As in the case of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast, the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price are linked thematically. In the previous two sayings, the smallness and hiddenness of the Kingdom was the main point. In these two parables, the kingdom is hidden and ultimately valuable are the main idea. In each parable, something valuable is discovered, then the discover sells everything he has in order to purchase the item of great value.
Are these “insider parables”?
The final three parables in Matthew 13 are addressed only to the disciples, followed by Jesus asking his disciples if the disciples have understood “all these things” (13:51-52). In Matthew 11:25 Jesus thanks the Father because he has “hidden these things form the wise and revealed them to little children.” Matthew 12 is the decisive break with the Pharisees. It is not difficult to understand the “wise” as the Pharisees and teachers of the law and the “little children” as the disciples. The hidden things Jesus revealed to the disciples is the nature of the Kingdom of God, which is a mystery (Matthew 13) hidden from the religious teachers, aristocratic priests and other elites in Second Temple Judaism.
Most commentators draw a parallel between the hidden treasure and the pearl. But there is a contrast between the two seekers. One finds the treasure by accident; the other was searching for valuable pearls. Both find the treasure, and both sell everything in order to obtain it. If the point is merely “the kingdom is very valuable” then the parables say the same thing. The difference is the one who finds the kingdom; a difference which is present among Jesus’s disciples.
Hiding and Finding
It is not unusual for someone to hide treasure in the ground, especially prior to modern banking systems this was rather common (“stuffing money in your mattress”). There were no salvage laws with respect to finding treasure (basically “finders keepers,” see m. Baba Batra 4:8). Presumably the original owner of the field is not known, but the legality of the man’s actions is not really the point of the story.
Josephus reports that the Romans discovered all kinds of gold and silver buried by the Jews in anticipation of the invasion by Rome (JW 7.5.2). The Copper Scroll (3Q15) from Qumran lists a number of buried treasures although the scroll has never been deciphered and no actual treasure has been found.
In the wisdom literature there is a comparison drawn between finding wisdom and finding a hidden treasure (Proverbs 2:1-4; Sirach 20:30).
The man who finds the treasure sells everything he has to purchase the field. It is easy enough to get side-tracked on the legality of the action of the man in the story, but that is not the point. There is nothing in the Old Testament law that specifically deals with this situation, and given the fact that people buried their savings somewhat more commonly than today, it is possible that occasionally the situation being described could actually happen. Jesus is not commenting on the legally or morality of the action. The important thing is a hidden treasure has been found, one that is worth risking everything for.
Does re-hiding the hidden treasure mean anything? Some commentators have allegorized this part of the story to refer to the delay of the kingdom, but it is just part of the story, the “finder’s desperate effort to own the treasure” (Bailey, “The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and of the Pearl Merchant,” 179). The man sells all that he has “in his joy” and buys the field so that he can take possession of the hidden treasure.
What Does the Parable Teach?
The point is the Kingdom is so valuable it is worth “selling out” in every way in order to obtain the kingdom. The man was not looking for a treasure but found it unexpectedly. It is ironic that the Pharisees sought the treasure (the kingdom of God), but they have not found it because it is hidden in Jesus’s ministry.
The man in the parable is a disciple so Jesus who has left everything behind to follow Jesus (Blomberg, Interpreting the Parables, 279). The disciples have more or less done this already. They left their homes and families to follow Jesus. The encouragement to future generations of disciples is to realize the value of what they are seeking.
Another aspect of the mystery of the kingdom in the parable of the hidden treasure is that the kingdom is discovered. In this case it is discovered by one who is not seeking it. It comes suddenly, in a way that is not expected. There is not only a joy in the discovery, but the immediately realization that it is worth more than life itself.
For many of Jesus’s disciples, they found the kingdom even though they were not looking for it. They left their homes and family and have followed Jesus with total dedication. However, other disciples are equally dedicated to Jesus but were seeking the kingdom all along.
Jesus tells the story of the hidden treasure to depict the kingdom of heaven. It is described as hidden because the kingdom is not obvious. The article explains how in Matthew 11:25 Jesus thanks the Father for the hidden truths that are kept from the “wise”. The “wise” are the Pharisees, but the hidden treasure is revealed to some, pictured as “little children”, like the disciples. They were like the man in the field who sold everything. The disciples left everything they had known to follow Jesus with total dedication. He was their treasure, of great immeasurable value. The treasure can be found in an open field. It is accessible. The gospel holds the treasure of Christ and the kingdom of God for any of those that are willing to accept it. Finding the treasure, seeing the value, and selling all that they have once they have found him. It is a response of immeasurable joy. It is worth devoting all that they have, their whole lives to. This is the calling of a disciple of Jesus. Those who experience that joy and see the value will sacrifice what they have in joy to gain the treasure. The article states “There is not only a joy in the discovery, but the immediate realization that it is worth more than life itself”. Jesus teaches that the kingdom is worth the sacrifice. The man wasn’t looking for it. There are some who are, like the Pharisees that will never find the treasure. Their lives were dedicated to find the treasure, but were looking in the wrong places. It is only found in the gospel. Some who look for it will find it, but it happens often that the treasure surprises those that come across it. Those who find it and recognize its value have life changing transformations take place in their lives.
Good explanation. I think that I have more insight into said scriptures. (Matthew 13:44-52)
“As in the case of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast, the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price are linked thematically” (Long, 2021). Such is the same of these two parables: the kingdom is hidden and ultimately valuable are the main idea. In each parable, something valuable is discovered, then the discoverer sells everything he has in order to purchase the item of great value (Long, 2021). This features the first instance of Jesus speaking in parables to His disciples. Jesus for the first time speaks in parables to his disciples. They are still away from the crowds in the house (13:36), so the intent of the parables is not to conceal but to reveal further secrets about the kingdom (13:10–17). The parables of the treasure and pearl make a similar point. In contrast to the parable of the wheat and weeds, which looks forward to the Parousia and the consummation of the kingdom, these two parables emphasize the present value of the partially inaugurated kingdom, the “already/not yet” qualities of the future (Strauss, 2020).
The kingdom of heaven is likened to “a 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.” Treasures were often hidden in fields, because there were no formal banks as we know them today (25:25). It was not uncommon for people to hide valuables when a marauding army approached. If the homeowner did not survive the invasion, the treasure would be forgotten and unclaimed. The land could change hands several times without anyone being aware of hidden treasure (Strauss, 2020). Thus, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that lies unnoticed because of its hidden nature. However, Jesus stresses that the man is not searching for the treasure. He happens upon it and instantly recognizes its value. By selling all that he has to purchase the field, he is gaining something far more valuable than any of his possessions and far more valuable than the field itself (Strauss, 2020).
As with ethical issues in other parables, surreptitiously buying land known to contain treasure is not condoned nor even the point. The surprising find simply heightens the drama. The emphasis is on the supreme worth of the treasure that is unseen by others; it is worth far more than any sacrifice one might make to acquire it (Strauss, 2020). Although the religious leaders and the crowd are blind and ignorant of the presence of the kingdom (11:25; 13:13–15), Jesus’ parables reveal its surpassing value to the disciples (13:11–12, 16–17). No sacrifice is too great to live in God’s will and experience a discipleship relationship with Jesus as Master (Strauss, 2020). The contrast will be sadly displayed in the rich young ruler, who would not abandon all that he had to follow Jesus (19:16–22). The apostle Paul understood clearly the surpassing value of a discipleship relationship to Jesus: “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things” (Phil. 3:8). In this parable Jesus is not speaking to self-sacrifice so much as joyful abandonment to obtain the kingdom of God (Strauss, 2020).