“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the
field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells
all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44, NASB95)
In working through the parables I noticed that Matthew used
a different phrasing than the other gospel writers. Rather than saying “kingdom
of God” which is consistently used elsewhere, Matthew used the phrasing “kingdom
of heaven.” The reasoning for this is likely that his gospel was tailored more
toward Jewish readers who were sensitive to saying the name of God, and rather
than offend their sensibilities he substituted “heaven” as a euphemism for “God.”
Whatever the actual reason, we can be assured that they are one in the same
kingdom which for now is in our midst, but one day will result in Christ returning
to reign.
The Jews had been looking for a Messiah who would come to
conquer and physically reign, and they were not prepared for what Jesus was
presenting to them. The Pharisees, not believing Jesus to be the Messiah, questioned
Him about when the kingdom of God would come. They were likely expecting to
expose Him as a fraud or false teacher and false Messiah and also as an
insurgent against Rome. They were expecting that He would respond by saying
that this millennial reign was imminent and that Rome would soon be overthrown.
However, Jesus did not respond as they had expected, saying “The kingdom of God
is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’
or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke
17:20b–21, NASB95) While the prophets did speak of a time when the Messiah
would reign here on earth, this was not to be that time. What the Pharisees and
others were missing was that Christ must first be rejected and suffer death on
a cross for the sins of man. They were also missing that the Messiah (Savior)
would then rise from the dead on the third day, be seen by many for a time, ascend
to heaven for a time while His church grew here on earth, and then ultimately
return after the Great Tribulation to bring all of Israel to Himself. In the
time between His ascension and His coming to remove His church His temple was
to be here on earth and He would rule in the hearts of those who believe.
In our parable for today Jesus compares the kingdom of God
to a man who finds a treasure hidden in a field, and being so excited about
what he found he bought up the whole field. To those who do not know God and are
perishing their pursuits in life may vary depending on what they value or maybe
even what they fear losing. This living of life apart from God will continue
until Jesus returns, and when He returns it will be a day of great distress for
those who did not look to Him. Jesus compared this to the days of the great
flood and the destruction of Sodom. “And just as it happened in the days of
Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they
were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the
day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It
was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were
drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were
building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and
brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the
day that the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:26–30, NASB95) Clearly we read
in Scripture that for all of man there is a day that will be too late. Whether
this happens prior to Christ’s eventual return or in death, one day all who
reject Him will be judged guilty of their sins and eternally separated from
God.
These are the ones who have no idea of the great value lying,
as in Jesus’ parable, just below their feet or right in front of their eyes.
There are the ones about whom Paul wrote, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it
is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has
blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians
4:3–4, NASB95) But then Paul went on to write, “For we do not preach ourselves
but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.
For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has
shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the
surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;” (2
Corinthians 4:5–7, NASB95)
Imagine going out into a strange field and finding the tip
of a treasure that sparks your interest. Not wanting to lose what you stumbled
across and knowing that it is not yours, you bury it again and immediately go
buy the entire field with all of the mineral rights. Then you return to not
only dig up the initial find, but you then explore the entire field for its
hidden riches. It might be compared to the prospector who found gold, secretively
hid its location, and rushed to the closest land office in order to file his
claim. Being saved is just the tip of the riches, but we don’t have to hide it
and run off to file a claim. We have been given the great privilege of stopping
right where we are when our eyes are opened to speak to God who holds the
rights to life, and simply ask Him. Scripture tells us, “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will
be saved.” (Acts 2:21, NASB95) In Romans we read, “that if you confess
with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes,
resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever
believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of
all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;” (Romans 10:9–12, NASB95)
The one who finds salvation in Christ finds the ultimate
treasure in a restored relationship with the Living God, and as a result his
entire life is changed beginning right away. Salvation is a gift from God, not
as a result of anything we have done. In fact we really don’t even discover it,
as it is God who gives us the faith to believe. It is not a profit of our
pursuits and our accomplishments. It is not a trophy that we won to display on
our shelves. God loved us so much that He subjected His Son to pay the penalty
for our sins so that we might believe and be saved and come to know Him in
richer and richer ways. With our salvation comes our adoption as His children
and a forever relationship with our God who is without limit in any way. There
is no greater gift, no greater hope, and no greater treasure. And there is
enough to go around for all who believe.
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