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Matthew 13:44-46
Introduction
We are three weeks into a series on Jesus' parables of the kingdom of Godwhich are found in Matthew 13, 2!
" noted that the se#en parables in Matthew 13 ha#e a common theme$the m%steries of the kingdom&
'13(11a)! *hat is, the% re#eal a portion of God's kingdom that had not been re#ealed in the +ld *estament, and
that is different in ke% wa%s from God's kingdom in its fullness!
SOWE ! SO"#S: established b% a ,ing with irresistible force #s! spread through a message that is resistible
W$E%& ! &%ES: separates righteous from wicked #s! growth of both side b% side
M'S&%( SEE( ! #E%)E*: worldwide - total #s! starts small - grows
*hrough these parables, then, we learn about how God's kingdom is at work in the world toda%, and about how
we can benefit from and cooperate with his acti#it%! .et's go on to the ne/t pair of parablesthe parables of the
hidden treasure and the pearl!
Explanation
0ead 13(11213! *hese mini2parables are ob#iousl% similar! Jesus emplo%s 4ebrew parallelism to emphasi5e his
point! "n both stories, a man finds something small or hiddenbut of great #alue!
*he first man is probabl% a farm laborer who stumbles upon a treasure buried in his boss's field! "n ancient
times, people didn't ha#e safe2deposit bo/es! 6uring war, the% often buried their wealth on their propert%! "f
the% died or were e/iled, the treasure was lost! "n this stor%, the farm laborer probabl% kept the information
from the landowner and scraped together e#er%thing he had to bu% the field so the treasure would be legall% his
'Jesus is not teaching business ethics here7)!
*he second man is a wholesale pearl dealer who probabl% pa%s a small fee to e/amine a huge pile of o%sters!
4e finds among the pile the mother of all pearls, and then li8uidates all his assets 'including his other pearls) to
bu% the whole pile and get legal title to the mother of all pearls!
What is the main point of these two parables9 "t is the contrast between the smallness:hiddenness of the ob;ect
and its actual #alue! We sometimes sa%, $<ig things come in small packages& or $=ou can't ;udge a book b% its
co#er& or $=ou can measure an athlete's height, but not the si5e of his heart!& Precious treasures are
sometimes small and incons+icuous,
What do these parables illustrate about God's kingdom9 "t depends on the identification of the treasure and the
pearl!
>ome think the treasure and pearl refer to belie#ers, and the man and dealer refer to Jesus! *he point, then, is
that Jesus lo#es and #alues us so much that he was willing to pa% the ultimate price 'his death on the cross) to
$purchase& us for himself! *his is true 'see 1 ?eter 1(1@21A) and wonderful be%ond hopebut it is probabl% not
the point of these parables!
"n #iew of the other parables in this chapter 'especiall% the two preceding ones) which consistentl% identif% the
small, hidden ob;ect as Jesus, the gospel, God's kingdom, etc!, we should do so here as well! "f we understand
the treasure and pearl to refer to God's kingdom, then the man and dealer ob#iousl% refer to people who find
God's kingdom in this age! 4ow is this different from what the +ld *estament taught about God's kingdom9
*he +ld *estament prophets taught that when God's kingdom comes, its supreme #alue will be ob#ious to
e#er%one! 0ead Bechariah 11(, A!
Jesus is sa%ing that in the $m%ster%& phase of God's kingdom, it is inconspicuous in its form and onl% some
recogni5e its supreme #alue! <ut those who find it will recogni5e it as the most precious thing of all!
C+*D( *his does not mean that we earn God's kingdom b% pa%ing mone% for it or b% performing righteous
deeds! *he <ible is cr%stal clear that Jesus paid the price for our entrance into God's kingdom so that we can
recei#e it as a free gift through simple faith 'Galatians 2(13E 0omans 1(12)! *he purchase aspect of these
parables is simpl% local color, like the location of the treasure and the fact that the% would both later li8uidate
their finds! *he point of the parable is not to teach us how to enter into God's kingdom, but rather to teach us
the supreme #alue of Jesus and the gospel in spite of its present unobtrusi#eness!
Application
Fs we turn from interpretation to application, " want to raise three important 8uestions that unpack and appl%
these parableseach of which are answered b% ?aul ! ! !
Wh- do some +eo+le recogni.e the /alue o0 1od2s 3ingdom4 while others do not5 "s God pla%ing
fa#orites9 6oes he guide some people to this treasure, while hiding it from others9 Co, the <ible is #er% clear
that God wants to guide e#er%one to it '1 *imoth% 2(1E 1 ?eter 3(AE John 13(@)! *he reason wh% some
recogni5e its #alue while others do not is not God's desire, but people's attitude! 6our /aluation o0 the
gos+el is determined 7- -our own +ride or humilit-, ?aul makes this point in 1 Gorinthians 1(1@, 23221
'read)! $*he word of the cross& refers to the gospelthe stor% of Jesus' death on the cross! ?aul sa%s that
people regard this message #er% differentl%, depending on their attitude(
*o those who proudl% depend on self and humanit% '$those who are perishing ! ! ! boast before God&), the
notion that a crucified Messiah is God's answer is scandalous and moronic! *he% see onl% a common field and a
pile of o%ster shells! <ut to those who are willing to humble themsel#es and admit their moral failure and
inade8uac% '$those who are being sa#ed ! ! ! boast in the .ord&), this message is the essence of God's power
and wisdom! *he% see a precious treasure, a pearl of great #alue!
