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Matthew 13:44-46

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called “Parables of the Kingdom,” and we are looking at seven parables of Jesus from Matthew 13 that teach us about the kingdom of God. So far, we have looked at the parable of the sower, the parable of the weeds and the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast. Today we are going to look at two more parables – the parables of the treasure and the pearl. (Read Matthew 13:44-46 and pray.)

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Have you ever found something worth losing everything for? I know, such an easy question to start the message with this morning. So, I’ll ask it again. Have you ever found something worth losing everything for? If you did, it would be amazing wouldn’t it? It would have to be worth a lot.

Sometimes we ask a related question. If your house were on fire, and you could only grab one thing, what would you get? We faced a similar situation during Hurricane Andrew when the house was breached, and we had to pick something to throw in the dryer to keep it safe. We chose the wedding album at the time. Have you ever found something worth losing everything for? That’s the question raised by our two parables this morning.

The parables of the treasure and the pearl are twin parables, just like the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast that we looked at last week. But whereas the twin parables of the mustard seed and the yeast taught us about the growth of the kingdom, the twin parables of the treasure and the pearl teach us about the value of the kingdom. Nothing is more important than the kingdom of God. Nothing has greater value than the kingdom of God.

Have you found something worthy losing everything for? Welcome to the parables of the treasure and the pearl!

I. Treasure hidden in a field (44)

First, let’s look at the parable of the treasure hidden in a field which is found in verse 44:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44)

Remember, a parable is a brief story that makes a point. And it’s the whole story together that makes the point. So, it’s not just that the kingdom is like a treasure. It’s like a treasure hidden in a field. And it’s not just like a treasure hidden in a field. It’s like a treasure hidden in a field that a man finds and buries again and then in his joy goes out and sells everything he has in order to buy that field. The whole story is important. There are three parts to this story, so let’s look at all three parts together.

   A. Finding hidden treasure

First there is the finding of the treasure. At the start of the story the treasure is not in plain sight but is hidden. That tells you something about the kingdom. The value of the kingdom is not always obvious to people at first. They hear about God or Jesus or the church, but they don’t realize how important, how essential, how necessary God is to their lives. And so, they go day after day, week after week, year after year, without submitting themselves to God’s rule in their life.

In the parable, the person finds the treasure and then hides it again. People sometimes read that and wonder if what the man did was ethical. It’s obviously not his field, so shouldn’t he have told the owner of the field about the treasure?

Well, in those days people often hid money in the ground to guard against theft or invasions. Sometimes the person who hid the money died, and the money was lost or forgotten. That seems to be the case here. The story implies that the original owner who buried the treasure was no longer around to claim it. Whoever buried this treasure had either died or moved on, and the treasure had long been hidden and forgotten. We know it couldn’t have belonged to the present owner of the field, because, if it did, he would not have sold the field, or he would at least have dug up the treasure first before selling.

What about the legalities surrounding the man who found the hidden treasure? The law at the time said that in a case like this the money belonged to the finder. It was finders-keepers, so the treasure was legally his anyways just by finding it. However, he didn’t want to take any chances, and he gladly sold everything he had to buy the field and gain the treasure. When you think about it, that was far more honest of him than if he had just taken the treasure without buying the field!

But the point is this. This man found something so valuable he was willing to sell everything he had in order to gain it for himself. Once again, a parable is a simple story that makes a point. The parable does not focus on the legalities involved but is simply making the point that there really is such a thing as a treasure that is so valuable, it is worth giving up everything you have in order to gain the treasure for yourself.

   B. The joy of discovery

The second part of the story has to do with the joy of discovery. Jesus says when the man found the treasure, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field.

Joy is an important part of this story. The man does not go dutifully off to sell his possessions but does so at the sheer joy of discovering the treasure. He is not upset that he has to go and sell everything. In fact, he doesn’t have to go and sell anything at all. He does it because he wants to. He does it because he is glad to. He is so full of joy at the discovery of the treasure that he is glad to sell everything he has in order to obtain the treasure.

   C. Total commitment (“sold all he had”)
      – Luke 14:33

And that leads us to the third part of the story which focuses on total commitment. Notice the man doesn’t sell some of what he has in order to buy the field. He doesn’t sell most of what he has. No, he sells all that he has and buys the field.

We should not confuse this part of the parable with salvation by works or buying your way into the kingdom. You can’t buy salvation. The Bible is clear that salvation is a free gift of God’s grace. It is not something that you can purchase or earn. And so, Jesus is not teaching that you can buy your salvation here. The idea here is simply that the treasure is so valuable that it is worth everything to obtain.

Compare this to what Jesus said to the crowds in Luke 14:33: “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33) It’s not that we buy our way into the kingdom but rather that the kingdom is worth it. It is worth everything you have to follow Jesus.

II. A merchant looking for fine pearls (45-46)

So, Jesus shares the parable of the treasure, and then he immediately he goes on to share the parable of the pearl. Look at verses 45-46:

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46)

Once again, these parables are twins. There’s a reason they are right next to each other in your Bible. They go together. They are meant to go together. They teach similar truths but in different ways. This parable also has three parts, so let’s look at the three parts of this parable together.

   A. The search for ultimate value
      – Isaiah 65:1; Jeremiah 29:13

The first part of the parable has to do with the search for ultimate value. The merchant in this story is a person who travels for business. And this particular merchant is on a journey. He is on a quest. He is a pearl freak. He is looking, he is searching for fine pearls to purchase.

Pearls were considered the most valuable items in Jesus’ day, more precious than silver or diamonds or gold. Jesus tells us the merchant is looking for “fine pearls,” which means he is looking for beautiful pearls, the best pearls, those of the highest quality and value. And so, this part of the story represents the search for ultimate value.

