Matthew 1-7 was full of teaching from Jesus as he offered the kingdom to the marginalized population in Galilee. Those who had hearts to receive the kingdom of Jesus were blessed with being part of this celestial invasion of Earth. Theirs was the kingdom of heaven. Jesus taught the crowds the ethics the kingdom of heaven over and against the kingdoms of this world. Matthew 13 is a description of the Kingdom of God that Jesus announced. In this later section of teaching, after Jesus started his way toward Jerusalem and his impending enthronement on the cross, he taught people what the kingdom was like and what it was worth. He used parables to explain the way the kingdom works. The Kingdom starts small and looks insignificant like a seed but grows to become great.

Many were following Jesus thinking they would be part of something in which they would receive glory, power, and notoriety. The kingdom Jesus described was different than that and worth so much more. The kingdom is worth everything. The kingdom is worth ____________! Try a few things out on that line and feel how much it costs to follow Jesus.

Listen here to a message I preached with my friend Chris about the worth of the kingdom where Jesus is King as we explored the parables of Matthew 13. You might be interested to know what Jesus thinks about what we should do to keep God’s field pure when there are weeds growing in the wheat. You might be surprised.