The Treasure and a Pearl

This image would not have meant much to the majority of those who had come to hear Jesus preach from the boat, since none of them had yet sacrificed anything for the sake of the kingdom of heaven and Jesus himself.  But the disciples had already forsaken all and followed him.

Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, Vol.4 - The Parables of Jesus, Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev

Matthew 13: 44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Metropolitan Hilarion begins his examination of these two parables with a question: why were preceding parables addressed to the people, and these two addressed to Jesus’s disciples?  Is there any essential difference worth noting? 

There are some cases where the choice of audience is clear – for example, if the parable is a message to the Pharisees.  In the several parables that precede these two, Jesus is speaking to the multitudes: describing the kingdom of heaven.

In the case of these two parables, the choice of audience is also clear, and is noted in the opening quote above: the disciples.  They, unlike the multitudes, had already given up everything for the treasure, for the pearl.  Peter asked, “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee: what shall we have therefore?”

This was a group of men taken away from their everyday lives, their livelihoods, even their families.  They did this with no earthly promise other than suffering, hatred, and persecution.  Through these parables, Jesus offered them moral support: yes, you have forsaken all; you have (and will) pay a great price.  But the treasure is worth everything, the pearl is worth all that you have.

The two parables are found only in Matthew.  They are quite similar overall, with only minor differences.  Regarding the first parable, it was a common practice to bury treasure in the field in ancient times, especially if the city or country was at risk of invasion.  Even today, in archeological digs, such treasures are uncovered.

The man found this treasure hidden in a field.  So, why did he hide the treasure as soon as he found it?  Given the treasure (consider what Jesus is offering), had this treasure been known to the owner of the field, the price would have been prohibitive.  As it was, he had to sell all he had in order to buy the treasure.

According to specialists, this hiding of the treasure was considered a crime and could lead to punishment.  However, we are dealing with a simile – a symbol.  Jesus is not teaching about property rights and land ownership.  Like every description we can come up with to describe God, His greatness, His gifts, etc., our language falls short – even when it is Jesus speaking to us, and this, due to our shortcoming, not His.

So, Jesus offered an example that could be understood.  In other words, the field was priceless, because the treasure (Jesus) is priceless.  There is no amount of wealth that can buy this treasure. 

Further, the finding of the treasure was unexpected, just as the kingdom of heaven is hidden from human gaze – not easily seen, not easily found.

As for the next parable, the pearl.  The word used for pearl is the same as used in the Sermon on the Mount: do not cast your pearls before swine.  A pearl is a special kind of precious material – neither crystal nor stone.  Pearls are formed in the sea, due to the presence of a foreign object – a grain of sand.

In both parables, the object was worth selling everything in order to gain it.  Jesus touches on this theme many times elsewhere:

Matthew 19: 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

And:

Matthew 19: 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

For Jesus, there was not a great difference between parable and reality.  What He taught, He meant us to live. 

Conclusion

These two parables underline a great theme:

The kingdom of heaven is not a moral teaching or a certain kind of spirituality or religiosity.  The kingdom of heaven is Jesus himself. … There is not, and cannot be, any other treasure in the life of man that would supersede Jesus in importance and significance.

Which might help shed further insight into Matthew 16:28:

“Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”