The Treasure & The Pearl Series

Parable of the Treasure

and

The Pearl of Great Price

Matthew 13:44-46

"44 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. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

I) Again..... The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field;

Familiar Symbols

a) The kingdom of heaven

The wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24)

"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way."

The parable of the mustard seed (13:31)

" Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:"

The parable of the leaven (13:33)

" Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."

In all three of these previous parables we discovered that this "kingdom of heaven" was the whole of christianity. All those who profess christianity as their belief whether genuinely saved or not.

Jesus uses the word again here at the beginning of verse 44, making it clear that nothing has changed once again he is speaking of the same kingdom of heaven.

b) That field

We also have heard mention of a field concerning this same kingdom

Matthew 13:24 "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:"

V31 "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: "

and in verse 38 we have the explanation of the field "The field is the world;"

We have no reason to suspect that the field in this parable is representative of anything other than the world again.

c) A man

We also have mention of a man in the previous parables

Wheat and tares

24"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:"

v37 "He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;"

mustard seed

"31Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:"

"44 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."

Again concerning this parable the man is Jesus. He was the planter of the Christian church as we know it.

"45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls"

Don’t let the merchant man throw you. In the first parables the man was a sower, a farmer. We discussed last week why Jesus made these comparisons between farming and the kingdom of heaven. Because it was partially an agricultural society. It also is aociety of merchants. buyers and sellers of merchandise. It does not change who the man is is representative of.

A new symbol

a) The treasure/ the Pearl of great price

"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."

In the second parable we have the pearl of great price

"45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

Prior to this first parable tonight a treasure is not mentioned.

Jesus does not give us an explanation for the treasure or this pearl of great price.

We have to do a little thinking.

We know the kingdom is all who are christians genuine or un-genuine.

We know the field is the world.

We know who the man is whether he is a sower or a merchant man, it is Jesus, who is God incarnate.

What could that treasure possibly be? That pearl of great price?