The first part of this parable is a little different than the first part of the parable of the treasure. In the parable of the treasure, the man wasn’t looking at all. He just happened to find the treasure hidden in the field. A lot of people are like that. They aren’t looking for God, they aren’t even thinking about God, when God suddenly enters their life and sweeps them off their feet. Think about the apostle Paul who was on his way to arrest the Christians when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. Paul wasn’t seeking Jesus at the time, but Jesus was seeking him. A lot of times people aren’t even looking for God, but God in his goodness reveals himself to them.

But then you have people like this merchant who are looking for God. They are searching for truth and meaning and purpose in life. They study different religions and may even try some of them out as they desperately seek the truth about God and ultimate value in life.

God works both ways to bring people to himself. God says in Isaiah 65:1: “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.” (Isaiah 65:1) That’s the man finding the treasure hidden in the field. But God also says in Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) That’s the merchant searching for fine pearls.

But whether a person is looking for God or not, we are all looking for ultimate value in life. We are all looking for meaning and purpose and for that which ultimately satisfies. Unfortunately, many of us are looking in the wrong places. But we are looking just the same. So, that’s what the first part of the story is all about – the search for ultimate value.

   B. The pearl of great price

And then the second part of the story has to do with the pearl of great price. The merchant was originally looking for many pearls of great value, but instead he found one pearl of the greatest value. This was the granddaddy of all pearls, the pearl of pearls, the best of them all, magnificent, beautiful, of the highest quality, unequaled, unrivaled, incomparable, matchless, superior, supreme. He was looking for pearls when he found the pearl of great price and he had to have it as his own.

   C. Total commitment (“sold everything he had”)
      – Proverbs 4:7-9

And that brings us to the third part of the story, which is identical to the third part of the parable of the treasure, which focuses on total commitment. Just like the man who found the treasure in the field sold all he had in order to buy that field, so the merchant in this parable sells everything he has in order to buy the one pearl above all pearls. Notice he sells everything he has to buy this pearl, not just the pearls he has already purchased, but everything else as well. No cost was too great for him to obtain this pearl of great price. Jesus says that’s what the kingdom of heaven is like.

The book of Proverbs in the Old Testament says something similar to this parable with regard to wisdom. We read in Proverbs 4: “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.” (Proverbs 4:7-9)

Why spend everything you have on wisdom? Because it is worth it! Wisdom in the Bible is very similar to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God refers to submitting to God’s rule in your life. Wisdom refers to knowing and following God, knowing and following God’s ways, submitting to God’s rule and ways in your life. And nothing you have is worth more than that.

Knowing God through Jesus will completely change your life. You will be a new person. So, though it cost all you have, get wisdom. Get understanding. Get Jesus. Nothing is more important or valuable in life.

God and Jesus are worthy of your best. God alone is worth the total commitment of your life.

Three Applications

We have looked at the twin parables of the treasure and the pearl this morning, and now I would like us to look at three applications of these parables.

1) The joy of salvation
   – Psalm 51:12; Isaiah 12:3

The first application has to do with the joy of salvation. King David prayed in Psalm 51:12: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation.” (Psalm 51:12) God says in Isaiah 12:3: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:3) There is no greater joy in life than the joy of salvation, the joy of knowing Jesus as your Savior, the joy of knowing God as your Father through Jesus his Son.

People talk about sacrificing for God and his kingdom, but there is really no sacrifice in giving everything up for God, because you get so much back in return. Neither of the men in these two parables regretted their choice of giving up everything for the treasure or the pearl. They were filled with joy at the prospect. Every sacrifice you make for God is fully repaid with the joy of knowing and serving God first and foremost above everything else in life.

When God truly reveals himself to you through Christ, there is a joyful, spontaneous abandonment of self and sin for Christ and the gospel. That’s the joy of salvation.

2) The overwhelming importance of eternal life
   – Matthew 16:24-26

A second application has to do with the overwhelming importance of eternal life. Jesus said in Matthew 16: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)

There is a paradox at play here. Salvation is the free gift of God, and yet it costs you everything that you have. But it’s worth it! What good will it do if you gain the whole world, but you lose your soul? What could be more important than obtaining the free gift of eternal life?

You’ve heard the saying: “Eternity’s long, so don’t be wrong.” This life is all too short compared to eternity. Missionary Jim Elliot once wrote: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot not only wrote those words. He lived out those words in his own life, as he gave his life for the gospel, as he gave his life to bring the good news of Jesus to those who had never heard. Nothing in this world could be more important than eternal life. It is worth letting go of everything else in order to gain life.

3) The surpassing greatness of Jesus
   – Psalm 27:4, 73:25; Philippians 3:7-8

We have looked at the joy of salvation and the overwhelming importance of eternal life. And then our third application this morning is this: the surpassing greatness of Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God, and God comes first.

We read in Psalm 27:4: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4) We read in Psalm 73:25: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.” (Psalm 73:25) The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:7-8: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 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.” (Philippians 3:7-8)

Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of Lords. He is the eternal Son of God who died on the cross for your sins to be your Savior. He is the beautiful one, the magnificent one. He is the treasure hidden in the field. He is the pearl of great price.

Seeking anything other than Jesus in life is nothing but a game of trivial pursuits. Jesus alone is worth your total commitment, your life, your everything, your all. Nothing compares to the surpassing greatness of Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION: We are tempted to trade eternal joys for worldly pleasures every day. Some people never come to Jesus because they don’t want to give up the things of this world. But nothing is more important than the kingdom of God. Nothing is more important than entering the kingdom of God. Only Jesus can bring you into the kingdom, and so nothing is more important than Jesus.

Jesus is the Son of God who opened the way for you to return to God your creator. He is the one thing necessary. There is nothing greater than knowing God through Jesus who died for you to bring you into God’s kingdom.

© Ray Fowler

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