Springs Of Life Bible Church - The Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price

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		The Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price

KINGDOM PARABLES OF JESUS
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure & the Pearl of Great Price
Matthew 13:44-46

INTRODUCTION
The two parables of the hidden treasure and of the pearl are made up of two sentences each; and part of the first sentence of each parable is the familiar introductory phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” The main point of the parable, of course, is found in the second sentence.

These parables occur only in Matthew’s Gospel and form a pair and belong together.

THE PARABLE OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE
Jesus told the parable of a man who found a treasure hidden in a field. He quickly buried it again and joyfully went home to sell all that he owned in order to buy the field.

Though it rarely happens, it is not uncommon for people to stumble upon treasures they did not know were there.

It was not uncommon in ancient Palestine for treasures to hidden in fields of property owners. Because wars were common people often hid their treasure or part of it in a field rather than in a house. In a house, thieves would be able to find it; in a field, the treasure would be safer. But if the owner were killed during the war, he would carry his secret with him to the grave, and no one would ever know where he had hidden the treasure.

The man who found the treasure in this parable may have been a hired hand or a renter. He may have been plowing the field, digging a ditch, or planting a tree. Whatever the case, he hit something underground that was hard and did not sound like a rock. He dug it out and found treasure.

We are not told what the treasure was, but the man was beside himself. He had never seen such a valuable treasure before. It could be his if he owned the field.

The point of the parable is that the man was willing to sell all he possessed in order to obtain the field where the treasure lay hidden. His friends and family may have shaken their heads about such rashness; but the man knew what he was doing. With the money he would buy the field to get the treasure.

THE PARABLE OF THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
Jesus then moves on and speaks of a merchant who went looking for pearls and found one of exceptional value. He goes away, sells all that he owns, and buys the one pearl.

In itself, this parable is a close parallel to that of the man who found a treasure. The same dedication is found in both parables. Each man must have the object of his desire even if it costs him all that he has.

The man portrayed by Jesus is looking for fine pearls. We do not know how far he traveled, but on a given day he finds one particular pearl of great price. For him, this is a chance of a lifetime. He will not be happy until that pearl is his.

We should note that the merchant does not go from one pearl fisher to the next in deliberate search of one outstanding pearl. As he is looking for pearls in the course of normal business, he spots the finest pearl he has ever seen. Like the man discovering the treasure, the merchant suddenly sees the pearl. It is a now-or-never proposition: sell everything and buy!

The friends and acquaintances of the two men in the parables must have shaken their heads when they saw that everything the men owned was for sale. They must have been surprised when soon afterward they learned of the possessions the men had gained.

The two men, however, did not speculate. There was no risk involved in buying the field and purchasing the pearl; the items bought would keep their value. What they did was most prudent. They had stumbled upon these items unintentionally, and to bypass them would be foolish. The opportunities were presented to them and all they had to do was acquire the treasure and the pearl.

In buying the field and the pearl, the two men did not make a sacrifice, even though they sold everything they owned.

E. Linnermann in his book, Parables of Jesus says that there is a basic difference between a purchase price and a sacrifice. Purchase is directed towards acquiring an object of equivalent value. Sacrifice on the other hand is a giving that expects no reward.

Both the man who found the treasure and the pearl merchant paid the full justifiable price of the purchased items. They gave all they had in order to gain the one thing they desired.

THE LESSON AND APPLICATION OF THE PARABLES
What, then, do the parables teach? Church fathers such as Irenaeus and Augustine identified the treasure and the pearl with Christ. For the sinner saved by grace the great treasure, the pearl of great price, is Christ Himself.

The saved sinner never dreamed he would have ever found such an incredible treasure, such a perfect and priceless pearl as he has found in Christ.

We know it is not by luck, or by chance the sinner finds Christ but by divine decree he is drawn to Christ. Jesus said in John 6:44 & 65 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. No one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.

When the sinner by divine intervention finds Christ He is so filled with joy that he is willing to give up everything to follow Him. Of course, salvation is full and free and cannot be purchased. It is a gift purchased by Christ.

The price of salvation for the believing sinner is only that you be willing to come to God in God’s way. You must forget your own righteousness and sell off your sinful pleasures and practices. You must be willing to trust Christ alone. You must renounce everything that might be a hindrance to attaining Christ. If you will come that way, turning from your sin to Jesus, then the treasure and the pearl are yours.

Martin Luther’s hymn has it right: “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also.” Luther did not think for a moment that salvation could be purchased by the renunciation of those or any other valued possessions, but he was determined that nothing, not even life itself, should keep him from God’s kingdom.

Do you find that hard? Do you draw back? Is that too great a price to pay for having Christ as your Savior and Lord? If so, the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price have no meaning for you. You are spiritually blind and cannot see the value of what you are rejecting.

But God forbid that that should be so in your case! Rather let it be said of you as it was said by the author of Hebrew: “We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” (Hebrews 10:39).