Matthew 13:45-46: The Cost and Worth of The Kingdom

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it." Matthew 13:45-46

When is the last time you considered both the cost and the worth of the kingdom of God? Is the kingdom of God costly? Is it worth the price that we pay for it? Let us find out.

Firstly, let me point out that in one sense, the kingdom of God is free. By God's grace, he allows us to enter into his kingdom. However, it is simultaneously the most expensive thing you can ever purchase because (as this parable points out), it will cost you all that you have. A harmony between these two truths might be found in realizing that all that you have is truly nothing, as apart from having Christ one has nothing of any true value. However, let us simply state that the kingdom of God is simultaneously free because of the grace of God, yet expensive because it costs us our lives.

The cost of the kingdom of God is everything we have. Like the man in the parable above, if we wish to obtain the kingdom of God, we must give up all that we have. God commands us elsewhere in scripture that to be in his kingdom is to bear our cross (Luke 9:23). In other words, to be in the kingdom of God is to give up all of your desires. Although we desire fame, fortune, friends, and family, Jesus tells us that if we want to enter the kingdom of God, we must surrender these things to him. We must sacrifice that which we desire if we want to enter into God's kingdom, because the kingdom of God cannot be filled with selfish people who have tried to hold onto both the Gospel and the world. Thus, the cost of the Gospel is all that we have, including our deepest and greatest desires.

However, let us also consider the worth of the kingdom of God. Although in obtaining the kingdom we give up all that we have, we gain all that we could ever imagine, and more. Thus we find in God's kingdom that the cost is high, yet the worth is higher. We truly get the better end of the deal. Although the kingdom costs us our earthly lives and our earthly pleasures, the Lord returns us with eternal life (John 3:16) and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). The cost of the kingdom is great, but the worth is greater. Amen.