“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. And because of his joy, he goes out and sells all that he has and buys that field.” - Matthew 13:44 (TLV)
There are many elements to unpack in this short parable. The field can be viewed as the Word… the Gospel... the Good News… and all things that point to the treasure, which is the Kingdom of the World.
QUESTION
Was the man in this parable…
(a) actively looking for treasure?
(b) or did he unintentionally stumble into it?
Asked another way, was he looking for the Kingdom of Heaven or did he unintentionally stumble into it?
While meditating on this parable, the word “grace” came to mind. So, verses pertaining to grace were searched.
VERSE 1
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourself – it is a gift of God” – Ephesians 2:8 (TLV)
This verse makes it explicit that grace is a gift from the Most High. Our outward actions or inactions have nothing to do with whether or not we are able to access this gift. Yet, it’s preceded by a requirement of active engagement – namely, faith. Faith (a verb) is an internal action, an action of the heart and mind. Ephesians 2:8 can therefore be summarized and understood as follows: Through faith, we are saved by grace (gift of The Most High).
VERSE 2
“Therefore let us draw near to the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need.” – Hebrew 4:16 (TLV)
Much like verse 1, this verse has a direct call to action – With boldness, draw near (call-to-action)… to the throne of grace (which is free a gift). Accessing this gift once again isn’t a passive experience. It calls for a commitment to draw near by stepping forward with boldness.
VERSE 3
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” – Romans 6:14 (TLV)
Similarly, this verse also places accountability on us to take control of steering our free will away from submission to sin. Sin shall not reign in our lives while under grace. We know from scripture, that we can be cut off from grace just as easily as we are grafted in.
So, in moments when the Holy Spirit condemns our heart for allowing the enemy to reign over our hearts and mind, we’re responsible for taking action -- repenting and correcting ourselves so that we do NOT lose the covering (free gift) of grace.
Common Denominators
The verses above:
Prescribe active engagement | The man finding the treasure must have involved an element of active seeking. He would have had to dig or walk to a place he hadn’t before… perhaps with a hunch… listening to a whisper… a calling placed in his heart by the Holy Spirit… not necessarily knowing what he was seeking… for The Most High willed for Him to find it.
& Highlight grace | Knowing what we know about grace (from the verses above and the many more in scripture), there is no denying that divine orchestration is involved in the man actually finding the treasure.
Active Engagement + Divine Orchestration = Finding the Treasure in the Field (Kingdom of Heaven)
EVALUATING TRUE VALUE
Upon finding the treasure, the man doesn't just carry it with him. Nor does he make plans to get help of friends or equipment to move it out. From this, we can infer that the treasure is HUUUGE.
Instead, he hides it and sets out to sell all that he has so he can purchase the whole field. The man’s evaluation of the treasure he finds is calculated to be of far greater value than all his possessions.
“…And because of his joy, he goes out and sells all that he has and buys that field.” - Matthew 13:44 (TLV)
QUESTION
When thinking about his joy in selling all his possession to access the treasure, the Holy Spirit activated the camel parable from Matthew 19 in my mind.
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of the Most High.” – Matthew 19:24 (TLV)
here’s some background on the camel through the needle:
Yeshua is approached by a young man who asks Him how he can access the Kingdom of Heaven. Yeshua lists off commandments he is to follow:
do not murder
do not commit adultery
do not give false testimony
honour your mother and father
love your neighbour as yourself
The young man responds by asking what else he must do to access the Kingdom since he already keeps the commandments listed above. Yeshua then requests him to sell all his possessions and give it to the poor and follow Him.
The young man walks away in grief because he was rich and had much to sell.
Then Yeshua to His Disciples:
“Amen, I tell you, it is difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” – Matthew 19:23 (TLV)
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of the Most High.” – Matthew 19:24 (TLV)
In comparing the two men faced with dispossessing all their worldly attachments, we can infer that the man who found treasure in the field was NOT rich in possessions. And even if he was, his heart was much richer to accurately evaluate the treasure in the field to be of far greater value than his possessions.
He expresses no grief. In fact, he expresses joy as his desire to access the Kingdom of Heaven outweighs his desire to posses the world. The rich man when proposed to disposes belongings to follow Christ (the treasure), the man’s heart was not yet equipped to accurately weigh the Messiah’s proposal. His attachments to worldly things proved to be his stumbling block. Let’s also notice that it wasn’t in The Most High’s will to soften his heart of stone with His grace. For a specific purpose. He played out a message in real life for the people of Messiah’s day so people who learn differently can access His message indefinitely.
HIDE IT
It is essential that we exercise the necessary steps to preserve the treasure we access through grace. Knowing that the enemy is consistently plotting to keep the children of the Most High from gaining access to their Kingdom. The man hid what he found because he didn’t want his pursuit citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven to be tampered with. He wanted to be strategic with his time, energy and resources to secure his treasure. It meant a lot to him.
PARABLE TAKE AWAYS…
Anyone can access the Holy scriptures (through viewing, hearing, reading), but not everyone will find the treasures within.
Even the greatest bible scholars may miss treasures hidden within the warnings, prescriptions and parables that they read on a regular basis… until The Most High wills for His treasure to be found.
We will know we’ve found the treasure, when the joy we feel is indescribable and our hearts feel no grief at the thought of laying down all our attachments to material possessions, habits, desires, people, places and everything really.
Our treasure in heaven is far greater in value than anything the enemy may market to appeal to our senses, heart and mind.
When Yeshua asks His disciples to lay down all they have and follow Him... He meant it. What His disciples did (including Peter, a successful business man)… is comparable to this man who traded all that he had to access the Kingdom of Heaven.
