Bible Study: Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44)

Brethren, I have a question for you. What if there’s a type of investment that is 100% guaranteed that will work? In this investment, you will need to first put in 10 million pesos but your 10 billion pesos will become 10 billion pesos. Alright, all you have to do is put in 10 million pesos and you will guaranteed to have 10 billion pesos. Now, the problem is, that not all of us have 10 million, right?

Maybe, not all of us have 1 million even. But here’s the catch, you have calculated that all the possessions that you have, everything, as in 100%, all that you have in this world is equivalent to 10 million. So, are you going to make that investment? I would say, all of us would say yes.

You see, brethren, there’s a similar parable found in the Bible that I want us to study today. This parable gives us an important idea of what the Kingdom of God is all about.

Let’s go there in Matthew 13:44:

“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 that field.”

Now, this one particular parable is written within just one verse, yet is so packed with deep and significant meaning. For us to fully appreciate the profound meaning of this verse, we need to go through it one by one and concept by concept. By the end of this message, I want us to have a deeper understanding of what it really takes to be in God’s Kingdom.

God’s Kingdom is hidden

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field”

The Kingdom of Heaven here is synonymous with the Kingdom of God. This kingdom is likened to a treasure hidden in a field.

Many times, God’s Kingdom, the Gospel, and His truth are hidden in plain sight. Only a few people know about it. The religions of this world are ignorant about it. It’s quite ironic that the biggest religion in this world is Christianity and yet, many people can’t see the true Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Worst of all, they are deceived. They thought that they knew yet they actually didn’t know.

That’s why, the Kingdom of Yahweh is hidden. A lot of people can see the field, but they can’t the treasure. In the same manner, many people have heard about God, Yahshua or Jesus Christ as the world would call Him. They have heard about God’s salvation, but they can’t see the treasure in it.

Finding God’s Kingdom

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid.”

We are not told why the man is in the field. The owner of the field might have hired the man. The man might have simply walked through the field and stumbled on the treasure. The man might even be there considering buying the field already. We really don’t know but one thing we know is that this man found the treasure, which is the Kingdom of God.

In ancient times, people didn’t have a bank just like ours. So, if you have great treasures or possessions, you bury them so no one would come and steal them from you. Now, the problem is that during that time, there were wars and people get displaced and sometimes, killed.

So, when the owner of the treasure dies, no one knows about the treasure and it is kept in the earth for a long time until someone discovers it. This is what happened to this treasure here.

Now, when the man found the treasure, what did he do? He hides the treasure again. He didn’t tell the owner about it. He made sure that no one was going to find it. He wants to protect the treasure. Instead, we read:

“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.”

Forsaking all for God’s Kingdom

Under Roman law and even Jewish tradition, the rightful owner of treasures found in a field is the one who owns the field. Whatever is in your field, it’s yours including treasures that might be hidden there.

So, the man needs to buy the field first before getting the treasure. He didn’t waste time. He didn’t say, “Oh, I’ll buy that next year. I will work hard for it for now. I will buy it after I build a house. I will buy it after getting married.” No, he immediately bought it so that no one else could get the treasure.

Well, the problem is that the field is going to cost him money, and to buy that field, he needs to sell everything that he has. It could include his house, furniture, clothing, pieces of jewelry, and other valuable possessions.

Joyfully Acquiring the Kingdom of God

Now, most people who have sold everything don’t usually get excited about it. However, this man was filled with joy. When he was selling his possessions, he wasn’t sad or hesitant. He wasn’t thinking, “Oh, this is the right decision? Could I be making a mistake here?” After all, he is selling everything to buy that field. What if this is a huge mistake? That’s where faith comes in. It takes faith to do what he did. It takes faith to sell out all your possessions to obtain that great treasure, which is the Kingdom of God.

Now, losing something isn’t fun. It isn’t always pleasant. Have you experienced losing your job for the Sabbath? Have you experienced failing you class because of the feast? Have you experienced losing the respect, trust, and even love of your relatives and friends just because you’re different? You’re keeping eating different types of food, you’re keeping different holy days, and you’re keeping God’s commandments.

However, this man loses it all joyfully. He didn’t grumble. He didn’t get depressed. He didn’t even get mad. Why, in spite of losing things and even in this case, losing everything, this man is still joyful? He willingly gave up everything just to get the treasure?

You know why, brethren? Because he realized that what he would gain was greater than anything this world could offer. He knows that even if he combines all his wealth, all his possessions, all his ambitions, dreams, and desires, all of these are nothing compared to what he will gain in the Kingdom.

I wonder, brethren, do we have the same belief? Do we have the same realization? Do we believe that the Kingdom of God is worth losing everything that we have including our life?

Now, this parable doesn’t teach us to sell everything that we have to enter the Kingdom of God. What this is teaching us is that we must be ready to give up anything that would prevent us from receiving eternal life.

This does not only pertain to material wealth. Sometimes, God will ask us to give up what is dear to us. That’s where we get tested.

Now, remember, there are two characters mentioned in this parable. The man who bought the field and the owner of the field. Could it be that the owner has some kind of idea that there is a treasure hidden in his field? Perhaps, some locals have told him about the treasure but he is just too lazy to look for it. Of course, this isn’t found in the text. But we can’t deny the fact that the owner could have the chance to own that treasure, but he didn’t.

This reminds of Revelation 3:11:

¹¹ Behold, I am coming quickly! — so this closely ties in with our theme this year, to stay awake and be watchful because Yahshua is coming quickly. And because He is coming back, what should we do?

Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

Brethren, all of us are in the process of obtaining the treasure hidden in the field. Part of that treasure is a crown perhaps made of gold, diamond, and other precious metals and stones. And this crown represents our reward. If we are not careful, we will lose that crown and that crown will be given to another.

I remember, last year, part of our giveaways in the Youth Day was giving t-shirts. Before the feast, we already bought all the shirts for the youth with their names on them. There were some people who didn’t arrive. So, what happened is that his shirt was given to another person.

So, just like that, God has reserved a t-shirt for us. It is something we don’t deserve, but it is a gift from Him. He gives it to us but you need to also do your part and attend the Feast so that your t-shirt will not be given to others. In the same way, if you don’t value your spiritual crown, God will give it to those who are willing to give up everything just to obtain it.

What we will gain is greater than what we lost

So, brethren, my question for you today is, “Are you willing to sell everything, to forsake everything, to let go of everything just to have that most precious treasure, which is the Kingdom of God?

Let me tell you this one thing is true, nothing in this world is worth exchanging for eternal life. Money, big house, relationship, status, respect of other people influence, fame? All of those, even if you combine them all, will be nothing compared to the glory that is going to be revealed to us.

So, why do we exchange a little Sabbath compromise here for eternity? Why do we exchange the status and fame, which are going to fade away for our salvation?

Like what I said earlier, if you are asked to give 10 million in exchange for a treasure that costs 10 billion, will you do it? Of course and you’re going to sell everything that you have just to get that treasure. Yet, the Bible isn’t just talking about money. It is talking about eternal life.

My sincerest hope brethren is that we will not have anything, absolutely anything, to come between us and that treasure. Because you know why? Because what we lose is nothing to what we are going to gain.

---