I. Introduction with Thesis
The parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl which Jesus gave to the disciples tries to explain the value of the heavenly kingdom. Just as it is for all the parables Jesus told His followers, this one gives a picture of what is known in comparison with what is not yet revealed. The meaning of the parable is that the kingdom of heaven is of great value which if one finds it; they are willing to enthusiastically give up all that they possess in order to obtain it. In essence, the privileges that those who inherit the kingdom have are not comparable to those that the worldly kings enjoy. This is because the worldly kingdoms do not require one to give up all that they have in order to obtain it but the heavenly kingdom does. Therefore, this parable shows the gravity of preciousness of salvation for the people who discover it and gladly embrace and obtain it without the difficulty of looking for it. It is a free but precious gift given by God to man.
The parable of the hidden treasure portrays the kingdom of heaven as one which is gotten accidentally while that of the pearl great price shows that it is searched for but its inevitable value is recognized immediately. Due to its incalculable preciousness, the one who finds it goes and sells all that belongs to them and returns to buy this treasure. They sell all that belonged to them in gladness as they anticipate the jubilation and joy they will have when they finally take possession of the treasure that will be rightfully theirs.
II. Options from Scholarship
According to Pianzin (74), the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value explain that salvation is concealed in Jesus Christ and it is revealed to anyone through the Holy Spirit. The man who finds the treasure goes and sells everything in his possession so as to obtain the most valuable treasure. The selling of all possession stands for the followers of Christ who have surrendered everything in order to obtain the right to inherit the kingdom of heaven through the Holy Spirit. The parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value show that the heavenly kingdom is highly valuable and it is worth sacrificing for (Pianzin 75).
An example is given of the disciples of Jesus who gave up all things and decided to follow him. They left their material possessions, their families and even their careers and they gladly accepted to serve and follow Jesus in all their lives. They never looked back again because of the joy they had of the promise they were given of the kingdom of heaven. Most of them were persecuted to death and never denounced Jesus as their Lord and savior. They valued the salvation of Jesus Christ like the pearl of great value which when a man found it, he hid it again and went as far as forsaking everything of the past in order to get possession of it. It never mattered what could happen to them anymore. What mattered is the kingdom that they had been promised to inherit and they were willing to do everything they could or give up in order to secure it (Pianzin 76).
Purdy (19) explicates that the kingdom of heaven comes as a surprise. People who lived in the era of Jesus had questions on who will inherit the kingdom of heaven and what did this kingdom look like. Jesus explains to them that there is no category of people who have a right to inherit this kingdom. The poor, the rich, young and old all have the same equal chance of obtaining the kingdom of heaven. Even though they are searching for this kingdom like the merchant who is looking for pearls, when they find it, they get surprised of its value. They had to give up all that is in their possession in order to get hold of the heavenly kingdom. Its treasure value is incomparable to anything they have (Purdy 20).
Kendall (81) believes that these parables elucidate on the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The fact that the treasure or the pearl of great value are hidden shows that the anointing is given or revealed to a chosen few. It also elaborates that no one knows the value of the anointing until they receive it. That is the time they realize its value and they are willing to sacrifice all that they had in order to fully operate in the anointing. The joy that comes with it is inexplicable. The parables also point out that, anointing can be gotten when a person searches for it or even without looking for it (Kendall 81).
Hultgren (62) says that these two parables show that the kingdom of heaven is obtained through God’s grace and therefore there is no human effort involved in obtaining salvation. Repentance comes to man on the basis of this grace and not by their own demands. It is through this repentance that one is able to share in the salvation of Jesus Christ and hence inherit the kingdom. It is always hidden which means that not all people will be able to comprehend it unless it is revealed to them by God. It is through this revelation that one is able to see things in a different perspective and is willing to forsake the past and embrace the bright and glorious future of the heavenly kingdom (Hultgren 62).
