The Parable of the Hidden Treasure & The Pearl of Great Price (Part 6)

What is the Hidden Treasure in the kingdom of Heaven?

Well, in the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, the Apostle Matthew focuses on the Kingdom of Heaven and how; as believers, we have responsibilities in regard to God’s kingdom.

So, let me ask you a question while reading this blog post: Are you willing to make every effort to obtain the true treasure of God’s Kingdom?

In Matthew 13:44, the parable makes a reference to a field that a man found the hidden treasure, but what caused him so much joy when he found the treasure.

If you haven’t read the Parable Series, you can click here for Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5.

Matthew 13:44

“44. 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 the field.”

In the parable, we see that the man not only found the treasure but went on and sold all that he had in order to buy the field that the treasure was on. But what I think the man really represents is us as people and as Christians because when we find something, we want to keep it all for ourselves, but it may also represent how we find something that was lost and was so priceless that we sold everything we have to keep it. But what does this say about our relationship with Christ?

I feel that the man is Christ who found us underneath all of our sins that we were in and rejoiced that He sold Himself and took our place on the cross in order to give us a new and better life in the field of God. When Christ came and found us in our sin, He didn’t reject us and leave us to wallow in our sin; He renewed us and gave us a new life when we choose to follow Him and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. 

In 1 Corinthians 4:16, Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about not losing sight of what the true reward waiting for them when they accept Christ saying, “16. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” I feel that this verse applies to the parable because, in the verse, Paul is telling us that even though the sinful, human part of us is spiritually dead, the inward, Godly part of us being restored and renewed every day, but I don’t think it’s that easy.

In order for us to be renewed by Christ daily, we have to first acknowledge Christ as our Lord and Savior and only from there can we be renewed by Christ. A theme that I found while reading this parable was that although man found the treasure and sold his land to keep the treasure, the man found the treasure by accident. So, what does that mean? Well, although he found the hidden treasure on accident; the joy of finding the treasure which is Christ gave him immense joy.

Even when we find Christ by accident, there is a joy that comes from knowing Him.

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What is the Great Price of the Pearl in God’s Kingdom?

Well, the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl have a lot in common which is why they were put together. In my opinion, the great price of the pearl is eternal life with God the Father in Heaven because while a pearl may look priceless on the outside, we mustn’t forget that it was formally dirt that was fashioned by God into something beautiful.

In Matthew 13:45, the parable of the Pearl of Great Price shows how a merchant went seeking pearls but when he found one pearl that was for a greater price, he sold all that he had to buy it.

Matthew 13:45

“45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

This parable should show us as Christians and as people that no matter what we may find on the outside, Christ can find us again no matter how far we are. This actually reminds me of an article I read by Steven Simons called, “Finding Value In Extraordinary Places” where he talks on this very topic. In the article, he said, “The wisdom that comes with a mature faith and relationship with God is the ability to recognize and invest in actual value in every area of your life.”

I like this quote because it shows us that we should continue to walk in Christ and recognize our actual value in Christ. The parable of the Pearl to me sums up what Christ sees within all of us because when we as Christians and people are found by Christ, He doesn’t see the sin we once were in but the ultimate price He paid as the way to give us a relationship with God. In the article, Steve Simon has several quotes that I feel we as Christians and people should be reminded of in our day-to-day lives.

Steve Simons said, “The ordinary often contains the extraordinary when it is put in the right hands.”

• “What others see doesn’t actually reflect anything about the actual value waiting for you in your life”
  • ” To others your opportunities may just look like an ordinary field, but with your eyes of faith God has the ability to show you the hidden treasures that make you worth so much more. “
  • “Don’t let your value or the value of the opportunities presented to you be determined by other voices in your life.  Don’t wait for other people to make your decisions or accept their affirmations or criticisms as the final word.”
• “…  reach down deep on the inside to hear the voice of God in your heart, opening the way to new and better decisions based on a recognition of actual, lasting, and eternal value — the kind of value that leads to true success, happiness, fulfillment, and peace.”
  • “God is ready to show you what has actual value in your life and take your natural circumstances and bring about a super-natural change.”
  • “… every aspect of your life is ready to come into a new season of abundance as you begin to recognize and choose actual value and so open the way to receive everything that God has promised for you.”

In the end, though, the parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl are trying to show us as people and as Christians, the value that we have in Christ and that no matter what the circumstances are in our lives; we can rest assure knowing that no matter what people say or what we think about ourselves; God can still use our situations to reveal the hidden treasure and the pearl underneath all of the sin, shame and guilt that we feel.

So, what does that mean for you?

Will you turn to God and let Him show you the hidden treasure that He has placed in you?

Will you allow yourself to be polished in order to become the pearl in God’s Kingdom?

Or, will you continue to be covered in sin, shame, and regret?

PDF FILE: The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and Great Price of the Pearl

God’s Blessings,

Joshua Reid

 

References

Simons, Steve. “Finding Value In Extraordinary Places”, 4 Aug 2013, http://stevesimons.org/2013/08/04/finding-value-in-extraordinary-places/ . Accessed 17, 2017.

 

Picture References

Author Unknown. “The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl Ministry PowerPoint” https://www.sharefaith.com/powerpoint/the-parable-of-the-hidden-treasure-and-the-pearl-ministry-powerpoint.html . Accessed 15 Nov 2017.

Author Unknown. “A horde of treasure! – Slide 3,” http://www.freebibleimages.org/photos/lumo-treasure-pearl/ . Accessed 16 Nov 2017.

• “To his great surprise he suddenly discovered something that got his heart racing with excitement. – Slide 2”, http://www.freebibleimages.org/photos/lumo-treasure-pearl/ . Accessed 16 Nov 2017.

Goyer, Tricia. “Renewed Day by Day | 2 Corinthians 4:16”, 7 Mar 2015, http://www.triciagoyer.com/renewed-day-day-2-corinthians-416/ . Accessed 16 Nov 2017.

Simons, Steve. “Finding Value In Extraordinary Places”, 4 Aug 2003, http://stevesimons.org/2013/08/04/finding-value-in-extraordinary-places/ . Accessed 14 Nov 2017.