A not so simple question

In this Sunday’s first reading, Solomon has a dream in which he asks the Lord for the gift of “an understanding heart” (1 Kgs 3:9) as he begins his rule as Israel’s king. Pleased that Solomon did not request riches, or a long life, or victory over his enemies, but instead, he asked for an understanding heart, God granted him a heart wiser and more understanding than anyone before him. Psalm 119, the longest in the Psalter, continues this theme by inviting us to meditate on God’s laws and words as the means to understanding. “The revelation of your words sheds light, giving understanding to the simple” (Ps 119:130). Thus, God’s gift of understanding is not only for the royal class and the king but also for all the common people in that context, often referred to as the “simple.” 

In this Sunday’s Gospel passage, Jesus delivers three final parables, again teaching his disciples about what Matthew refers to as the Kingdom of God. Writing after the destruction of the second temple by the Romans in the year A.D. 70, Matthew addresses a Jewish-Christian community who probably still identified the presence of God with the temple. The notion of the Kingdom of God was the evangelist’s pious way of representing Jesus’ teaching about the presence of God apart from the temple yet ever present among them. 

With three images—a hidden treasure, a pearl of great price, and the net cast into the sea that immediately fills with fish—Jesus reveals the very character of that holy presence. It is an utter treasure, of the highest value and offering unparalleled abundance when it is encountered in our lives. In his writings on contemplation, Martin Laird urges that this experience of divine presence is not acquired but discovered. Hence, the most instructive parts of what Jesus teaches are not the three images of the divine presence themselves but rather the role we play in discovering this holy mystery. Jesus himself wants to be sure we grasp what he is saying. Thus, he ends his teaching with a question: “Do you understand all these things?” (Mt 13:51). 

In asking about our understanding, Jesus repeats the very theme that the first reading and the Psalm emphasized. Understanding the nature of the divine presence here and now is more than an intellectual activity. This kind of understanding might best be described as “discernment.” St. Ignatius taught that discernment leads to a realization of the mystery of God’s presence in our lives and where God is leading us. 

Yet, Ignatius’ understanding of  discernment involves more than intellectual knowledge; it requires involvement of the whole person. Discernment becomes a kind of disciplined practice that attends to the movements within our hearts, identifying the thoughts, desires, and emotions that motivate them. These insights begin to lift the veil on the presence of God as the very center of our lives, as the one who has always been there. As St. Augustine framed it even more precisely, “God is closer to me than I am to myself.” Moreover, this kind of understanding or discernment reveals not only the divine presence, but also what God is asking of us. Thus, while the three images in the parables tend to occupy our attention, what is required must not be overlooked here.

The person who finds the buried treasure now goes and sells all that he has to buy the field. The person who finds the pearl of great price, also goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Finally, when the net is full, the people must do the work of hauling it ashore and sorting through to put what is good into their bucket. When Jesus asks whether the disciples (and we) understand, he is asking about whether we grasp our part in the discovery of God in our midst. By mentioning the processes of finding, selling, buying, hauling, and sorting in these brief parables, Jesus emphasizes that beholding God’s presence here and now requires effort.  

It may require ridding ourselves of the many distractions that draw us away from cultivating that understanding heart. It may necessitate dismantling the habits, addictions, or busyness that compete for the attention required to recognize the divine presence within us. It may warrant that we expend the effort to set aside regular time each day to make ourselves available for the gift of understanding so we may glimpse the holy mystery in our midst.  

In Matthew’s Gospel reading this Sunday, Jesus ends his series of parables about the Kingdom of God not with a conclusion but with a question. “Do you understand all these things?” (Mt 13:51).  Perhaps that is his way of keeping us engaged until he is sure we do.  For our part, we must each decide what is required in order to reply, “yes,” and then expend the effort to make good on it.  

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