The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price

Matthew 13:44-46 New King James Version

The Parables (Matthew 13:44-46)

1. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44)

a. Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

i. Some Greek witnesses begin the verse with πάλιν (“again,” which is reflected in the KJV), but the earliest and most important ones do not.[1]

2. The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45-46)

a. Matthew 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,

b. Matthew 13:46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The Interpretation of the Parables (Matthew 13:44-46).

1. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44)

a. Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

i. Before banking was generally established, to hide wealth in the form of coins, metals or jewels in a jar or box in the ground was a recognized way of securing it, especially in times of crisis;[2]

ii. The hiding of valuables in the earth is an age-old method of storing them safely. According to Josephus, in the aftermath of their conquest of Jerusalem (a.d.70), the Romans discovered gold, silver, and other treasured articles that had been stored underground “in view of the uncertain fortunes of war,”8and the Copper Scroll from Qumran (3Q15)—which is from the first century a.d.—contains a long list of buried treasures, many items of which are underground.9Moreover, in another of Jesus’ parables a man is portrayed as hiding money in the ground (Matt 25:18, 25).[3]

1. Matthew 25:25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

iii. Finding the treasure appears to be by chance. In a land as frequently ravaged as Palestine, many people doubtless buried their treasures; but, as Huffman (p. 213) points out, actually to find a treasure would happen once in a thousand lifetimes. Thus the extravagance of the parable dramatizes the supreme importance of the kingdom.[4]

iv. Finding such a treasure in the ancient world was the equivalent of winning the lottery.[5]

2. The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45-46)

a. Matthew 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,

b. Matthew 13:46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

i. But here we deal with a merchant whose business it is to seek pearls, and who chances on one of supreme value.[6]

ii. Pearls—taken primarily from the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean—were considered to be of very high value in ancient India, Mesopotamia, and Persia. They are thought to have been introduced to the Mediterranean world after the conquests of Alexander the Great in the Orient. They are mentioned in neither the literature of ancient Egypt prior to that time nor the OT.[7]

iii. According to Pliny the Elder (first century a.d.) pearls were considered the most valuable of goods, having “the first place” and “topmost rank among all things of price.”17 Within the NT pearls are of great value, classified along with gold (1 Tim 2:9) and precious stones (Rev 17:4; 18:12, 16).[8]

Four Truths to Takeaway:

1. The kingdom can be found.

a. Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over ithe goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

i. The parable presupposes that the kingdom is hidden and available to be found. Put another way, the kingdom is present and awaiting recognition of its value and the radical action it deserves.[9]

ii. Forms of the word “hide” (kryptein) appear in vv. 33 and 35 and twice in v. 44. From v. 35 (the quotation of Ps 78:2) it is clear that parables are the means to disclose what is hidden, and in this chapter the kingdom is the hidden entity. The parables disclose the hidden kingdom of heaven. The idea that the kingdom could be hidden is itself a revelation.[10]

2. The kingdom is found in various ways: unexpectedly and intentionally.

a. Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found

b. Matthew 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,

i. The two who discover their windfalls include one who is deliberately looking for “good buys” (the pearl merchant) as well as one who stumbles across his treasure (the first man). Jesus may therefore be calling both the individual who is diligently searching for spiritual riches as well as the person who is entirely apathetic toward God to give up whatever stands between them and the kingdom.[11]

1. Saul/Paul (Acts 9)

2. Nicodemus (John 3)

3. The kingdom brings great joy.

a. Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over ithe goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

4. The kingdom is worth giving all for.

a. Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

b. Matthew 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,

c. Matthew 13:46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

i. What is more, Matthew uniquely emphasizes the next three verbs—departing, selling and buying—by employing the historical present tense. But he refers to the hiding just with a simple aorist. This is not where he wants his listeners/readers to focus their attention.[12]

ii. They are about enthusiastic and whole-hearted commitment to the kingdom of heaven, with the secondary theme of costly renunciation for the sake of the greater good. It is only those who make the kingdom of heaven their top priority who will enjoy its blessings.[13]

iii. The kingdom of God is so valuable that it is worth sacrificing anything to gain it.[14]

iv. Therefore, it is most likely that the main thrust of the parable is that the disciple of Jesus responds to the kingdom with a commitment that risks all without reserve.22 As a main thrust, that also allows the other themes (the joy of discovery and the value of the kingdom) a place within the whole, and it coheres with the main thrust of its twin parable as well.[15]

KJV King James Version. [1] Hultgren, A. J. (2002). The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary. (D. N. Freedman & A. B. Beck, Eds.) (p. 409). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [2] France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 540). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co. 8 Josephus, J.W.7.115; text quoted from Josephus, trans. Henry St. John Thackeray et al., LCL, 10 vols. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1961–81), 3:539. 9 For the text of the Copper Scroll, cf. Geza Vermes, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, 4th ed. (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995), 374–78. I thank David Noel Freedman for bringing this document to my attention. [3] Hultgren, A. J. (2002). The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary. (D. N. Freedman & A. B. Beck, Eds.) (p. 411). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [4] Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 328). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. [5] Snodgrass, K. (2018). Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Second Edition, p. 241). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [6] Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 329). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. [7] Hultgren, A. J. (2002). The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary. (D. N. Freedman & A. B. Beck, Eds.) (p. 419). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 17 Pliny, Natural History 9.106; quoted from Pliny: Natural History, trans. Harris Rackham et al., 10 vols., LCL (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1938–63), 3:235. [8] Hultgren, A. J. (2002). The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary. (D. N. Freedman & A. B. Beck, Eds.) (pp. 419–420). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [9] Snodgrass, K. (2018). Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Second Edition, p. 246). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [10] Snodgrass, K. (2018). Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Second Edition, p. 240). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [11] Blomberg, C. L. (2012). Interpreting the Parables (Second Edition, p. 384). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press. [12] Blomberg, C. L. (2012). Interpreting the Parables (Second Edition, p. 384). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press. [13] France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 539). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co. [14] Blomberg, C. L. (2012). Interpreting the Parables (Second Edition, p. 381). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press. 22 J. Kingsbury, Matthew 13, 115–16. [15] Hultgren, A. J. (2002). The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary. (D. N. Freedman & A. B. Beck, Eds.) (p. 413). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.