Matthew 13:44-46

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 13

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

We’re nearing the end of Jesus’ parables as they’re recorded for us in Matthew chapter 13. These two parables are followed by one other parable in verses 47-50 (which we will look at in the weeks to come), and we won’t see another recorded for us until chapter 18.

Parables Painting a Picture

I also want to mention, again, that all of these parables, together, paint for us a picture of God’s kingdom, or the kingdom of heaven (as Matthew calls it). Each parable is intended to teach us something specific about the kingdom, and together they’re intended to give us a fuller picture of this kingdom. These parables are intended to be taken together to give us a more comprehensive understanding of God’s kingdom and its message.

So far, the parables have taught us why the kingdom of heaven has been met with such hostility, and why many do not heed its message (parable of the soils). They’ve taught us that God intends to allow those who oppose his kingdom to grow up alongside those who do not until the end of the age, that judgement will not come immediately, but later, when the weeds are gathered out of his kingdom and burned. The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven taught us that the kingdom of heaven will begin small, like a mustard seed, but over time will grow larger than all of its fellow garden plants, that the kingdom will have humble beginnings.

Kingdom of Supreme Worth

Now, this time we’ll see in these two parables that the kingdom of heaven is of more value than anything in this world, that God’s kingdom is to be treasured more than anything else on this earth. Worth sacrificing everything that we have, to possess it. This is the heart of these two parables, and this is the contribution that they make to our overall picture of God’s kingdom. So if you hear nothing else, hear this, that the kingdom of heaven, and it’s message of salvation, is worth more than anything this world can ever offer, it’s worth giving up everything to have. The kingdom of heaven is of supreme value, and it’s message (the Gospel) is the greatest news in the universe.

Pair of Parables

Now, you’ll notice, we’re tackling two parables, not just one. This is because they’re designed to be a pair, just like we saw with the mustard seed and the leaven parables. They make the same general point, which is why we’re going to take them together.

One reason I think Jesus does this is to emphasize his point, like putting an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence. The two parables also complement each other well, and they build upon one another. While they have the same general teaching they differ enough to enhance the picture that these parables intend to paint. Each one adding further insight and understanding.

Hidden Treasure

So let’s look at these parables one at a time together,

These two parables are not found anywhere else but here in Matthew’s Gospel.

English Standard Version Chapter 13

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

I think all of us can relate to the excitement associated with the prospect of discovering buried treasure. Especially as children many of us can recall the elusive hope that we might accidentally stumble upon some kind of hidden treasure. I remember getting a metal detector for my birthday and thinking I would surely find treasure with it. We even watch movies where the entire premise of the story is to find some kind of treasure, maybe even using some kind of secret treasure map. We even have adult television shows dedicated to this idea of looking for treasure.

And obviously the allure of finding hidden treasure isn’t unique to our culture or even our time period, because we see here that Jesus gives the people of his day a parable about hidden treasure, and describes to them that the kingdom of heaven is like buried treasure hidden in a field. And when a man finds it he goes and sells all that he has to buy that field.

The Practice of Burying Treasure

Not only would Jesus’ audience have been able to relate to the excitement associated with finding such a treasure, but they would have been very aware of the real chance that it could happen. Not that it was common for a person to discover treasure hidden in a field, but that they knew it was common practice to hide one’s valuables by burying them - in fact, it had been for centuries.

And they would do this for a couple of reasons, the first being that they didn’t have banks to hold onto and protect their money, they had to do that themselves, and they knew that keeping their valuable belongings in the house wasn’t enough to protect against thieves, so they would often bury their valuables on their property at some undisclosed location.

The second reason they would do this is similar to the first. The land of Palestine was a war torn area (it is still to this day), so in order to protect their money or treasures from invaders, they would bury them. So even if they were taken as slaves to another country, or pillaged for their belongings, if by chance they ever came back to their land, or survived the raid, they could come back and dig up their treasured possessions.

Parable of the Talents

We even see this same practice illustrated in one of Jesus’ parables later in Matthew chapter 25, with the parable of the talents. In this parable a man, going on a journey, calls to himself his servants and entrusts them with his possessions. To one he gives five talents of money, to another two talents, and another one talent. And if you’ll recall, the first two put their talents to good use and double their investments, but the third buries his. He’s fearful that he’ll lose what the master has given him so he goes and buries it. Now, my point, is that this idea of finding a large sum of money, or treasure, hidden in a field was a very relate-able situation to those who were listening to Jesus.

So, in this parable, a man, presumably a servant or hired hand, comes across a treasure like this hidden in his master’s field. Now, to give you an example, the man who possessed five talents in the previous parable would have been a multimillionaire by our standards, equivalent to at least 20 years wages. Which gives us some idea of the surpassing value of what this man in this parable may have found. And obviously, this man’s master is unaware of this treasure because he’s willing to sell his land to his servant for presumably far less than the value of this treasure.

Therefore, this treasure probably came from a previous owner, who’s since died, and the knowledge of the treasure’s existence has obviously died with him, and it was written in Jewish law that whoever found lost treasure was legally granted possession of it.

