Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Sermon
Sunday, July 26, 2026
And so we continue with this incredible series of parables that Jesus offers in the 13th chapter of Matthew. We’ve been at it for three weeks now—three Sundays—and this is the last Sunday where we go deeper and deeper in reflecting on this chapter of parables about the kingdom of heaven. Today we are given five short parables that Jesus offers to help his disciples understand what it is that they’re undertaking.
Jesus was very clear: the parables were not for people who doubted or were not committed. He was very clear that he spoke in parables so that those who were not worthy of his message would not understand it, but those who were devout followers would be able to fully enter into what he came to offer.
At the heart of these parables—and it takes time to really dig deep into them—is the message that what Jesus comes to offer is small, valuable, and generously offered to those who are humble enough to receive it.
Traditionally, we’ve talked about the kingdom of heaven as what God prepared for us after we die. That was the traditional way of viewing Christianity: put up with all kinds of hardship here on earth so that someday when you die, you can get your reward and finally enter into this kingdom of heaven. The more modern approach by biblical scholars—and by early church fathers as well, if we go far back enough—is that while there is a reality that after we die we will experience the fullness of life as it was intended, we can also experience a part of that already here on earth.
The life of a Christian isn’t just a life of endurance so that someday we can reap the benefits. It’s not like an investor who only invests so that someday he can get his millions, or an athlete who puts in heavy work so that someday he becomes proficient, or a musician who practices until his fingers bleed—as the song goes—just to someday enjoy the benefits. It’s already here and now. This is so important, and so many people miss it: the kingdom of heaven can be experienced already here and now.
Jesus is coming not only to prepare us and teach us how to live so that someday we can meet him in heaven, but he is ushering it in through his teaching, his activity, and his salvific work. He is bringing the kingdom of heaven to us. “The kingdom of heaven is among you,” Jesus says. What he offers us is a new way of living and experiencing this life here on earth.
Ultimately, this is what Christianity is supposed to be—it’s supposed to make a difference and lift us up here and now. Does it have sacrifices involved? Yes, but not sacrifices without joy. We can already experience the fruits of the kingdom.
How do we know that from these parables? Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a merchant or a person who goes out to buy a piece of land and sells everything in order to have this one thing. Think about that concept: selling everything you have for one thing. Why does he do that? Because he recognizes that this one thing is more valuable than everything else he possesses. And as Jesus says, he doesn’t just sell everything—he goes with joy to sell everything he has, because he recognizes the value of what he has found and wants it more than anything.
Part of our challenge in living a joyful Christian life is the challenge of values—sometimes we don’t recognize what is truly valuable in our lives. Some years ago, I used to do long-haul motorcycle trips. That meant taking only what could fit into the saddlebags, which wasn’t very much, and leaving for two weeks. When you have a limited amount of space, you lay out everything you want to bring and you end up taking only the most essential, valuable things. It’s easier to become aware of what’s valuable when space is limited because you’re forced to make decisions.
Growing up, we had a house with four garages in the back, and my dad used to collect everything people threw out—bricks, wood, metal. He would say, “We have the space, so maybe we can use it someday.” But when it came time to move to a smaller house with just one garage, everything went to the garbage because it wasn’t actually valuable. Having all that space meant we weren’t forced to ask ourselves what was truly important. It’s easy to become cluttered with non-essentials until the valuable things get lost in the pile of stuff we possess.
The man in the parable sold everything he possessed with joy to buy one thing because he knew what was valuable, leaned into it, and was willing to let go of the rest. That’s what the kingdom of heaven is like. Jesus is teaching us how to organize our spiritual life, family life, church life, and even our politics—not by trying to do everything, but by prioritizing what is most valuable and leaning into it.
How many of us need to wait until we almost lose something to appreciate its value? When people ask me what my favorite motorcycle was, my answer is always, “The one I sold two years ago.” Sometimes we don’t appreciate things until they’re gone. But the way Jesus allows us to organize our minds, hearts, and lives is by having a peaceful approach toward the things of this world, recognizing what is truly valuable and realizing that it is within our reach.
The most valuable things aren’t the most expensive—they are right within our reach. If you talk to people who are close to death, you quickly realize what matters: it’s all about relationships with God, family, and neighbor. The summary of all the commandments that Jesus offered was a commandment of relationship: love your God and love your neighbor. Everything else can only be enjoyed as much as we are rooted in that love.
Living now in the kingdom of God means recognizing that it is the small seed, the pearl beyond price, the field worth more than everything you own. The gift of faith and this little church are more valuable to us than we realize, and we shouldn’t wait until we lose them to appreciate them. Living our faith with joy isn’t just going through the motions; it’s realizing that our faith is the greatest treasure we have. Everything else comes and goes—money, career, even human relationships as children grow up and move on. What remains is our faith in the One who is unchanging, and from that we get our optimism, hope, joy, and direction in life.
As we finish our reflections on Matthew 13, I encourage us to remember that Jesus invites us to live a new life and hold an outlook rooted in the immense value of what God offers us. Only when we recognize its value will we be able to enjoy and live a Christian life the way it’s meant to be lived.
Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Father Wojtek Kuzma