Matthew 13:44-46
He Gave Everything to Find You
The point of the kingdom of heaven is the King, Jesus. In Matthew 13:44-46, the parable of the hidden treasure shows a man who joyfully sells everything to gain Jesus, and the parable of the pearl shows Jesus as the merchant who gave everything to purchase us. Nothing outside of Christ compares to him, and nothing about us is worthless to him.
Message notes
Pastor Ross Yamamoto opens with a question: what or who do you treasure most? The answer will shape your whole life, and he says your bank account and your calendar will tell you what it is.
He explains that Matthew writes “kingdom of heaven” where Mark and Luke write “kingdom of God,” out of Jewish reverence for God’s name. They mean the same thing: God’s kingly rule breaking in. Crowds expected a Messiah who would throw out Rome, but Jesus taught the Beatitudes, an upside-down kingdom where the weak are made strong and the one who serves leads. When the disciples asked why he spoke in parables, Pastor Ross notes they didn’t understand them either. The difference was “access and proximity.” They could ask Jesus. “The point of the kingdom of heaven is the king. Without the king, there is no kingdom.” Paul prayed for wisdom and revelation so the church would know God: “It’s not to be smarter. It’s to get closer.” After more than 30 years in ministry, he has watched people who knew the Scriptures well stop walking with Jesus.
In the first parable, a man stumbles on treasure in a field. With no banks in the first century, people buried valuables, and anything found belonged to the landowner. Pastor Ross compares it to finding a forgotten lottery ticket worth $392 million. The man joyfully sells everything to buy the field. Pastor Ross sets him beside the rich young ruler in Matthew 19, who went away sad when Jesus told him to sell his possessions and follow him. One knew what the treasure was, and the other didn’t.
Many read the treasure and the pearl as twin parables. Pastor Ross reads them differently. The man in the field wasn’t looking, and Jesus is the treasure we found without seeking him (Romans 10:20). The merchant was searching. “I believe Jesus is the merchant in this parable, and you and I are the pearl.” The Father gave his Son to purchase us, so false humility actually minimizes the blood of Jesus.
He closes in prayer for those who don’t like what they see in the mirror because of their past, their looks or comparison on social media. “Stop looking in the mirror. Stop looking at your phone and look to the cross.” Shame, guilt and condemnation were placed on Jesus. His call is simple: repent, renounce wrong ways of thinking about yourself, and run to the cross.
From the message
The point of the kingdom of heaven is the king. Without the king, there is no kingdom.
It’s not to be smarter. It’s to get closer.
I believe Jesus is the merchant in this parable, and you and I are the pearl.
Stop looking in the mirror. Stop looking at your phone and look to the cross.
Life Group discussion guide
He Gave Everything to Find You, Matthew 13:44-46. June 7, 2026.
Start here
If you found a forgotten winning lottery ticket in your pocket, what is the first thing you would do?
Read Matthew 13:44-46
Open your Bibles and read it out loud together before you start.
What does it say?
In Matthew 13:44, what does the man do after he finds the treasure, and what emotion does Jesus say drives him?
In Matthew 13:45-46, what is the merchant doing before he finds the pearl, and how is that different from the man in the field?
In Matthew 19:16-22, how does the rich young ruler respond when Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and follow him?
What does it mean?
Pastor Ross said the difference between the man in the field and the rich young ruler is that one knew what the treasure was. Why does knowing the value of Jesus change how we let go of other things?
In John 5:39-40, Jesus tells religious leaders the Scriptures testify about him, yet they refuse to come to him. How can someone know the Bible well and still miss Jesus?
Pastor Ross reads the pearl parable with Jesus as the merchant and us as the pearl (see Luke 19:10 and 1 Corinthians 6:20). What does that reading say about how God sees you?
What do we do with it?
If someone looked at your bank account and your calendar, what would they say you treasure most?
Where do you compare yourself to others, in the mirror or on social media, and what would looking to the cross instead change?
What is one thing you are holding onto that keeps you from following Jesus with joy?
Pray
Ask the Holy Spirit for a spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Jesus better. Bring any shame, guilt or comparison to the cross, and thank him that he gave everything to find you.
New Hope Hawaii Kai. Watch the message and read the notes at newhopehk.org/sermons/1768/