The Parable of the Hidden Treasure is a well known parable of Jesus, which appears in Matthew 13:44, and illustrates the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven. It immediately precedes the parable of the Pearl, which has a similar theme. The parable has been depicted by artists such as Rembrandt.
The brief parable of the hidden treasure is as follows:
" Now Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field."
— Matthew 13:44, World English Bible
The setting here presupposes that someone has buried a treasure and later died. The current owner of the field is unaware of its existence. The finder, perhaps a farm labourer, is entitled to it, but is unable to conveniently extract it unless he buys the field. [1] For a peasant, such a discovery of treasure represented the "ultimate dream." [2]
This parable is interpreted as illustrating the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven, and thus has a similar theme to the parable of the pearl. John Nolland comments that the good fortune reflected in the "finding" reflects a "special privilege," [1] and a source of joy, but also reflects a challenge, [1] just as the man in the parable gives up all that he has, in order to lay claim to the greater treasure he has found.
John Calvin writes of this parable:
The first two of these parables are intended to instruct believers to prefer the Kingdom of heaven to the whole world, and therefore to deny themselves and all the desires of the flesh, that nothing may prevent them from obtaining so valuable a possession. We are greatly in need of such a warning; for we are so captivated by the allurements of the world, that eternal life fades from our view; and in consequence of our carnality, the spiritual graces of God are far from being held by us in the estimation which they deserve. [3]
The hidden nature of the treasure may indicate that the Kingdom of Heaven "is not yet revealed to everyone." [4]
However, other interpretations of the parable exist, in which the treasure represents Israel or the Church. [5]
In St. Thomas Aquinas' Catena Aurea, he compiles the comments of some of the Church Fathers on this passage, [6] who point out that like the treasure hidden in the field, the Gospel comes without cost, and is open to all – but to truly possess heavenly riches, one must be willing to give up the world to buy it. The Fathers also identify that the field in which the treasure is hidden is the discipline of Heavenly learning:
this, when a man finds, he hides, in order that he may preserve it; for zeal and affections heavenward it is not enough the we protect from evil spirits, if we do not protect from human praises. For in this present life we are in the war which leads to our country, and evil spirits as robbers beset us in our journey. Those therefore who carry their treasure openly, they seek to plunder in the way. When I say this; I do not mean that our neighbors should not see our works, but that in what we do, we should not seek praise from without. The kingdom of heaven is therefore compared to things of earth, that the mind may rise from things familiar to things unknown, and may learn to love the unknown by that which it knows is loved when known It follows, And for joy thereof he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. He it is that sells all he, has and buys the field, who, renouncing fleshly delights tramples upon all his worldly desires in his anxiety for the heavenly discipline.
The New Testament scholar Adolf Jülicher offers a deceptively simple explanation of the parable. He identifies three parts to parables or similitudes (extended similes or metaphors): the picture part (Bildhälfte), the reality part (Sachhälfte), and the point of comparison ( tertium comparationis ). [7] In this instance, the picture part is the hidden treasure, the reality part is God's kingdom, and the point of comparison is the inestimable value of the kingdom.
In light of previous parables in Matthew where God or Jesus acts on behalf of his church, Lutheran theologian David P. Scaer understands the treasure in the field to be humanity, and the one purchasing the field to be Christ. Thus, as the man in the parable sells all that he has to buy the field, so Christ gives up his life in order to redeem humanity. [8]
Chrysostom: "The foregoing parables of the leaven, and the grain of mustard-seed, are referred to the power of the Gospel preaching, which has subdued the whole world; in order to show its value and splendour, He now puts forth parables concerning a pearl and a treasure, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field. For the Gospel preaching is hidden in this world; and if you do not sell your all you will not purchase it; and this you ought to do with joy; wherefore it follows, which when a man hath found, he hideth it." [9]
Hilary of Poitiers: "This treasure is indeed found without cost; for the Gospel preaching is open to all, but to use and possess the treasure with its field we may not without price, for heavenly riches are not obtained without the loss of this world." [9]
Jerome: "That he hides it, does not proceed of envy towards others, but as one that treasures up what he would not lose, he hides in his heart that which he prizes above his former possessions." [9]
Gregory the Great: " Otherwise; The treasure hidden in the field is the desire of heaven; the field in which the treasure is hidden is the discipline of heavenly learning; this, when a man finds, he hides, in order that he may preserve it; for zeal and affections heavenward it is not enough that we protect from evil spirits, if we do not protect from human praises. For in this present life we are in the way which leads to our country, and evil spirits as robbers beset us in our journey. Those therefore who carry their treasure openly, they seek to plunder in the way. When I say this, I do not mean that our neighbours should not see our works, but that in what we do, we should not seek praise from without. The kingdom of heaven is therefore compared to things of earth, that the mind may rise from things familiar to things unknown, and may learn to love the unknown by that which it knows is loved when known. It follows, And for joy thereof he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. He it is that sells all he has and buys the field, who, renouncing fleshly delights, tramples upon all his worldly desires in his anxiety for the heavenly discipline." [9]
Jerome: "Or, That treasure in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3.), is either God the Word, who seems hid in Christ’s flesh, or the Holy Scriptures, in which are laid up the knowledge of the Saviour." [9]
Augustine: " Or, He speaks of the two testaments in the Church, which, when any has attained to a partial understanding of, he perceives how great things lie hid there, and goes and sells all that he has, and buys that; that is, by despising temporal things he purchases to himself peace, that he may be rich in the knowledge of God." [9]
A similar parable also appears in the Gospel of Thomas (Saying 109): [10]
The of Haven kingdom is like a person who had a treasure hidden in his field but did not know it. And [when] he died he left it to his [son]. The son [did] not know about it either. He took over the field and sold it. The buyer went plowing, [discovered] the treasure, and began to lend money at interest to whomever he wished.
