HIDDEN TREASURE and PRICELESS PEARL
Adapted from sermonpreached at PCC evening service on 23 April 2000
The Lord’s parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price (Mt13:44–46) should be considered together because they belong together when theywere spoken. They are also parallel in content and have very similar emphases.In this brief study of these twin parables, we want, firstly, to discuss theparables in their original cultural setting, for after all, we live in a verydifferent time, in a very different culture. Secondly, we want to offer aninterpretation of the parables, which we believe to be correct. Thirdly, wewant to ask ourselves what all these mean to us today.
The Parables in OriginalContext
The Hidden Treasure
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in afield; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goethand selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field” (Mt 13:44).
With beautiful and swift brush strokes, the Lord paints for us a field, whichhas treasure hid in it. Maybe it is a treasure chest, or maybe it is somethingelse valuable.
How did the treasure get there? We are not told; but it was common in thosedays for people to hide their treasures in the earth for fear that they mightbe robbed. Remember how the foolish servants hid the money in the ground in theParable of the Talents and the Parable of the Pounds. But there were many otherreasons why people hide their treasures in the field. During times of war,especially, when the exchangers were not operative and when treasures hid inthe house would most likely be pilfered, many people took to hiding theirprecious belongings in the earth or in caves.
Remember that when we read about fields in the Scriptures, they are not to be understoodas lawns or soccer fields. The Greek word translated “field” (agros)usually refer to a piece of land reserved for agriculture, and in many parts ofPalestine, the fields could have caves in them. Remember the “cave of the fieldof Machpelah” (Gen 23:19), in which Abraham buried Sarah? Remember how themoney that was used to betray the Lord Jesus was used to buy a potter’s fieldto bury strangers in (Mt 27:7). In those days they buried in caves, not in theground. But that treasures were also hidden in the ground is a known fact.Josephus, the Jewish historian, referred to the incredible wealth that the Jewsburied underground but were discovered by the Romans.
In any case, treasures were hidden in the hope that after the war they could beretrieved. Many rich persons fleeing the country would no doubt had hid part oftheir treasures in the earth or in caves. But many died during the war, beforethey could retrieve the treasures. Now, Israel was a land acquainted with war.About 170 years before the Lord began to preach, the Maccabean War was ragingin the land. That was followed by the invasion of the Romans in 63 B.C. It wasonly when Herod the Great was made king of Judea that there was some peace. Buteven then, Herod was quite a distrustful madman, so anything could havehappened. After the wars and periods of unrest, it would not be uncommon tofind treasures hidden in the fields. Stories of such findings would have spreadvery quickly: such and such a pauper was walking by a field or taking shelterin a cave, and found a treasure trove and became the richest man in town. It isinteresting to note that the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered this way. Onlythat the Bedouin shepherd boy who discovered it did not get much for it becausehe did not recognise the treasure for what it is.
Here in the Lord’s parable, a man discovered such a treasure trove. We are nottold how he discovered it. But it appears that he was not intentionallysearching for it. He seemed to have just stumbled upon it. The Greek wordtranslated “find” (euriskô) does not usually speak about seeking forsomething. It simply says you found it—whatever the means or non-means may be.Many commentators talk about the man searching for treasures. I do not thinkso. Indeed, most of these commentators will be stuck when they are asked thequestion: How could the man be digging in somebody else’s field to find thetreasure? I believe that the Lord intended to say that he simply stumbled onit. He might have been employed to dig the field for agricultural purpose, orhe might have been taking shelter in a cave, or he might have been looking forhis stray goats like the Bedouin Arab who found the Dead Sea Scrolls, but hewas not intently looking for treasures.
