SERMON OUTLINE

The Parable of Hidden Treasure     Matthew 13.44

Introduction

-Parables are about the Kingdom of God

-Groupings: our lost condition, future, present, Israel, behaviors

-Six parables on present Kingdom: Growing seed, Hidden treasure, Valuable pearl, Weeds and wheat, Yeast in flour, Mustard seed.

Interpretation of the Parable

-“Like” parables must be taken as a whole. We are not seek the meaning of each part of the parable. To look for the meaning of the treasure leads to false interpretations.

-Some interpretation of the treasure: Christ, Israel, us, Bible, Wisdom, Salvation.

-Treasure hidden in the ground is not unusual for that time. Finding hidden treasure was rare. This treasure was found accidentally and claimed legally with great joy.

Teaching of the Parable

1) The great value of the Kingdom of God. Treasure, sold all that he had to obtain it. What God values we are to value. Matthew 6.24; Luke 18.19, 22-23).

2) The hidden aspect of the Kingdom of God. Revealed to a few like the leaven in the flour (v33). The truth behind Romans 8.28. God is at work behind the scenes. The greater present reality which will one day be the only reality. What a privilege we have to see and be part of this.

3) The great joy of finding the Kingdom of God. We have something to rejoice over. Luke 2.9-11; Rom 14.17

4) The cost of acquiring the Kingdom of God. The cost Jesus paid. The cost we are called to pay. Jesus paid the greater price so we can give our all. We receive what we could never earn and do not deserve. Luke 9.23-24; Matthew 6.33; Philippians 3.8.

Conclusion

What a privilege. What a joy. What a reward.

SERMON NOTES

The Parable of the Buried Treasure              Matthew 13.44

As I mentioned last week the parables of Jesus are about the Kingdom of God. One way we can group the parables is according to what they teach. Some parables are about our lost condition. Some parables are about the future Kingdom of God. Some parables cover the relation of certain things to the Kingdom of God such as prayer, money, discipleship. Others parables are about Israel and the Kingdom of God. There are six parables that teach about the present Kingdom of God. They are the parable of the growing seed which we studied last week, the parable of the buried treasure which we will study this week, and the others are the pearl of great price, the parable of the mustard seed, the wheat and the weeds, and the parable of the yeast in the dough. I have enjoyed learning both how to study a parable, and the content of the parables.

Each of these six parables on the present Kingdom of God teaches us a different truth. Some of these truths overlap and some of these truths are unique to the parable under study. The particular truth of the parable of the growing seed is that the Kingdom of God has come, is presently growing and will certainly reach its fullness at the end of this age. That parable also taught us that the growth and fullness of the Kingdom of God is not conditioned on the work of man but has the power in itself to reach its fullness. That is what we learned about the Kingdom of God last week.

I hope that you understood that each one of us has the privilege as God’s people to be part of this growing Kingdom. Our awareness of the present Kingdom of God should cause us to rejoice. It should also influence our daily attitudes, choices, and the use of our resources and time. You see the Kingdom of God is the all encompassing reality that swallows up all that is happening in this world. We would be foolish to ignore the present Kingdom of God and even more foolish not to be part of it since God has opened our eyes to see its present reality and future glory.

The parable of the buried treasure adds to our understanding of the present Kingdom of God and how we should respond to it. Over the years the parable of the buried treasure has suffered much interpretative abuse. Interpreters have read more into this parable than Jesus actually meant to say and that is because they have not taken the parable as a whole but have tried to give meaning to every part of the parable. This has led to some amazing interpretations. It is a mistake in interpreting this parable to only ask what the treasure is.

Some have taken the treasure to be Christ, where we sell all we have to get Christ. Others have taken the treasure to be the nation of Israel, where Christ sells all he has to save Israel. Others have taken the treasure to be us, where Christ sells all He has to get us. Still others have taken the treasure to be the Bible, or Wisdom, or Salvation, all of which we are to sell all we have to get them. Now all these things are true but they are a misunderstanding of what Jesus is teaching his disciples in this parable.

The parable does not say, “The Kingdom of God is like a treasure”. The parable says, “The Kingdom of God is like a treasure in a field, which a man found and covered up, and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field”. The Kingdom of God is like the complete description of what has taken place and not just like a treasure. The “like” parables compare the Kingdom of God to a whole idea and do not focus on the particular parts in the parable as other parables do. The Kingdom of God is like this whole process and not just like a treasure.

The idea of a treasure hidden in the ground would not have been unusual during the time of Jesus. During attacks by foreign nations and in times of resettlement, treasures were hidden in fields to be retrieved at a later date. Remember in the parable of the talents the servant with one talent who buries his talent in the ground for safekeeping until the return of his master (Matthew 25.18).

It was not unusual for treasure to be buried in the ground but stumbling upon a treasure by chance was rare. There are people today who spend years looking for rumoured buried treasure. Some are found but many end up finding nothing. Some treasures have been found accidentally during excavations. The finding of this treasure was unintentional.

