I want you to imagine all of us gathered at the starting line of a marathon and the gun goes off and

all together we take off in a sprint. You’re going as fast as you can. Life is good. You’re with your friends. You’re off in this race but at some point you’re going to get tired, exhausted your legs are going to feel like lead and your side’s going to hurt and you’re going to notice that some people have already

dropped out of the race and now you're faced with the decision, 

will you go on and will you finish?

Jesus said, “Surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” If this is true, that Jesus’ kingdom

began on earth, then why does it seem that evil has such a powerful sway over the hearts and

lives of so many people, and why are sin and wickedness so prevalent? Jesus’ parable of the

Wheat and the Tares answers this question for us.

In this Parable of the Mustard Seed and the leaven, Jesus came preaching,

 “The Kingdom of God is at hand” The disciples expected people would be flocking

to them saying,  “Bring us to God,” but instead of them flocking to Jesus, many were

rejecting Him. It's through these parables that Jesus explains why the kingdom seems

so small and insignificant.

The parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl shares a common purpose that teaches

us  the precious, immeasurable value of the Kingdom. Both parables begin with an object of

huge wealth, a treasure, or a costly pearl. But its full value is unseen or unknown until

someone discovers it. Then he goes and sells all he has, to inherit the kingdom.  

We're going to learn of the value of  God’s kingdom.

As we discovered in the parables Jesus spoke in Matthew 13, we see Him leaning towards the

spiritual condition of the people’s hearts. Everyone has their own beliefs or opinions, whether to

trust and believe in Jesus, or to reject Him through unbelief. We’re going to learn the danger

we’d face through the rejection and unbelief in Jesus by His own people in His hometown.