When the man found it, he was filled with joy. We can imagine him exclaiming:“I am rich! There are more riches here than all that I have. This is a treasurethat I must have!” But there was only one problem. He knew that the treasurebelonged to the owner of the field. If the field belonged to him, the treasurebelonged to him. But if he took the treasure and went off, it would beconsidered theft. And besides, there might just be too much treasure in thefield to remove without being noticed. But the good news was that the field couldbe purchased. During those days the Civil Laws of the Old Testament pertainingto prohibition of selling the land of one’s inheritance was no longer enacted.Also, the law, under certain circumstances, did allow the person to buy a fieldwithout disclosing why he was buying it. The field might not have been up forsale. But the man who found the treasure was determined to have it. He hid thetreasure back in its original place. He sold all his possession and wasprepared to pay the highest asking price for the field.
His determination was rewarded. He managed to buy the field. And of course, heobtained possession of the treasure.
The Pearl of Great Price
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man,seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, wentand sold all that he had, and bought it” (Mt 13:45–46).
Here’s a merchant man, a business man, or as the Greek (emporas)suggests: “a travelling wholesaler.” Unlike the man who found the treasure, themerchant man was seeking goodly pearls. The Greek word translated “seeking” (zêteô)is unmistakable. It speaks of effort and zeal. The merchant man made it hismission to look for goodly pearls.
We all know what pearls are. They are the only organically produced precious stonein nature. They are formed by oysters or clams,—molluscs. When a grain of sandor a parasite gets into an oyster’s shell, the oyster gets irritated, but itdoes not know how to get rid of it, so it coats it with a substance,—commonlyknown as mother-of-pearls—that makes it very smooth. And it continues to coatit and coat it until the foreign particle becomes a pearl and is no longerirritating to it. Pearls are usually regarded as precious stones in ancienttime. Most of them come from the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the IndianOcean. They were and are used for necklaces and other ornaments. The Scriptureusually speaks about pearls in association with costly attires, gold, preciousstone and other precious materials (1 Tim 2:9; Rev 17:4; 18:12, 16). During thedays of our Lord, pearls were very valuable and highly esteemed.
Pearls, however, have different qualities. There are goodly pearls or finepearls, and there are poorer quality pearls. There are even some pearls thatare eaten by Chinese for medicinal values. To me they look the same. I can’teven distinguish a plastic pearl from a real one. But an expert merchant man isable to tell the difference between a good quality pearl and a poor qualityone. A good quality pearl can cost a fortune, and their prices keep increasingbecause they are highly sought after.
Well, the merchant man, in our parable, was seeking goodly pearls, but he founda Pearl of Great Price! You can imagine how he must had felt. He was sothrilled that he went immediately, and sold all his possessions, not just thepearls that he had, and he went to buy the Pearl of Great Price. We are nottold what he did with the Pearl, but it came into his possession.
Interpretation of theParables
Kingdom of Heaven
First of all, we must remember that these two parables areabout the Kingdom of heaven. The Lord prefaced both parables with “the kingdomof heaven is like unto….” The Kingdom of heaven, or the Kingdom of God, we mustremember, is the Kingdom where Christ is King and Christians are members.Kingdom parables deal with various aspects of the Kingdom of heaven. Sometimesit speaks about the numerical growth of the Kingdom; sometimes it speaks of theinward growth in grace of members of the Kingdom; and other times, it speaks aboutthe outward manifestation of the Kingdom, the church. What does these twoparables talk about? Let me suggest that they have to do with the value of theKingdom of God.
Similarities and Differences
The two parables are parallel in four ways: (1) a referenceto something of value; (2) the finding of it; (3) the selling of all that thefinder has; and (4) the buying of the thing of value.
They are, however, significantly different in several ways: (1) The Treasure inthe field was found quite by accident; whereas the Pearl of Great Price wassought after by the merchant. (2) In the Parable of the Treasure, joy atfinding the Treasure is mentioned; in the parable of the Pearl, it isnot—though we may infer somewhat of the man’s feelings when he found the Pearl,but the Lord makes no mention of his joy. (3) The Treasure was hidden again andthe plot of land was purchased; whereas the Pearl was simply purchased with themoney that the merchant obtained from selling all that he had. (4) In theParable of the Treasure, the action of the man after he found the Treasure isrelated with the present tenses: hideth, goeth, selleth and buyeth; whereas inthe Parable of the Pearl the same actions are related with the past tenses(aorist, perfect and imperfect): found, went, sold, and bought.