*his was certainl% the case with me! " understood the meaning of the cross from the time " was 12! <ut m%
estimation of its #alue was directl% related to m% confidence in m%self! When " was full of m%self, con#inced that
" had within m%self all the goodness and power to direct m% life, " looked upon this message as irrele#ant
'$whate#er&)a foolish crutch for losers! <ut when God broke me down to make me see m% own lostness and
moral bankruptc%, the e/act same message took on a completel% different #alue!
"t pro#ides the wa% for a sinful, guilt% people to be forgi#en and accepted b% a hol% and righteous God!
"t pro#ides the wa% for lost and alienated people to be reconciled to a lo#e relationship with God!
"t pro#ides the power for selfish and damaged people to be transformed and healed b% God!
4ow about %ou9 6o %ou still belie#e that %ou are competent to chart %our own course, sol#e %our own
problems, etc!9 *hen the word of the cross will be unappealing to %oua common field, a pile of o%ster shells!
<ut if %ou are read% to admit that %ou'#e blown it and that %ou need help from the outside, this same message
becomes a buried treasure, a pearl of great price7 Wh% not la% hold of it toda% b% personall% admitting %our
failure to God and asking him to gi#e %ou the gift of forgi#eness and a relationship with him that he is offering
%ou through Ghrist9
What ha++ens to -our /iew o0 other 8treasures9 when -ou disco/er the /alue o0 1od2s 3ingdom5 "'m
sure the pearl merchant could ne#er look at his other pearls in the same wa% after he saw the mother of all
pearls 'H.="CG 1
st
G.F>> #s! G+FG4)! "n ?hilippians 3(12A, ?aul tells us what happened to him! <efore he met
Ghrist, he describes his portfolio( born into an upper2class famil%, educated in the finest schools, attaining the
highest rank in his elite profession, respected b% e#er%one as a successful and righteous person! <ut listen to
how he #iews his former $treasures& now that he has met Ghrist 'read 3(I2A)! Fll that he #alued and took
identit% from before became JdungJ and $loss& compared with the surpassing #alue of this treasure:pearl! &he-
7ecome either im+ediments to 7e re:ected or means to ad/ance 1od2s 3ingdom, ?aul's dependence on
his Jewish lineage and his own moralit% became impediments that he re;ected! 4e continued to use his role as a
?hariseebut to ad#ance the cause of Ghrist! *he same thing will happen to %ou if %ou meet Ghrist and
e/perience his grace!
We asked 6a#e 6urrell to share how his disco#er% of this treasure:pearl has affected his e#aluation of his
former $treasures& 'K"6D+) ! ! !
6a#e not onl% illustrates the answer to the second 8uestionE he also anticipates the answer to a third 8uestion(
$ow do -ou sa- 8&han3 -ou9 to 1od 0or this +recious gi0t5 "s it important to do this9 "f so, how do %ou do
it9 6a#e talked about the difference between choosing Ghrist as %our >a#ior and making him the .ord of %our
life!
*hat's e/actl% what ?aul describes in 0omans 12(1 'read and e/plain +ld *estament background)! +nce %ou'#e
recei#ed a much greater blessing 'the mercies of God through the cross of Ghrist), the onl% response that
makes sense is to gi#e a much greater thank2offering '%our whole life and e#er% part of %ourself) to God! "t also
makes sense because if God is wise and lo#ing enough to find a wa% to sa#e %ou, he is also the one who is wise
and lo#ing enough to know what to do with the rest of %our life!
" wonder how man% of %ou who know Ghrist ha#e done this! Hor most of us 'like 6a#e and e#identl% the 0oman
Ghristians $" urge %ou brethren&), this is a decision we make after recei#ing Ghrist and e/periencing his new
life!
" know it was this wa% with mealmost 3L %ears ago! " had recei#ed Ghrist almost two %ears earlier, and he
had changed m% life for good in more wa%s than " could ha#e imagined! *hen God arrested m% attention as "
was reading a book called The Normal Christian Life, b% the great Ghinese Ghristian leader, Watchman Cee! "n
the chapter entitled $?resenting +ursel#es to God,& Cee made these comments(
$?resenting m%self to God implies a recognition that " am altogether his! *his gi#ing of m%self is a definite
thing, ;ust as definite as 'recei#ing Ghrist)! *here must be a da% when " pass out of m% own hands into his, and
from that da% forward " belong to him and no longer to m%self ! ! ! "f we gi#e oursel#es unreser#edl% to God,
man% ad;ustments ma% ha#e to be made( in famil%, or business, or relationships, or in the matter of our
personal #iews ! ! ! 4is finger will touch, point b% point, e#er%thing that is not of him, and he will sa% '*hat must
go!' Fre %ou willing9 ! ! ! "t is alwa%s foolish to resist his will, but it is a blessed thing to ;ust hand oursel#es
o#er to him and let him ha#e his wa% with us ! ! ! M% gi#ing of m%self to him must be an initial fundamental act!
*hen, da% b% da%, " must go on gi#ing 'm%self) to him, not finding fault with his use of me, but accepting with
praise e#en what the flesh finds hard! *hat wa% lies true enrichment!&
1
" remember where " was sitting as " read these words! " reali5ed that God had pro#en to me o#er the past two
%ears that he was good and lo#ing22and now he was calling on me to gi#e m% whole life to him! " can honestl%
sa% that " ha#e ne#er regretted that decision! *hat's wh% ?aul ends 0omans 12(1 with 12(2b 'read)!
4ow about %ou9 4a#e %ou e#er made this decision9 *his is the onl% thing that will e#er satisf% %ou! "f %ou ha#e
ne#er gi#en %our life to Ghrist, wh% not do so toda%9
Footnotes
1 Watchman Cee, The Normal Christian Life 'Ghristian .iterature Grusade, 1A31), pp! I2,I!