Treasured Kingdom

Now, I mentioned at the beginning, that the heart of this text teaches us that God’s kingdom is of supreme worth, Jesus is teaching his disciples (and by extension us) that this kingdom is of such value that it’s worth selling all that they have to possess it, it’s worth leaving everything behind for it. This parable teaches us that Jesus’ disciples will treasure his kingdom above all else, that there will be no earthly kingdom or treasure that will compare. This gets at the very heart of the Christian faith, that Jesus will be preeminent in everything that we do and pursue, that Jesus will be first in our lives, that he will be our priority, he will influence everything that we do, from the clothes we wear to the person we marry, our lives will be defined and molded by him. This is a hallmark of a Christian.

Rich Young Ruler

However, the opposite of this reality, I think, is illustrated well in the story of the rich young ruler in & where this man asks Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And so Jesus begins to list the 10 commandments, and the man says, “All these I have kept from my youth.” But Jesus says to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.” But when the man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Now on the surface, Jesus’ response might seem strange. How is selling all that you have necessary to enter the kingdom of God? Is this a requirement for us to follow, to have nothing? Well, in a sense, yes, and in another sense, no. What I mean is that Jesus understood that this man’s treasure was not God’s kingdom, nor its King, instead this rich young ruler valued his earthly possessions more than God and his kingdom. Therefore, Jesus told him that he would have to sell everything that he had, and to come and follow him, but Jesus knew very well that he wouldn’t, because his heart was attached to his earthly treasures, therefore the man was not willing to sell all that he had to follow Jesus. It wasn’t worth it to him, and Jesus exposes this.

The Importance of Joy

But in this parable of the hidden treasure we see a man who discovers the kingdom of heaven, which is like a treasure hidden in a field, then in joy he goes and sells all that he has to by that field. This man is willing to sell everything he has to take possession of this treasure, whereas the rich young ruler is not.

And notice the second half of verse 44, “Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has...” This is a component that our second parable doesn’t have. Jesus says that this man is over-joyed by his discovery. This gets even further at the heart of Christianity, that our allegiance to Jesus and his kingdom is rooted in joy. That, as Christians, we see the supreme worth of his kingdom, and the infinite grace of his message and joyfully leave everything behind for it.

Hidden to an unbelieving world

The infinite worth of God’s kingdom, that typically remains hidden to the unbelieving world, is plain to God’s people, and it causes us to respond as this man does in the parable. We’re gladly willing give up everything for this heavenly treasure, that’s worth more than what we could ever ask or imagine. So this parable not only intends to instruct us to prefer the kingdom of heaven to this world, but it’s also intended to remind us that our supreme preference of the kingdom of heaven over this world is rooted in our delight in God and his kingdom - for we love him.

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi he told them that,

English Standard Version Chapter 3

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him

We do not follow Christ out of a sense of obligation, but out of a sense of joy and delight. Because of his love toward us in the Gospel, we now love him.

Pearl of Great Price

Jesus continues there in verse 45 in his parable of the pearl of great price, and says,

English Standard Version Chapter 13

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Pearls don’t have the value they once did, but in the ancient world a pearl was the most valuable of all gems, like a diamond in our day. Men would pursue at great length and at great risk to their lives these pearls. They couldn't culture pearls in a lab like they can today (1893), so they had to dive for them. In places like the Persian Gulf men would temporarily tie a rock to their body to quickly descent to the bottom of the ocean, carrying with them a basket to collect oysters. They had to be careful not to descend to deep or to drown themselves in the process.

Job uses pearls to describe the surpassing value of wisdom when he says that, “the price of wisdom is above pearls.” () The Apostle Paul in his first letter to Timothy says that women should adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, but not with pearls or costly attire. In the Book of Revelation the new Jerusalem is described as having gates so glorious that they’re each made out of a single pearl (). And Jesus in tells his disciples not to throw their pearls before pigs, using pearls symbolize the priceless message of God’s kingdom.

So Jesus describes the kingdom heaven not only in terms of a treasure but as pearl of great price, a gem that has no equal. In this parable the man is a merchant (or a trader), we might think of him in our day as a wholesale provider, and when this wholesaler finds this single pearl of great value he goes out and sells his entire inventory to buy it.

I remember as a kid here on the island trading basketball cards as a hobby. I had this favorite player who played for the Houston Rockets, his name was Hakeem Olajuwon. I had started a collection of cards just of him in this special binder I had. And one day while at the Community Center, in the Teen Room, we were trading cards with one another, and this one kid came in with a gold plated Hakeem Olajuwon card mounted behind glass on a large plaque. The moment I saw that card I remember being willing to trade all of my other cards for that one card, and I did.

Our Hearts and our Treasures

And this is what we must be willing to do as Christians, willing to relinquish, or let go, of anything that we possess for the sake of our Lord and his kingdom. You see Jesus knows that our hearts are attached to whatever it is we treasure, whether it’s a house, whether it’s a spouse, your children, your money, your career, your comforts, your lifestyle. If these things are what we treasure then our hearts will be attached to them. And the greatest commandment under heaven is not to love this world, or love our stuff, but is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and you can’t do that if Jesus isn’t your treasure. We cannot serve two masters, for either we will hate the one and love the other, or we will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

Prayer