Quite obviously then, the two parables may have similar meanings, but they arenot exactly parallel. But because of their similarities, we can be quite surethat the central focus of the two parables are in exactly the points where theyconcur, i.e., (1) the thing of value; (2) the finding of it; (3) the selling ofall for it; and (4) the buying of it.
The differences, however, give us different aspects of looking at the central.But some of the details are simply not important. For example, I do not thinkit is important that the Treasure in the parable of the Treasure was hiddenagain. He had to hide it in order to go and sell all he had to purchase thefield. In the case of the parable of the Pearl, the merchant could have paid a deposit,and the effect would be the same. I believe there is no significance in thisstep. Remember that parable is not an allegory. Similarly, it is very temptingto interpret the field in the parable of the Treasure as being the Bible. Itsounds quite right, we should search the Scripture and dig for treasures fromwithin. I have heard expositors preach this way. I have read it incommentaries, and I have preached this way myself. But this is simply not whatthe parable is intended to teach. And moreover, remember that in the parable ofthe Treasure, there is no indication that the man searched for the Treasure. Sowe must abandon this idea of looking at the field as being the Bible, no matterhow attractive it sounds. We must be true to the Scriptures.
Meaning from Similarities
What does the Treasure or the Pearl of Great Pricesymbolise? The Lord does not tell us in clear. But each item is valuable, is tobe sought after, and gives great advantage to the person who finds it andembraces it. What is it in the Kingdom of God that has this quality? I have nodoubt it is Christ Jesus our Lord Himself! The Treasure and the Pearl of GreatPrice both symbolise Christ. In Him there is an abundance of all that is richand useful for us in this life and in eternity.
The Apostle Paul is emphatic that any spiritual blessing that we receive comesthrough Christ. He says: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord JesusChrist, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places inChrist” (Eph 1:3). Paul is primarily talking about our salvation. This alone isworth forsaking all to obtain. But that is not all, Paul also says: “But untoevery one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, andgave gifts unto men” (Eph 4:7–8).
This is how we must understand Paul when he says in Colossians 2:3, “In whom[i.e., Christ] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Similarlythe Apostle John reminds us that we may receive grace only through Christ: “Andof his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace” (Jn 1:16). Everyspiritual gift, whether of wisdom, knowledge, righteousness, holiness, grace,mercy and peace, these are laid up for us in Christ (cf. 1 Cor 1:30). When weembrace Christ, these gifts are bestowed on us. Christ, then, is something tobe sought after and something of great value.
What should our attitude be toward Christ when we have discovered Him ordiscovered of Him, and known Him to be the source of all spiritual blessing,and to be the most important treasure in our life? The man who found theTreasure in the field did not even inquire how much the field costs, he soldall that he had to obtain the Treasure. The merchant man did the same. He soldall he had to buy the Pearl of Great Price. So it is with Christ and theGospel. When you have discovered Christ and tasted of His infinite value, thenyou will not let anything stand in your way of having Him. You’ll do all youcan to obtain Christ—whatever price it may cost you.
Everything that must go in order that I may have Christ must go. My sins mustgo; I will gladly cast them aside. My bad habits must go; I will strive toovercome them. My friends who entice me to sin must go. I will give them up. Ifthe riches of the world hinder me from knowing Christ, then I must rid my lifeof the world. This was what Moses did when he gave up the good life in Egypt inorder to lead the Jews out. So the author of Hebrews tells us that Moses“[esteemed] the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt:for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward” (Heb 11:26). If I havebeen relying on my good works, and I know that I cannot rely on my good worksand have Christ at the same time, then I will count my good works as dung, thatI may win Christ. If you would have a saving benefit by Christ, you must bewilling to part with all that you have, that you may make Christ sure toyourself. You must count everything but loss, that you may win Christ, and befound in Him. Possessing Christ and being found in His Kingdom must become thehighest priority in your life.