We are not told why this man was in the field where the treasure was hidden or how he found it but only that he found the treasure and then covered it up again.

Jesus ignores the morality and the legality of this man’s actions of covering up the treasure and buying the field to get the treasure. That is not part of the parable and not to be considered. Those considerations take away from the teaching of Jesus in the parable. In my reading the consensus was that by not directly taking the treasure from the field when he found it but going to buy the field, this man did nothing illegal or immoral according to the law at the time.

Notice that there is great joy in this man’s discovery of the treasure. He knows he has found something of great value. There is such value in this treasure that he is going to sell everything he has to buy the field in order to get the treasure that is in the field.

What does this parable teach us? Here are four things that come out of this parable. 1) The great value of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is described as a treasure, and not only a treasure but a treasure that is worth selling all that we have to get. The Kingdom of God has great value.

There is nothing that is of greater worth in this present world than the Kingdom of God. What God counts as valuable, we need to learn to count as valuable. We need to adjust our sense of value. The world distorts what we value but God’s Word teaches us what God values and what we are to value.

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. …No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6.24) What we value we will passionately serve and worship. Our eyes have been opened to the greatest treasure of all. Do we recognise that privilege? One day a young man came to Jesus and asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This young man knew that eternal life had great value. Jesus said, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. …But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.” (Luke 18.19, 22-23) This young man still needed to learn what had true value in this world. The Kingdom of God has great value.

2) The hidden aspect of the Kingdom of God. The treasure is visible only to the person who has stumbled upon it and not to everyone. To the disciples Jesus revealed the secrets of the Kingdom of God but not to others. The present reality of the Kingdom of God is a major theme in the teaching of Jesus. Not only was the Kingdom of God present but it was working in a hidden way in the every day world. That is the theme of the parable of the yeast hidden in three measures of flour in v33. That is also the truth behind Romans 8.28. In this visible, secular and scientific world where we encounter tragedy and pain and unplanned reversals, God is at work behind the scenes conforming those who are His to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. God is building His kingdom in a way that is hidden to most, but visible to those who belong to Him and are willing to obey Him and see Him at work. The Kingdom of God, the Hand of God fulfilling His purposes, is the greater present reality which for now is hidden but will one day soon be the only reality that remains.

We who believe have been given the enormous privilege of seeing the Kingdom of God and of being part of that Kingdom, but that Kingdom is hidden to most people even though it is what controls this present world.

3) The great joy of finding the Kingdom of God. The man who discovered the treasure was filled with joy. Seeing the Kingdom of God, belonging to the Kingdom of God, and participating in the Kingdom of God should fill believers with great joy.

Remember when “the angel appeared to the shepherds and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. The angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2.9-11). The King was born and the Kingdom of God had come and that meant joy to those who saw it and received it. Paul writes, “The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14.17). One of the fruit of the Spirit is joy. Those who believe are in the Kingdom of God and should constantly rejoice over the treasure that has been revealed to them. “Lord open our eyes to see what we have in Christ and fill us with joy. Let us rejoice in the Lord always”.

4) The cost of acquiring the Kingdom of God. To acquire the treasure cost the man all that he had. We are reminded here of what it cost Jesus Christ to purchase our entrance into the Kingdom of God. My entrance into the Kingdom of God cost the life of Jesus Christ the Son of God. This parable reminds us of the cost of the cross but the man who sells all that he has in this parable is not Jesus. Notice that the man sold all that he had to buy the field not the treasure. The field that the man bought was of less cost and value than the treasure he got by purchasing the field. Jesus purchased the Kingdom of God for us at a price we could never pay.

By the Grace of God to us we are forgiven, and born again, and our eyes are opened to see and to enter the Kingdom of God (see John 3). Through the great cost of the cross of Jesus Christ we are given the privilege to sell all that we have to get the treasure of the Kingdom of God. Even though we sell all that we have it falls far short of the value of the treasure we are given by the Grace of God. We could never earn the Kingdom of God nor do we deserve the Kingdom of God, but we can give all we have to participate in and build the Kingdom of God.

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9.23-24). “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”(Matthew 6.33). Paul writes, “I count all things as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3.8).

As believers it is easy for us to get caught up in the activities of everyday life and to forget about the Kingdom of God. In our forgetfulness we fail to respond to the love of God for us and the work of God in us and through us. We fail to see God at work in our circumstances, in the lives of others and in the world around us. These parables remind us to lift up our eyes to God and to realize that He is active in this present world and that we as believers are called to be participants in the Kingdom of God, and to order our lives in line with God’s Kingdom truths. What a privilege has been given to us to sell all that we have for the Kingdom of God. What a joy that produces as we find what God has created us to be. What a reward awaits those who belong to God in Christ Jesus.