right. If foemen surround thee, do the right. Be genuine, real, sincere, true, upright, godlike. The world's maxim is, Trim your sails and yield to circumstances. But if you would do any good in your generation, you must be made of sterner stuff, and help make your times rather than be made by them. You must not yield to customs, but like the anvil, endure all blows, until the hammers break themselves. When misrepresented, use no crooked means to clear yourself. Clouds do not last long. If in the course of duty you are tried by the distrust of friends, gird up your loins and say in your heart, I was not driven to virtue by the encouragement of friends, nor will I be repelled from it by their coldness. Finally, be just, and fear not; “corruption wins not more than honesty;” truth lives and reigns when falsehood dies and rots.—Spurgeon.

Friendship.

It is the province of friendship to censure and reprove. Perhaps the willingness to see faults in those we love, and the courage to speak of them, is the grandest test of friendship that can exist. Flattery is not the mark of interest which we all ardently desire our friends to have in us. True, it is pleasant, and there are few of us who do not like to listen to it; but it has been the one thing that has allured thousands to destruction, and, when it had accomplished its ruinous work, those who made use of it to win the esteem of their victims, threw off their disguise and showed that they had never been aught but enemies.
Severe reproof, and more especially from a dearly loved friend, is withering and blistering; it pierces the tenderest depths of the soul; it lacerates until great drops of blood and floods of tears gush forth. But there is a sweet peace that follows this agitation—a bright morning that swallows up the gloom of this night. It is the after thought that it was loving friendship that prompted the castigation, and that the guardian care which prompted it may have been the barrier that stood between us and ruin.
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