— Gospel of Thomas 109, Patterson/Meyer translation
This work's version of the parable of the Pearl appears earlier (Saying 76), rather than immediately following, as in Matthew. [11] However, the mention of a treasure in Saying 76 may reflect a source for the Gospel of Thomas in which the parables were adjacent, [11] so that the original pair of parables has been "broken apart, placed in separate contexts, and expanded in a manner characteristic of folklore." [11] The multiple changes of ownership of the field are unique to the Gospel of Thomas, [11] and reflect a different theme from the New Testament parable. [4]
There have been several depictions of the New Testament parable in art, including works by Rembrandt, Jan Luyken, James Tissot, and John Everett Millais.
The Parable of the Pearl is one of the parables of Jesus Christ. It appears in Matthew 13 and illustrates the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Tertium comparationis is the quality that two things which are being compared have in common. It is the point of comparison which prompted the author of the comparison in question to liken someone or something to someone or something else in the first place.
The Parable of the Talents is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in two of the synoptic, canonical gospels of the New Testament:
Matthew 4:17 is the seventeenth verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. In the previous verses Jesus returned to Galilee after hearing of the arrest of John the Baptist and then left Nazareth for Capernaum. This verse reports that once in Capernaum, Jesus began to preach.
Matthew 6:10 is the tenth verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse is the second one of the Lord's Prayer, one of the best known parts of the entire New Testament. This verse contains the second and third petitions to God.
Matthew 5:10 is the tenth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It is the eighth verse of the Sermon on the Mount, and also eighth, and to some the last, of what are known as the Beatitudes.
Matthew 5:19 is the nineteenth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has reported that he came not to destroy the law, but fulfil it. In this verse he perhaps continues to reinforce this claim.
The parables of Jesus are found in the Synoptic Gospels and some of the non-canonical gospels. They form approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Christians place great emphasis on these parables, which they generally regard as the words of Jesus.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is one of the shorter parables of Jesus. It appears in Matthew (13:31–32), Mark (4:30–32), and Luke (13:18–19). In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, it is immediately followed by the Parable of the Leaven, which shares this parable's theme of the Kingdom of Heaven growing from small beginnings. It also appears in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas.
Matthew 6:1 is the first verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse begins the discussion of how even good deeds can be done for the wrong reasons.
Matthew 6:19 and 6:20 are the nineteenth and twentieth verses of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and are part of the Sermon on the Mount. These verses open the discussion of wealth. These verses are paralleled in Luke 12:33.
The Parable of the Sower is a parable of Jesus found in Matthew 13:1–23, Mark 4:1–20, Luke 8:4–15 and the extra-canonical Gospel of Thomas.
Matthew 13 is the thirteenth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. Verses 3 to 52 of this chapter form the third of the five Discourses of Matthew, called the Parabolic Discourse, based on the parables of the Kingdom. At the end of the chapter, Jesus is rejected by the people of his hometown, Nazareth.
The Parable of the Weeds or Tares is a parable of Jesus which appears in Matthew 13:24–43. The parable relates how servants eager to pull up weeds were warned that in so doing they would root out the wheat as well and were told to let both grow together until the harvest. Later in Matthew, the weeds are identified with "the children of the evil one", the wheat with "the children of the Kingdom", and the harvest with "the end of the age". A shorter, compressed version of the parable is found without any interpretation in the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas.
The Parable of the Leaven, also called the parable of the yeast, is one of the shortest parables of Jesus. It appears in Matthew 13:33 and Luke 13:20–21, as well as in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas. In the canonical gospels it immediately follows the Parable of the Mustard Seed, which shares this parable's theme of the Kingdom of Heaven growing from small beginnings. In the Gospel of Thomas it starts a series of three, preceding the Parable of the empty jar and the Parable of the Strong Man.
The parable of drawing in the net, also known as the parable of the dragnet, is a Christian parable that appears in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 47–52. The parable refers to the Last Judgment. This parable is the seventh and last in Matthew 13, which began with the parable of the Sower. It directly follows the Parable of the Pearl, which is about the Kingdom of God. Thus, it links the Kingdom of God with the final judgment—the separation for hell and heaven.
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is a parable of Jesus which appears in chapter 20 of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It is not included in the other canonical gospels. It has been described as a difficult parable to interpret.
The Parable of the Rich Fool is a parable of Jesus which appears in The Gospel of Luke. It depicts the futility of the belief that wealth can secure prosperity or a good life.
The Parable of the Great Banquet or the Wedding Feast or the Marriage of the King's Son is a parable told by Jesus in the New Testament, found in Matthew 22:1–14 and Luke 14:15–24.
Matthew 11:25 is the 25th verse in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .| Chronology |
|
|---|---|
| New Testament | |
| Historicity | |
| Depictions | |
| Christianity | |
| In other faiths | |
| Family |
|
| Related | |
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