Now, of course, the parables are not teaching that a person’s efforts orsacrifices will gain his or her salvation. They are simply emphasising the needto be wholeheartedly submitted to Christ and His cause regardless of personalcosts and disadvantages. The question of whether salvation is by works or bygrace is not even in focus in the parables. We are taught in other parts ofScriptures that our salvation is entirely by grace through faith in Christ, andbased on His finished work of Redemption. Christ died on behalf of His Churchthat they may have salvation in Him. We get a hint of this fact in the parableswhen we consider that nothing apart from Christ matters. All the possessions ofthe man and the merchant became worthless to them when they compared theirworth to the Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price. All our righteousness,apart from Christ, are filthy rags in the sight of God. We can do nothing tosave ourselves. Only Christ can save.
Meaning from Differences
Firstly, we note that the most major difference between thetwo parables is that in the parable of the Treasure, the Treasure was foundwithout the man looking for it; whereas in the case of the Parable of thePearl, the merchant spent much time travelling and looking for goodly pearluntil he found the Pearl of Great Price. What is the significance of thisdifference? I believe it is this: that there is no one standard way by which aperson comes unto Christ. We must never straightjacket Christ and our salvationand say that unless you come by this particular way, you are not saved. No,some will discover Christ without having diligently looked for Him.
A man meets someone on the street and he witnesses to him, and as providencehas it that he is all ready to receive the Gospel. The Lord changes his heartand he is saved. Rarely does this happen, but can we rule it out?
Someone is invited to hear a sermon on the Lord’s Day for the first time. Heheard the Gospel; and his heart is pricked and repents wholeheartedly of hissin, and he embraces Christ. Must we doubt his salvation? It rarely happensthis way, but can we rule it out?
Someone else spends much time seeking, questioning, attending sermons, arguing,and reading. For a long time he is not convinced. Then one day, it dawn uponhim how silly he was to oppose the command of Christ, and he forsake his waysand he embraces Christ. Many were saved in this way during the days of thePuritans and during the time when great preachers were preaching. Many of theChristians saw the light only after an intensive period of seeking orpreparationism. But we must never say that unless you come this way, you arenot saved. Some would be seeking, some would not be, when the Lord converts.Though I personally believe that in most cases, there is a period of seekingand searching, I must not be tempted to brush aside the testimony of anyone whoclaim to have found Christ suddenly—unless of course their lives glaringlyspeak about their being deluded.
The Scripture abounds with examples of sudden conversion and of those who seek.We think of Paul, Nathanael, the Samaritan woman at the well, etc., whodiscovered Christ without so much as searching for Him. On the other hand, theEthiopian eunuch, Cornelius, and the Bereans would be examples of those whowent through a time of seeking.
Now, the second significant difference is that the Parable of the Treasurespeaks of joy at finding the Treasure, whereas there is nomention in the case of the Parable of the Pearl. We must not make too big acase out of this, but I suggest that this is related to the previous point thatwe all come to Christ in different ways. And because we are made differently,some of us may have great expression of joy. Some of us may feel relief. Someof us know it in our hearts and are grateful to Christ for granting ussalvation, but we do not know how to express ourselves openly. So let us notjudge one another or a new convert base on the conversion experience. None ofus may say: “You did not come through this way, therefore you are not saved.”Salvation is found in Christ and Christ alone, but the way to Christ, and theimmediate response can be varied as the number of persons who come to Him atany one time.
Conclusion
What do we say to these two parables?
