This week will be two parables, parables 16 and 17, as they fit together. They are found in Matthew 13:44 for parable 16 and parable 17 is Matthew 13:46 – 46. They speak of the incomparable value of the kingdom of God. Both of these parables has identical meanings. Both picture salvation as something hidden from most people, but so valuable that people who have it revealed to them are willing to give up all they have to posset it.
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
These parables answers two questions from the surrounding context. First, why should we give our lives for a kingdom we cannot see? Second, can the kingdom truly be the answer to our search for ultimate fulfillment?
Even at this early point in Jesus’ ministry, he was demanding much of his followers. They had already given up the security of a quiet life at home (Matthew 8:19-20), abandoning family priorities (Matthew 8:21-22), risking the threat of imprisonment and torcher (Matthew 10:17 – 19 and 11:2), and enduring the critical questioning of the powerful religious leadership (Matthew 9:11,14 and 12:2). In Matthew 10, Jesus projected even farther into the future, predicting even worst happenings for those who stayed by him. These timid souls needed assurance that the price they were paying was worth the kingdom they would receive. Believers today need exactly the same reassurance. The rewards are worth the price!
In Matthew 13:44, just as the yeast (13:33), here the kingdom is portrayed as being hidden from view. It was a kingdom of the spirit realm and human souls, which cannot be seen with physical eyes. This parable makes four points: (1) there is an “accidental” aspect to our discovery of the kingdom’s value, because each of us is so absorbed in going our own way that God must take the initiative to show us the kingdom; (2) when we do realize the value of the invisible kingdom, its value is to cause great joy; (3) the kingdom is worth everything we have and are; (4) to own the kingdom, we must accept all that comes with it. The field in the parable that cost everything the man owned represents the losses, hardships, and persecution a follower of Jesus is called on to endure for him.
Even though Jesus said that the joyful person hid the treasure again, he did not mean to say that believers should hid and hoard the kingdom. He included this detail to make the parable realistic. In the days when there were no banks and no limited liability companies, it was difficult for a man to know what to do with his little savings. In old times government meant oppression, and it was dangerous to seem to have any riches. In old days war stalked over the land, and men’s property must be portable or else concealed. So, on the one hand we find the practice of hiding away little hoards in some suitable place, beneath a rock, in the cleft of a tree, or a hole dug in the ground.
In the next parable, in the next two verses, we find that while the man who found the “treasure” discovered the kingdom’s worth by accident, the pearl merchant was searching for something of value. We do not need to take this as a contradiction of the “accidental” element of our discovery of the kingdom. Even though we are going our own way, oblivious to the kingdom apart from God’s revelation, every human being is on a quest. Every choice a person makes is somehow guided by his or her search for ultimate fulfillment. Before God breaks in, we simply do not know what we are searching for. Most people search in the wrong places, seeking fulfillment through deceitful, worldly means (wealth, power, pleasure, fame), yet never finding it in these places. When we find the kingdom, we realize that it is what we have been searching for all along.
The pearl merchant recognized instantly the value of the one pearl, because he had measured the value of many lesser pearls throughout his life. He, like the treasure finder, went and sold everything he owned in order to possess the pearl.
One final thought about pearls. Pearls are mentioned only five times in the Bible. What were they considered? (Matthew 7:6, 1 Timothy 2:9, Revelation 17:4, 18:12, 18:16, 21:21)
Matthew 7:6 – “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy [dogs]. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.” [NLT]
1 Timothy 2:9 – I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,
Revelation 17:4 – The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. (Rev 18:12, 18:16 similar)
Revelation 21:21 – The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
So the Bible says three things about pearls: they are holy, valuable, and used in the building of heaven.
In parables 16 and 17, we can learn six principles about the kingdom of heaven.
(1) What is its value? Priceless, incomparable value. Nothing comes close in value. Christ and His Kingdom are a treasure that is rich beyond comparison: it is incorruptible, undefiled, and eternal.
(2) Is it casually or easily seen? The treasure in Matthew 13:44 was hidden; it wasn’t lying on the surface of the ground. The merchant had to search for the pearl. In the same way, the value of salvation is not apparent to most people. The world looks at Christians and doesn’t understand why they worship God and why they help others.
(3) How is the kingdom seized and made your own? (Crux of these parables) Each of the men in the two parables finds something that he personally appropriates and makes his own. That shows us that you can be under the dominion of God (everyone is) but not be a member of His Kingdom. Before a person can personally appropriate the Kingdom, he must come to the point where he sees the value of the Kingdom. God has offered something of true value to men, yet it is incredible the extremes people go to acquire things that are worthless in the long run.
(4) How does the kingdom relate to joy? In verse 44, we find that the man’s response to finding the treasure was one of joy. People want to experience joy. You can find true joy by discovering the Kingdom of heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(5) Does everyone enter the kingdom under the same circumstances? There is one big difference between parables #16 and #17: In the parable of the hidden treasure, the man made his find by accident. In the parable of the pearl, the man was searching for pearls when he found the one of great value. One was stumbling, one was seeking, but both found the kingdom. God provides a way for everyone.
(6) How is the kingdom made personal? (Luke 9:57-62, Matt 10:37-39, 16:24) The kingdom is made personal by a transition. There is a transaction made to acquire salvation, but it is not with money or good works. The transaction is this: You give up all you have for all He has.