But we need to recognize that the parable of the treasure hidden in the field is the first of a series of three which our Lord gave in connection with the other four and on the same day, but, as Matthew is careful to tell us, he gave these to the disciples alone after they had gone back into the house. He would never have called it that. Such that have ability and leisure, may consult a controversy in Philostratus (l), between two persons, the buyer and seller of a field; in which, after the purchase, a treasure was found, when the seller claimed it as his; urging, that had he known of it, he would never have sold him the field: the buyer, on the other hand, insisted on its being his property; alleging that all was his which was contained in the land bought by him. They said to Him, Yes, Lord. We wonder if the disciples really did understand Jesus here. Justin Martyr, an ancient writer, testifieth, that our Saviour, ere he entered upon the ministry, made ploughs, yokes, and so forth. Subject to permissions policy, all rights reserved. It seems by this parable, according to the Jewish laws, that not the finder of a treasure in a field, but the owner of the field, had the propriety in it; when it should seem rather, that it ought to be divided. Thus, the field from which the treasure is gathered would be the world just as the sea from which fish are gathered is the world, and this also just as the wheat and weeds are gathered from the field, which is the world. She was no inconsiderable monarch herself. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. But is it only a dream? Just as in the first parable, the valuable pearl was a symbol of the kingdom of God. [That is, when Israel comes back into its right relationship with God, how much more blessing will this world understand and realize when they see worked out before their eyes what a nation can be with God in its midst!] You can also change some of your preferences. Of greater importance in the history of the church has been the view that this actually means that the field is the church. It is the very ordinariness of Jesus home background that causes the astonishment (cf. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. You need only read the book of Deuteronomy to know that God set aside this people, the Jews, in order that they should be a showcase of theocracy to all the other nations of the world. In the dying of Jesus there, one element of what was accomplished was that he might finally purchase the right to set Israel again among the nations as a model nation so that the world might learn how to live in peace. MATTHEW 13:45-46. With a view of obtaining this, Jesus says that a man would go and sell his property and buy the field. The church would thereafter demonstrate before men the healing grace of God as we will see in our next study together. Notice that the man sold EVERYTHING. In this parable, we learned that different people hear Gods truth and accept it in different ways. i. (Romans 11:11-14 RSV), For if their rejection means the reconciIiation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ii. 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. The battle is over the control of man who was created by God and was endowed by God with the power of choice. And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? The goal of this game is to be the team who collects the most pearls in their bucket. But he hid it again. So he unfolded it and unveiled it again. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Now notice, secondly, the concealment of the treasure. Matthew 13:44-46 The Word of God . II. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. Now, lets turn to Matthew 13:44 and read what Jesus said about hidden treasure. But Jesus came to make the kingdom available to everyone (Mark 1:15). But through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. He declared it in great messages like the Sermon on the Mount. They have erected great organizations to try to bring it about, to produce this hidden treasure. And the nations of earth will never learn this righteousness finally, until Israel stands once again as a nation before God, recognizing the presence of God in their midst and providing a working model of how every nation ultimately shall be run by the provision and power of God. iii. There they stand ready, being prepared right now to discover again, finally, the secret of their life. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. We speak of the Jews as "the chosen people," and unfortunately a very grave misconception of that phrase has arisen. We often think that spiritual people will be much more strange than normal. . He bought the field in order that someday he might use that treasure to cause the whole world to blossom and to fill the earth with peace and happiness. b. They bring to mind the words of Philippians2: "Though he was equal with God he did not count it a thing to be held on to But he emptied himself, disenfranchised himself, pauperized himself -- he gave all that he had -- and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross," (Philippians 2:8). Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Clearly, the treasure in that field was worth more than everything else that the man owned. This is like the kingdom of God because it grows in the hearts of believers, and it grows throughout the world as more and more people enter the kingdom. They have not yet grasped again the lost secret of their nation -- that the nation which walks in right relationship to him, God will heal. We can see the treasure and we can just go back to our old way of life. You remember the story of the Queen of Sheba who, as Jesus had said earlier this very day, came "from the ends of the earth" Matthew 12:42) because she had heard of Solomon's glory and she wanted to find the secret of this man's prestige and power and wisdom and majesty. he hideth, and for joy thereofon perceiving what a treasure he had lighted on, surpassing the worth of all he possessed. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." (Matthew 13:44) In our day, we can store treasure in the bank or in a safe deposit box. We want to have a teachable heart where Gods truth can produce good fruit. They fit together but they are not talking about exactly the same thing. But in our own time we are facing an amazing wonder, one of the most remarkable things that has ever taken place in the annals of men, and one of the most dramatic demonstrations of the truth of the Word of God! It is not enough to mouth great words like love and joy and peace and forgiveness; you also have to demonstrate them, or people will never believe the gospel, never accept it, never receive it. Now, what is it? For permission to use this content, please review ii. But the exciting thing about Scripture is that in it we are always dealing with fact, not fancy. The oyster creates a coating that covers the sand or shell. But then the parable says, "Then in his joy the man went and gave all that he had and bought the field." With these clues that our Lord himself has given us, we now have the key to the understanding of this parable. i. This time, He compares the kingdom of heaven to treasure found hidden in a field. They will come and study this little nation of Israel in which the secret of world peace has always been hidden, the strange, chosen nation for which our Lord gave his life. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls. One pearl of great price: It seems crazy for a merchant to sell all that he had for one pearl, but for this merchant it was well worth it. Jesus came and offered the kingdom. b. Yet they do, and are worthy of respect because of that role. which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, the truth as it is in Jesus, the glad tidings. This is what we human beings need. God wants ALL people to believe in Jesus and enter into His kingdom (1 Peter 2:9). They put their trust in Jesus. And he bought that field. