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.” Matthew 13
Jesus often spoke to the masses in
parables. He would use illustrations from everyday life to explain what “the
kingdom of heaven is like”.
The parable of the “Hidden Treasure”
is one of my favorites because it unlocks so much truth about coming to
Christ. So what does it mean?
As we have said, Jesus used
illustrations from everyday life to explain what “the kingdom of heaven is
like.” However, things change and what was common to everyday
life 2000 years ago may not be understood easily today. Regarding
this parable, one thing to keep in mind is that when Jesus walked the
earth there were no banks to hold your money and valuables. If
foreign armies or raiders came, they would steal your treasure. People
buried their money and valuables underground to avoid them being stolen.
The Jewish historian Josephus put it this way: “The gold and
the silver and the rest of that most precious furniture which the Jews had and
which the owners treasured underground was done to withstand the fortunes of
war.”[1]
Sometimes the owner of the treasure
would be killed by the armies, raiders, or even die by natural causes and
the treasure would be lost. No one else knew of it nor where it was.
The man in Jesus’ parable comes upon
treasure hidden in a field. To obtain it he joyfully sells all he has
to buy the field. Once he owns the field he owns the treasure which is
worth much more than all he has now. Today it would be like selling a
$200,000 house and $10,000 car to buy a field containing millions of
dollars in gold. If you were certain of the gold’s worth and believed you
would own it once you bought the field, you’d gladly and joyfully sell your
house and car in order to acquire the treasure.
What does this teach us about the
Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus said “whoever of you does not
forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Luke14:33) Jesus demands
that we surrender all we have to Him and give up autonomy of our lives and
follow Him (i.e. selling all we have). The natural reaction to Jesus’
call is that the price is too great. Most will say, “No thank you.”
However the people who see Jesus for His infinite great worth and who believe
that they will be with Him in His eternal kingdom gladly give all they have for
the treasure (Jesus)! In giving up all they have, they will be rich beyond
measure!
[1]
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew.
MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press.
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