Scott (390) points out that the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl explains to man that the kingdom of heaven can only be inherited by those who give up everything for it. This means that there is no way one can become heir of the kingdom unless they are willing to forsake all their sinful ways and embrace salvation of Jesus Christ. It is not possible for one to follow Jesus and at the same time hold on unto the worldly and sinful nature of their past. The only way that a person is able to be heir of the heavenly kingdom is through sacrificing the past and the sinful nature and never turns back (Scott 390).
III. Support(s) from Parable Analysis
Like Hultgren (62) says, salvation is obtained through the grace of God, so is the way the treasures are found. It is not through human effort that they get hold of the treasures but through luck and coincidence. The merchant was searching for pearls but did not anticipate finding one of the values that he got. It is the same case with Purdy (19) who believes that the treasures are obtained by surprise and so is the salvation of Jesus. One perfect example is given of Paul who is headed to Damascus to persecute the followers of Jesus. To his surprise, he meets with this Jesus in a vision and he is saved. He forsakes all things and serves Jesus wholeheartedly without fear of persecution or threats as it is written in the book of Acts chapter 9.
Salvation of mankind from his sinful nature to a glorious future is a treasure that God the father has hid in His son Jesus Christ. Scott (390) points out that this salvation is revealed to man through Jesus and can only be found by those who accept Him as the Lord and savior of their lives. Walvoord and Zuck (51) indicate that the treasure that Jesus is talking about is the salvation that he brought to Israelites. He forsook all the glories of heavenly kingdom in order to come and save His treasured Israel back to the kingdom of God. The book further elaborates that the treasured pearl which is of great value represents the church which is the bride of Jesus. He values it as the groom values his bride.
As Kendall (81) reports, for one to receive salvation they have to be anointed by the Holy Spirit. It is this anointing that brings real joy and jubilation of salvation and the kingdom of heaven. Salvation is a priceless gift which is revealed to man through Jesus Christ and it cannot be compared to anything else. It is a kingdom which has peace, joy, freedom from oppression and deliverance from demonic and disease attacks.
IV. Support(s) from Recurring Themes in Matthew
There are more examples of parables that Jesus gave which talk about the value of the kingdom of heaven. In the book of Mathew chapter 13, a parable is told of a mustard seed. This indicates that this kingdom grows with time and becomes a vast domain which is valuable to all his inhabitants. There is also the parable of the wheat and the tear which shows this kingdom to be pure without any corruption. Therefore those who are worthy to inherit it must attain the same credentials of purity.
In Matthew 13: 3-9, the parable of the sower is given to demonstrate the value of the kingdom. The seed that fell on a fertile land are the only ones that were able to meet the expectations of the sower. Therefore the kingdom of God is of great value and only those who are willing to heed His word and forsake sinful ways and give up all other things are worthy to receive it. This is the explanation given for the parable of the weeds. Only good seed of the word is sowed but the devil encroaches and plants falsehood. Due to the mercies and the grace of God, they are allowed to grow together until the end but afterwards, the good is separated from the bad. Only the righteous and the pure that are valued as being precious and worth are able to inherit the heavenly kingdom.
V. Conclusion
In brief, the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price demonstrate to man how valuable is the salvation of mankind through Jesus. They clarify that the kingdom is very precious but it can be found in two ways. Other people find it through seeking while others get hold of it by surprise or without expectation. In either way, both parties are extremely overwhelmed of its value and therefore they sell everything in order to obtain it.
Works Cited
Walvoord, John F. and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: an Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1986. Print.
Scott, Bernard Brandon. Hear Then the Parable: A Commentary on the Parables of Jesus. Minneapolis, NC: Fortress Press, 1989. Print.
Hultgren, Arland J. The parables of Jesus: a commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2002. Print.
Kendall, R. T. Kendall Kendall. Parables of Jesus, The: A Guide to Understanding and Applying the Stories Jesus Taught. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2008. Print.
Pianzin, Timothy Maurice. Parables of Jesus: In the Light of Its Historical, Geographical and Socio-Cultural Setting. Oklahoma, OK: Tate Publishing, 2008. Print.
Purdy, John Clifford. Parables at Work. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1985. Print.
