“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Those are the things that a traditional jingle says a bride should be wearing on her wedding day. They also happen to be things that Jesus says his followers should be able to teach and to learn. Well, he really mentioned only the first two of them — we don’t have to worry about borrowed and blue. But “every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

The kingdom of heaven

            Those words bring us toward the end of Matthew 13, from which we’ve read for three weeks. In this chapter, seven of Jesus’ parables have been collected, along with explanations of some and comments by the evangelist. All of the parables have to do in one way or another with the kingdom of heaven — what the other three gospels call the kingdom of God. Two of the parables that we read today — the treasure hidden in a field and the pearl of great value — emphasize the overwhelming value of the kingdom. A person who comes upon it and realizes its value will be willing to give up everything else that he or she has in order to get it.

            But then the final parable warns us that the kingdom of heaven might not be recognized because it doesn’t fit our image of what such a kingdom should be. The church, which can be thought of as the kingdom of heaven still under construction, isn’t simply a collection of pious and virtuous people but includes hypocrites and people who may be in it for the wrong reason. The net of Christian mission catches both good and bad, but Jesus assures us that in the end

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