First, I must say a word to those of us who are already in Christ. Bear in mindthat these parables are not only directed at unbelievers. They are directed tobelievers and unbelievers. In fact, the two parables were spoken to thedisciples only. You see; our salvation is not just something that happens at apoint of time. Yes, we first embrace Christ at a point of time when the Holy Spiritfirst changes our heart, and for once we find Christ lovely, and then as weembrace Him and are justified in Him. But then our salvation does not stopthere. We are saved, and we are being saved and we will be saved. We are towork out our salvation with fear and trembling, says the Apostle Paul.
Every Christian must be constantly dying to sin and living unto righteousness.And so the parables teach us that we must be willing to abandon anything thatmay stand in our way of knowing, and being wholeheartedly submitted to Him. Areyou laying up treasures upon the earth and neglecting to lay up treasures inheaven? You must re-order your life. Is there anything in your life thathinders you in your growth in the faith? Is it sin? You must repent of it. Youknow it in your heart. Is it a matter of indifference, but it is weighing youdown? You must by the grace of God cast it away. Do you find yourself verytired on the Lord’s Day and find yourself not benefiting from the sermonbecause you keep falling asleep? Resolve to sleep earlier on Saturday. Resolveto be found at home on Saturday evening unless there is no other day to do whatyou need to do. Make knowing Christ and growing to be like Christ the greatestpriority in your life.
Now, I would like to say a word to anyone who may be out of the Kingdom. Allowme to use the picture of the merchant seeking goodly pearls. I would suggestthat there is a sense in which every person in the world is seeking goodlypearls. Everyone born into this world knows that there is something missing inhis life. What is this something? May I suggest that it is ‘happiness.’Happiness is, you may say, the chief end of the natural man. It is not intendedby God, to be the true end of man which is the glory of God, but it is thenatural inclination of the natural man.
Every individual in this world is pursuing happiness by seeking the pearlswhich he believes will bring happiness. One man will be seeking the pearl ofwealth; another will be seeking the pearl of honour; another will be seekingthe pearl of learning, another will be seeking the pearl of professionalqualifications. But all these, you realise, are not able to produce one bit ofhappiness that will fill the deep void that is in man. These are allcounterfeit pearls. They do not address the part of man in which true happinesscan be cultivated. They do not touch the soul. The soul of the natural man isdead. He has no means to be happy because he has no means to commune with hisCreator. Yet man spends his time looking for all these counterfeit pearls.
Jesus Christ is a Pearl of Great Price, a pearl of infinitevalue, which will make those who have it truly rich, and truly happy, and havea life that is truly abundant. Jesus Christ alone is able to fill the void inthe hearts of man. If you want to commune with God, you must have Christ asyour mediator. If you want to have true happiness, you must have your soulresurrected, and it can be resurrected only if you embrace that Pearl of GreatPrice.
In our Lord’s parable, the merchant saw the Pearl of Great Price, and heimmediately recognised it. He says: “I must have it. All the other pearls thatI have are not worthy to be compared with this one. All the other pearls maynot bring true happiness. I know this one will. I will sell all I have toobtain it. I will sell all the other pearls in my collection if they must go.”
Do you not see that your life is one of collecting pearls. And all the pearlsyou have in your bag are of no real value. They will not bring you any real joyor peace, but will weigh you down on the day of judgement.
Oh friends, do you not see the Pearl of Great Price presented in the Gospel. Healone is able to give you the peace and the meaning in life that you arelooking for. But you cannot have Him if you are clinging on to the other pearlsin your bag. The Lord Jesus said: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide isthe gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there bewhich go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, whichleadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Mt 7:13–14). The way thatleads to life is very narrow. You cannot enter in but that you have the Pearlof Great Price, but you cannot carry anything else. Are you carrying a bag ofpride? You must discard it. Are you carrying a baggage of certificates anddegrees, and you have been relying on them, thinking that these will be yoursource of happiness? These must be discarded from your heart, or there would beno place for the Pearl of Great Price. Are you carrying a bag of sin and vices,with which you derive fleeting enjoyment? You must discard the bag and bury it,you cannot have the Pearl of Great Price, but that your hands be free of suchas may entice you to sin. Amen.
—JJ Lim
