The Gospel Treasure Hid in the Field of Life's Experience

A Closer Look at Matthew 13:44

The Gospel Treasure Hid in the Field of Life's Experience

The following words are a graphic description of those who, one by one, shall be "accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead" (Lk. 20:35). To state this another way, the world to come will be populated only with personalities who have the credentials described here in this parable, and who shall be able to confess on that notable Day of the Lord: "This parable was, and is, describing me".

The Lord Jesus Christ is He, in Whom are "hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3), and consequently it is Christ Jesus Himself who makes the treasure, spoken of here in this parable, to, in fact, be a treasure. In Heaven the most precious things are not the jasper wall, the street of gold, the absence of crying, sorrow, tears, dying, and so forth. The most precious things are actually not "things", but rather the Persons of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Everything else derives its preciousness directly from Their Persons.

With regard to men, there is no filial access, or relatedness, to the Godhead apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. It is by Him that "we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2). And it is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that "we both (Jew and Gentile) have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Eph. 2:18). It is in Christ that "we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in Him" (Eph. 3:12, ASV). Christ Jesus is the Image of the invisible God, and no man comes unto the Father, except by Him.

Having said these things, let us now carefully consider this parable spoken by the Savior, as it has a direct and vital bearing on all of life's experience. Some obvious points of consideration are the following:

1. The parable presupposes the existence of a real, substantive treasure.
2. What is being spoken here has a direct bearing upon men: a man found the treasure.
3. In life's experience there comes a time of the treasure's discovery.
4. The finding of this treasure produces real, not fabricated, joy. It is joy that proceeds from the perception, by faith, that God has abundantly addressed man's most fundamental dilemma, namely that of sin, along with sin's deadly consequences, in the sending forth of His Son into the world.
5. We are on solid ground in making affirmations such as this. This is what the Bible is all about: namely, about the entrance of sin into the world, and God's purpose in Christ Jesus, purposed from the foundation of the world (cf. Rev. 13:8), to provide an abundant and copious remedy for the putting away of the sin by the Lord Jesus Christ. And the execution of this remedy would be for the glorification of God's holy Name throughout the ages to come. In a filial sense, it would enable both men and angelic beings to perceive more and more clearly who God is.
6. The treasure was, and is, indeed, accessible and obtainable, and that legitimately so. The man was not stealing a treasure that rightfully belonged do someone else. The parable contemplates a situation where the treasure rightfully belongs to whoever finds it, and who also takes the necessary measures to take possession of it.
7. In this parable the treasure becomes the rightful possession of whoever sells everything that they have and own in order to possess it. Only such ones as this come into rightful possession of the treasure. The selling spoken of here takes place, first and foremostly, in the heart's affection.
8. The man who found the treasure hid himself and did what was necessary to possess the treasure for himself, making no allowance for anything interfere with him coming into full possession of the treasure. At first glance, this might appear to be full-blown selfishness. But actually, what is being described here is complete and thorough selflessness. We know, from elsewhere in Scripture, that the man described here also had an "old man" (cf. Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9) to deal with: an "old man" that continually had to be mortified, and kept crucified (Rom. 6:6): an "old man" that saw no lasting value in this treasure. It was, the "new man" that perceived the value, and which had to be regularly nourished, in order to continue seeing the inestimable value of the treasure.
9. Upon finding the treasure, the man who found it did not go out and publish abroad that he had found a treasure, contrary to much current-day theology. He rather hid himself in order to make certain that he himself came into possession of it. It seems that we have a "church" on our hands today that, has, in some respects, found the field where the treasure is, but has neglected taking possession of the treasure for itself, and is busying itself with other things, perhaps even telling people where the field is, in the language of the parable, but woefully neglecting the main things.
10. In the parable, the man's finding and securing of the treasure for himself did not disbar others from taking possession of the treasure. This is one of many instances where each of Christ's parables are intended to make a very solemn point, but not every aspect of the parable has a corresponding parallel in life's experience.
11. Though the man hides himself upon finding the treasure (in order to secure the field for himself), the pure and earnest joy radiating from his person ought to be sufficient witness to others about him that the treasure should and must be sought by them.
12. Nevertheless, the treasure will not be found by them, unless they seek it in the same way, with the same earnestness and diligence as the man described in the parable.
13. We see in this parable a divinely-ordained principle of buying and selling that transcends far above the mercantile ways and manners of this present evil world. We are speaking here of buying and selling "without money, and without price" (Isa. 55:1; 52:3).
14. There is one thing, however, namely this treasure, which can and must be purchased by men with the currency of everything that they have and possess and desire.

Consider the following versions which can assist in the comprehending of the significance of this parable.

"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." (Mt. 13:44).

It is "like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field." (Amp. V.).

It is "like a secret store of wealth in a field, which a man came across and put back again; and in his joy he goes and gives all he has, to get that field" (BBE).

It is "like what happens when someone finds treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. A person like that is happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field" (CEV).

It is "like a treasure hidden in a field. A man found it, hid it again, then in great joy went and sold everything he owned, and bought that field" (CJB).

It is "gleich einem im Acker verborgenen Schatz, welchen ein Mensch fand und verbarg; und vor Freude darüber geht er hin und verkauft alles, was er hat, und kauft jenen Acker" (GEB).

It is "wie mit einem im Acker vergrabenen Schatz, der von einem Mann entdeckt wird. Voller Freude versteckt er ihn wieder, geht nach Hause, verkauft alles, was er hat, und kauft jenen Acker" (GNEU).

It is "like some treasure which has been buried in a field. A man finds it and buries it again, and goes off overjoyed to sell all his possessions to buy himself that field" (J.B. Phillips).

It is "like treasure hid in a field, which, when a man has discovered, he conceals the discovery, and for joy thereof, sells all that he has, and buys that field" (LONT).

It is "like treasure hidden in a field; the man who finds it hides it and in his delight goes and sells all he possesses and buys that field" (Moffatt).

It is "a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field" (NASB).

It is "like a pot of gold which was buried in a field, which a man found and buried again; and for joy over it he went and sold all he had and bought that field" (Williams).

It is "like treasure buried in the open country, which a man finds, but buries again, and, in his joy about it, goes and sells all he has and buys that piece of ground" (WNT).

It is "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure which has been hidden in the field, which, after a man has found it, he hid, and in his joy goes off and sells as much as he possesses, and buys that field" (Wuest).

"And hid (kai ekrupsen). Not necessarily bad morality. “He may have hid it to prevent it being stolen, or to prevent himself from being anticipated in buying a field” (Plummer). But if it was a piece of sharp practice, that is not the point of the parable. That is, the enormous wealth of the Kingdom for which any sacrifice, all that one has, is not too great a price to pay" (Robertson's Word Pictures).