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JULY 27, 2008
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44–46
Many years ago, when I was living in California, I had the opportunity to visit the Gold–Rush country. As I looked at the remains of Sutter’s mill, I tried to imagine what it might have been like to be there in 1849. The mill must have been a scene of feverish activity. People abandoned everything so that they could get rich overnight. They came from the East and Midwest, from Europe, Australia, and from China. Many pawned their possessions to get there. The gold seekers were known as the Forty–Niners. Gold fever had struck and many came to strike it rich. But more often than not, the treasure hunters left disappointed.1
By nature, we are all inclined to be treasure hunters. In our text, Jesus speaks of a treasure, a treasure that is so great that a man will sacrifice everything he has to get it. He says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”2 He continues with the pearl of great price, saying, of the merchant, “[And upon] finding one pearl of great value, [he] went and sold all that he had and bought it.”3
The are at least three things that both parables have in common:
In the history of exegesis (biblical interpretation), the traditional understanding of this parable is that the treasure or pearl stands for Jesus and the kingdom of heaven, i.e., the Gospel blessings that he brings. The man or merchant, please note, is the sinner whose greatest priority in life is to acquire the treasure, namely, eternal life. And he does so by buying and selling.4
I have preached on this text a number of times. The last time was three–years ago. And I went with the traditional understanding because of the weight of nineteen centuries of exegesis. But in doing so, I was never comfortable that my explanation squared with what the text really said. Nor did I feel it accorded well with the rest of Scripture. Still, I resisted what I believed to be a better, more textual, and theologically sound interpretation.
I can no longer resist doing so.
Do pastors really worry about such things? I hope yours does!
But before I set it before you, you must understand the serious problems with the traditional view.
Another caveat: Before I set before you the best understanding of these parables, I do not do so alone. I join an ever–growing list of scholars and pastors (including Professors Jeffrey Gibbs and James Voelz of our St. Louis seminary) who have abandoned the older view. Indeed, new seminary students are now taught the new explanation. Finally, we have an explanation the accords with the rest of Scripture.
So let’s get to it. What we’re going to do, here, is to switch the roles of the players. The most important thing comes first. The man who seeks and the merchant who finds is no longer the sinner. Far from it! Instead he is explicitly, the Son of the living God, namely, Jesus himself.7 This is consistent with the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds, in which Jesus identifies himself as the “man who sowed good seed in his field” (Matt. 13:24 and 13:37). Thus, all of the parables are contextually in accord. That is to say, Jesus is the chief player in these parables. So, we state clearly that Jesus is the man who sows the good seed, the man who is the treasure hunter, and the merchant who seeks the pearl of great value.
Okay, so Jesus seeks and finds treasure. What does the treasure stand for? Ah, this is the best and most certain point. Jesus does not treasure silver or gold. He does not treasure popularity or success. He does not treasure most of the things we do. He tells us what he treasures if we listen to his words. He says to his disciples and to us, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”8 And again, he says, “Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; abide in my love.”9 Or consider these words of St. Paul, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”10
It is clear, then, that the treasure Jesus seeks and finds is us. We sinners are the objects of his incredible love! Notice that he seeks and finds us, not the other way around. The buying and selling that purchases us (the hidden treasure and the precious pearl) is his own lifeblood. We were bought with a price.11 And from the pen of St. Peter, we read, “You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold … but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”12 And be sure to notice that we are likened to a treasure and a precious pearl because God in Christ values us that highly!
There is an account that comes from Armenia many years ago. After a devastating earthquake, a father sought desperately to find his only child who had been buried alive in a collapsed building along with several other children. Everything he had to dig with had been buried in the fallen rubble of his own building. With only his hands, he started tearing away the debris of the collapsed building that entombed his son and his friends. He would not quit despite the fact that one of his few surviving friends said it was a futile and worthless effort.
For five hours the father dug and found nothing. But he refused to quit. For eight hours he dug, his hands bloodied form the shattered glass and roughened concrete; but still he would not quit. He kept on digging away. After 10 hours, he had found nothing. About 12 hours after he started, he managed to pull away a very large rock. There, in a cave of rubble, he found his son’s friends and, yes, his own son too. He had been hurt, but was very much alive. Seeing his father, the boy's face lit up. “I knew you'd come for me daddy. I knew I could trust you, that you would come and find me.” The father reached for his son, but the boy protested saying, “Daddy, I'm not worried. Take care of the other kids first. I know you'll come back for me.”13
This father’s love for his son was great. He searched and searched until he found him. The heavenly Father’s love for his Son was greater. He sent his Son to be born of a virgin, to live in the rubble of this world, and to redeem humanity by way of the cross.
But the loving Father did not seek to rescue his Son from the cross or from an unjust death.
The heavenly Father not only willed that his Son suffer the physical agony of the cross but also the terrors of hell. If you want to know what our sins cost and merit, behold the holy drama of the cross. Hanging from the cross, hear him cry out from the pit of hell, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”14 See his holy body go limp and lifeless as he breathes his last. He pays the wages of our sin.
Has love ever suffered so great a cost? Has it ever loved so unworthy a creature? Has it ever spared so ungrateful a mortal? We are all alike, you and I. But love has never reached so high or stooped so low. His love for us is greater than our love for wickedness, greater than our love for ourselves, and even greater than our love for finding his ways senseless, his acts cruel, and his perfection as boring as yesterday’s lunch. And, yet, the Savior suffers all, endures all, and pays all. And for one reason: We are his treasure! He would rather suffer hell for us than to go to heaven without us!
The Gospel proclaims that since Christ has been crucified, we need not be. On the cross, God charged all our sins to Christ’s account, and all his righteousness to our accounts. If we but trust this truth, then God declares us righteous in his sight. He declares us “not guilty” of all our sins. Indeed, the Father delights in giving us the kingdom.
Behold how great Jesus’ love is for the hidden treasure and the precious pearl. Yes, we are loved. And his love took him all the way to the cross. And simple trust in him will take us all the way to paradise! All the way! Jesus promises it!
In the name of him who sought us and bought us. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Endnotes
1 For more information on the Gold Rush, see http://www.pbs.org/goldrush.
2 See Matthew 13:44.
3 See Matthew 13:46.
4 See Jeffrey Gibbs, (Professor of Exegetical Theology, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis) essay at http://www.mtio.com/articles/bissar54.htm.
5 See Ephesians 2:1.
6 I think it is important to be correct in one’s exegesis. Having said that, to hold to the traditional interpretation is not necessarily heresy. It is only heresy if it is used to teach what the rest of Scripture denies, namely, righteousness on the basis of the sinner’s good works.
7 Gibbs is also the author of Matthew in the Concordia Commentary Series. Listen to James Voelz’s insights at http://www.csl.edu/Resources_AudioVideo_LectionaryatLunch.aspx.
8 See John 13:34.
9 See John 15:9.
10 See Romans 5:8.
11 See 1 Corinthians 6:20.
12 See 1 Peter 1:18-19, NKJV.
13 Adapted from an account told by Ben Rucker http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pericope/message/13168. Membership required.
14 See Matthew 27:46.
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