Don’t miss out on the kingdom of God. Dig for it.

⁶ Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near. (Is. 55:5)

The kingdom may be right under your feet… or nose, yet you don’t see it!

Before we begin the exegesis …..

Quick definition of a parable:

Literally, the word parable (parabolē in Greek) combines para– (pronounced pah-rah) and means “alongside” and bolē (pronounced boh-lay) which means “put” or even “throw”). Therefore, a parable puts two or more images or ideas alongside each other to produce a new truth. […] The Shorter Lexicon says that the Greek word parabolē can sometimes be translated as “symbol,” “type,” “figure,” and “illustration,” the latter term being virtually synonymous with parable.

For more information on what a parable is and its purposes, click on this link:

What Is a Parable?

The translation is mine. If you would like to see other translations, click here:

biblegateway.com.

If you don’t read Greek, ignore the left column.

I often quote scholars in print because I learn many things from them. They form a community of teachers I respect (1 Cor. 12:28), though I don’t agree with everything they write. But they do ensure I do not go astray. There is safety in numbers (for me at least).

Now let’s begin.

Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matt. 13:44)
44 Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν θησαυρῷ κεκρυμμένῳ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, ὃν εὑρὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔκρυψεν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς αὐτοῦ ὑπάγει καὶ πωλεῖ πάντα ὅσα ἔχει καὶ ἀγοράζει τὸν ἀγρὸν ἐκεῖνον.	44 The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a person finds and hides, and because of joy, goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

This short parable has two interpretations. (1) It is about doing whatever it takes to acquire the kingdom of God. Are you willing to give everything for it? (2) A “person” is Jesus who buys the buried treasure–you and me. I prefer the first interpretation, as do most of the commentators. If we’re the treasure, this is too me-focused, too me-centered. Jesus and his kingdom is the real treasure.

This parable is a variation on these verses:

Treasures in heaven are eternal.

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matt. 19:21, NIV)

Next, don’t forfeit your soul to gain the whole world. Instead, forfeit the whole world to gain your soul in the kingdom of God

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? (Luke 9:23-25, NIV)

Where is your treasure? In yourself or in God?

³² “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:32-34, NIV)

Now back to the short parable.

“person”: it is the Greek noun anthrōpos (pronounced ahn-throw-poss), and even in the plural some interpreters say that it means only “men.” However, throughout the Greek written before and during the NT, in the plural it means people in general, including womankind (except rare cases). In the singular it can mean person, depending on the context (Matt. 4:4; 10:36; 12:11, 12; 12:43, 45; 15:11, 18). So a “person” or “people” or “men and women” (and so on) is almost always the most accurate translation, despite what more conservative translations say.

Buried treasure stories were a big hit in the ancient world. In the days of unstable banking, burying coins and jewels was security against famine and Roman armies. In Matthew 25:25 a servant buried his one talent.

Jewish texts discussed what to do when someone found buried treasure. In the colonial days in our country, people scoured the forests and countryside looking for the best land; then they staked their claims and worked hard for it. On the other hand, if someone else owned the land but missed the fertile fields and did not see the potential, yet he sold it, then so much the worse for him. The new buyer is now rich. However, let’s not be so precise about the law, here. Let’s assume that the finder found it legally.

Probably the central character of this parable was a peasant working a wealthy landowner’s field who when plowing turned up a strongbox or jar containing coins. Once he bought the field the contents of the field legally belonged to him (especially with a contract covering the land “with all that is in it” […]. (Keener, p. 391)

So the field was legally his, according to the laws of those days.

The point is obviously the absolute value of the kingdom, worth surrendering everything to attain. No other aspect is highlighted in this short parable, so clearly this a call for radical discipleship (and especially financial sacrifices needed) in light of the overwhelming value of the kingdom. Only a few know its worth, and they surrender everything to obtain it. (Osborne, comment on 13:44).

Blomberg warns against over-interpreting the details of the man’s behavior:

One should not worry about the man’s ethics in hiding the treasure. We need neither justify his behavior nor imitate it. This is simply part of the story line that helps to make sense of the plot. Jesus frequently tells parables in which unscrupulous characters nevertheless display some virtue from which Christians can learn (cf. esp. Luke 16:1–8; 18:1–8). (Comment on 13:44)

GrowApp for Matthew 13:44

How sold out are you for the kingdom of God? Describe.

SOURCES

At this link, scroll down to the very bottom and you will find the bibliography.

Matthew 13