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44) "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure 1 hidden 2 in a field. There is nothing that even compares to a loving relationship with the Creator of the universe! But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house. Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. He is telling us that it is worth more than everything else. Say: Jesus continued by telling another, similar parable. i. The kingdom of God is wherever the will of God is done. It always reminds me immediately of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, of Long John Silver, and doubloons and pieces-of-eight, pegleg pirates, and all the exciting things usually associated with the idea of buried treasure. They concern those aspects of the kingdom of heaven at work among men which are readily recognizable and visible in history. I can take a bite and taste the amazing flavors. If our country forgets that, it will lose its ability to stand as a nation among the other nations of the world. ii. These two would grow up together and sometimes would be difficult to distinguish, especially at the beginning, but eventually would make their real nature known. Jesus is speaking in parables to describe the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure that was hidden in a field. Next, the thorny soil stood for those people who trust Gods word and begin to bear fruit. Next week we will go on to see how this parable ties very closely with the next one, the parable of the pearl of great price. This parable tells us that. There is nothing wrong with that at all. He is saying that you should be willing to. The crowd was large that he moved out from shore in a boat to be able to speak to them and teach them these parables. Why is it that for all our professed ideals, our hopes, and our skills, peace on earth is still a distant objective seen only dimly through the storms and turmoils of our present difficulties?". Before we read the parable, I want to tell you another true story. Though I rather think, that in connection and agreement with the other parables, this is to be understood of such, who are seeking after knowledge in every branch of it, natural, moral, and spiritual; and so may be compared to a "merchant man, seeking goodly pearls"; and who find the Gospel, and prefer it to everything else. But when King Solomon met her he began to give presents to her, and his outweighed hers by far. Thank God for those documents, but they have no power to hold us together as a people, to preserve our national liberties or our national life. So, if there are some among us here, who, like Israel, have temporarily turned away from God and have been walking away from him, who may, like Israel, once have had sweet fellowship with the Lord but lately have been resisting, have turned aside and gone back, have lost faith and now are wandering in perplexity, puzzlement, and bewilderment, in obscurity, weakness, and defeat, nevertheless God's promises to you are just as sure as they are to Israel. No! The treasure was too great to forget about! Instead of being received by the rulers and leaders of the people he was rejected. 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.. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls: Again, Jesus is the buyer and the individual believer is the pearl that He sees as so valuable that He would happily give all to have it forever. In this little parable he reveals that he came and found this treasure, the secret of world peace and prosperity, hidden in this nation. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. It is: Ua mau ke ea o ka aina ika pono, which I am sure you understand means, "The life of the land is preserved by righteousness." Notice that there are two things in this story which are immediately recognizable because we have had them before. This casts special scorn upon the great evil angel. Parables are stories about everyday people and things that help us understand spiritual truths. And he bought that pearl. He is not weary of the old; he is not afraid of the new. (Spurgeon), i. He covered it up again, buried it again. We may request cookies to be set on your device. God has his buried treasures and he is speaking of them in this parable. He merely states the way in which people do "actually" manage to obtain wealth. He set them out as a sample, an example nation, to indicate by visible demonstration what God wants to be and to do with all the other nations of the world. a. Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. And the crowds who had followed him, the multitudes who had hung upon his words faded away. Jesus takes away the sin of everyone who trusts in Him (John 1:29). Take off the glasses and bandana and allow the volunteer to eat the fruit. But then they let greed and worry take over their heart and mind, and that chokes out the truth that they know. The main idea is that the disciples who had just claimed to understand what Jesus taught are now responsible to bring forth their understanding to others, as if they were distributing from the storehouse of their wisdom and understanding. He hideth - That is, he conceals the fact that he has found it; he does not tell of it. 2007 BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. What a beautiful dream. The Word of God. But in that same parable he said that an enemy would come and sow tares, or weeds, are that these would grow up right alongside the wheat. The "sea" here is clearly the world, since that is where people are gathered from by the angels (Matt. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." Explanation and Commentary of Matthew 13:44 This is why this nation is here. And it is hidden within that human field so that Jesus had to buy the field in order to get the treasure. On our own, we cannot be part of Gods kingdom. These were men of the Word, and when our Lord spoke this parable, they would clearly remember the words of Exodus19. There is additional significance in saying, The field is the world instead of The field is Israel. This brief statement presupposes a mission beyond Israel. (Carson). Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he . And our Lord found the nation in bondage, the temple overrun with moneychangers, commercial charlatans making a fast buck by preying upon the worship of the people. The problem with his emerald treasure was that there was a limited supply. Place your hands together like an oyster shell. iii. He was left with nothing. Again, let me ask you to notice, further, the two ways of finding. a. But the wonderful thing the Lord tells us here is that he has not given up his purpose. Is not His mother called Mary? We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. It is having His peace, His joy, His love, and His power. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. Yet they had lost the secret of their own lives. I was reminded by that conversation of the words of the Secretary General of the United Nations, UThant. This was a great surprise! Is this not the carpenters son: Because these villagers were familiar with Jesus as a boy and accustomed to unspectacular things from Him, we may conclude that Jesus must have grown up a very normal boy unlike the fantastic stories told in apocryphal books like The Infancy of Jesus. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way. (John 10:10). We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. The Lord Jesus says that he came and uncovered for a brief time the secret of world peace and prosperity. (Romans 11:15 RSV). I want to read these twin parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price because they link so closely together, although we will look only at the first one this morning. 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