The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

Mike Johnson

Matthew 13:44 records the Parable of the Hidden Treasure. It says, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

This parable is rather short, but it presents a great truth as it shows the value of the kingdom of heaven. It is referred to as a twin parable because it is similar in meaning to the parable which follows in verses 45-46. 

 The Treasure

 In Bible times, people did not have as many safe places to deposit money as we do today, which meant they would have to hide their treasures for protection. Recall the “Parable of the Talents” in which the man who received the one talent went and hid his lord’s money (Mt. 25:16). Trench points out in his book that since there were frequent changes in dynasties and consequent revolutions that, “many rich men divided their goods into three parts: one they employ in commerce, or for their support; one they turned into jewels, which might be easily carried; and a third part they bury” (Notes on the Parables of Our Lord). Some would leave their regular occupations and devote themselves entirely to treasure hunting.

 The Man’s Actions

 The man in the parable discovered a treasure in a field; he joyfully went and sold all he owned, and then bought the land from the owner. 

The result was that he owned the treasure hidden in the land. Perhaps an individual who had previously owned the property had died and had not told anyone where he had hidden his treasure, or maybe someone had buried it there and was unable to return for it. Whatever the case, the present owner was unaware of the wealth on his land and thus sold it.

Some might question the use of a parable like this by Christ by saying, “the action of the character of this parable would be dishonest as it would be his duty to inform the owner of the field about the discovery.” We need to realize, however, that the main point of the parable is to show the great value of the kingdom. Christ is not approving of the conduct of this individual, but He is merely telling the story to show the kingdom’s worth and the degree that one might go to obtain something valuable. A preacher, for example, might relate a story about a man who tried to rob the same bank several times to illustrate “persistence.” Yet, he would not be showing his approval of stealing.

 Value, Thus Sacrifice

 Why was the man willing to give up so much (all he owned) to obtain the treasure? The obvious answer is that the treasure was precious. Securing the land would involve sacrifice, but it would surely be worth it.

Similarly, the church is also valuable. We see its value in many different ways. For example, Acts 20:28 tells us the blood of Christ purchased the church, which undoubtedly reveals its value!  Ephesians 5:22-23 says that Christ is the Savior of the body, or church (Col. 1:18, 24). Without a doubt, the fact that Christ died for the church shows its great value! Since Christ is the Savior it, how deplorable for the person who is not in His body. 

The life of a Christian is a life of sacrifice. In Romans 12:1, Paul says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” No sacrifice is too great for the cause of Christ. In Matthew 19, we read of the rich young ruler who was not willing to sell all he had as Jesus requested. It seems that the sacrifice was too great for him. Verse 22 says,”. . . he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” He needed to recognize the value of following Christ and the great reward in heaven. He ought to have been as the man in our parable and have the willingness to make the necessary sacrifices. Many today are not willing to put behind the life of sin, thinking it would be too difficult. They have not learned the lesson in our parable. Any sacrifice we make for Christ to obtain the “treasures” of heaven is not too much!

 Joy

 Notice the latter part of verse 44 in the parable again.  It indicates that the man’s action involved joy, which shows he did not regret selling all he had, realizing he would gain much more in return. Similarly, when an individual discovers the truth, there should be joy as well. A person should be willing to give up his past life of sin so he might be able to obtain the privileges of the kingdom. 

Paul said in Philippians 3:7-8, after speaking of his accomplishments in the Jewish religion (vs. 5-6), “But whatever was to my profit, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” (NIV) 

God’s kingdom, his church (Mt. 16:16-19, Col. 1:13), is so valuable. It is of such value that we should be willing to joyfully make any sacrifice necessary to obtain it. Once we receive it, we should not give it for anything. Matthew 16:26 says, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”