The Parables of Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price Matthew 13 44-46
“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. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46 NRSV
Reflection on the two parables:
Many years ago, on a weekend away, I went into the local parish church to look around and saw a huge statue of Jesus with children sitting at his feet.
Jesus was gazing down upon them, and they gazed up at him. I felt a great surge of understanding as I absorbed all the details of the priceless two-way adoration and sensed the truth of the great love that Jesus has for us and that we inherently have for Him. This is what these two parables tell me too.
The parables of the hidden treasure and pearl of great price are very similar and teach the same lesson, that the Kingdom of God is priceless and we could not buy it even if we were the wealthiest person in the world.
In both parables, each man sold all he had to purchase the land and the pearl; we don’t know how much that generated, but what greater material price could they put on it than that?
The treasure and the pearl both represent Jesus, God’s only son, who came to the world as a template for humankind to find peace and as a sacrifice for our sins. We cannot pay for our hope in Jesus by selling off all our possessions, but Christians will often give all they have in their efforts to encounter and develop the peace Christ offers.
In both parables, the treasures are hidden, suggesting that they need to be searched for, and many people will miss the spiritual truths of the Gospel and not be awakened to the treasure of God’s Kingdom.
This implies the Kingdom cannot be discovered by human intelligence, power, or worldly wisdom, it has to be found with our spiritual eyes, and this is what the two treasures represent; God’s never-ending love for the world he created and the peace that generates from being
The ‘great price’ is what Jesus paid for us on the cross because God loves and values us as much as the two men in the parables appreciated the treasure and pearl that they found.
If you are searching to understand more about the peace and hope that we have in Jesus, you might like the two posts below;
