Gospel Priorities (Matthew 13.44-46)

In this pair of parables Jesus describes two contrasting ways of finding wealth. The man in the first parable comes across the treasure almost by accident whereas the man in the second parable has spent his time searching for what he regards as valuable. That much is obvious, but then we have to ask how such contrasts can both describe the progress of the kingdom.

Who is the man in the parables?

There is a difference of opinion regarding whom Jesus has in mind when he mentions to an individual in each of these parables. One view is that the man in both parables represents Jesus himself and illustrates his willingness to give up everything he had in heaven in order to rescue his people, with them being the treasure and the pearl of great price. This suggestion is usually made because Jesus is regarded as the sower in earlier parables in this chapter.

Personally, I don’t agree with that interpretation and do so for a couple of reasons. One reason is that interpreting the first parable of Jesus would mean that we conclude he likening his activities to walking in a field and coming across his people by accident, whereas the biblical description is that he knew what he was looking for. This suggestion also leads to the denial of particular redemption because those who advocate it say that Jesus had to purchase the world (the field) before he could get his people (the treasure).

As far as the second parable is concerned, if the man depicts Jesus we would need to say that he tried a few pearls before finding the one that he really thought worthwhile having. And such an idea is not found anywhere in the Bible.

Instead, I would suggest that the parables focus on how sinners enter the kingdom. Jesus could have chosen from many examples, but it would be reasonable to assume that he selected two of the most common type of converts. The parables describe how they became members of the kingdom and what the outcome was now that they had done so.

Selfishness

We will think about them later, but to begin with we should observe that Jesus here commends a certain type of selfishness, which is for each person to ensure that he is saved. There are expressions of activity for ourselves that are sinful because they take us away from God. But it is not sinful for a sinner to focus on ensuring that he experiences deliverance. And both types of people in the parables display this good type of selfishness.

Accidentally

The individual in the first parable comes across the treasure as he walks through a field. Apparently, it was quite common to find buried treasure on the surface of the ground, perhaps after some rain had washed away the soil. The treasure could have been buried in haste and the person who had done so did not return to get it. We see an example of a person burying treasure in a shallow manner in the story of Achan in the book of Joshua.

Some sinners discover the message of the gospel without having been consciously seeking for it. They may be walking along the road and see a piece of paper on the ground that has something printed on it. When they pick it up, it is a tract which they read and get converted soon after. Or they may overhear a conversation in which the gospel is explained and they become convinced of its truth.

Are there individuals in the Bible who come into this category? Take the Philippian jailor. He was converted when he heard Paul’s message in prison. There is not a hint that the jailor had been thinking about the gospel before this. Yet when he heard the message of the gospel he believed in Jesus and received salvation. Or we can think of the individuals who were converted after Paul spoke to the philosophers in Athens. They were not that interested in a way of salvation beforehand, yet when they heard what Paul had to say they were converted while others who were with them listening to Paul were not.

Searcher

The merchant man seeking for pearls describes the believer who searches in one way or another for salvation. There are different ways by which a person can search, both from outside the church and from inside the church. The searcher outside the church may be a religious person with an ongoing desire to discover who God is. So he may explore different religions hoping to find what he is looking for.

Or the person outside the church may be looking for meaning in life and engage in all kinds of activities as he looks for it. He may focus on pleasure, or he may imagine that possessions may provide what he is looking for. His attempts to find life will always be frustrated because the things he is engaged in cannot provide it. Nevertheless, he keeps on searching.

Within the church, someone may search for salvation by attempting to keep God’s commands regularly. They have been told that God will give peace to those who keep his commandments and therefore they try and obey them. Yet they are trying to do what should be done by the converted. Before living a life of obedience to Christ, such searchers need to discover that they should cease from trying to please God by their own obedience to God’s laws.

Both those within the church and those outside the church can persist in their personal forms of searching. They can do so for a long time and sometimes they don’t find what they are looking for. But some of them do find it, and there are records of such in the biblical accounts, and they are recorded there for our information.

We have the thousands who were converted on the Day of Pentecost who had spent their lives trying to please God through keeping the Jewish rituals. Saul of Tarsus and imagined that he was serving God, although he does not seem to have known any deep joy from all his religious activities. But all that changed when he discovered who Jesus was. Cornelius the Roman soldier and Lydia the seller of purple cloth were Gentiles seeking for reality and had concluded that the Jewish religion was the best on offer. Yet they were led to hear the gospel and when they did they embraced it wholeheartedly.

Similarity

Having said that there are differences in how they discover the way into the kingdom, the parables also point to some similarities. One similarity is that both experienced a time and place where they discovered what they were looking for. In other words, they were brought by divine providence to the place where they could hear the gospel. It is amazing to think how God has done this for billions of people throughout history as he brought them to that point of discovery.

A second similarity is that both kinds of persons discovered the same need for making the gospel the priority in their lives, much more important than everything else that they possessed. Of course, what we mean by gospel is Jesus and his work. The gospel is the unfolding of who Jesus is and what he has done in order for sinners to be saved. Why do they have this priority? One answer is that the faith they possess is one that works by love. The gospel story is a love story that warms their hearts.

A third similarity is that both types of discoverer becomes prosperous as a consequence. This is a reminder that believing the gospel makes a person spiritually rich beyond all calculation. Who can describe the riches of God’s grace? All of them become members of God’s family and heirs of the kingdom that belongs to Jesus. In comparison to what they will possess, the richest person on earth in worldly matters is very poor.

There is a fourth similarity between the two men and that is that they responded promptly to finding the treasure and the special pearl. They did not waste any time and instead rushed to ensure that they had permanent possession of what they had discovered. This is a reminder that there is no requirement in the Bible that a person should wait instead of going to Jesus immediately for salvation. If he has arranged for us to hear the gospel and grasp its significance, he has given us the warrant to go to him for it. Not only do we have a warrant to go to him, he also assures us of a very warm welcome.

Satisfaction

The last detail that I want us to observe from this parable is the satisfaction the men have in having the treasure and the pearl. In the first parable, the satisfaction is expressed in the joy that the finder found in his new treasure. As far as the second parable is concerned, his satisfaction is expressed in him ceasing to hunt for other pearls.

When a sinner meets Jesus, joy becomes his portion and he ceases to hunt for other things to satisfy his heart. He has joy because all his sins have been forgiven. The casual walker through the field may not have had much awareness of his sins beforehand, but even afterwards when he discovers the evils of his heart he does so knowing that he has been forgiven. This joy of pardon marks all who enter the kingdom.

We could also consider other causes of joy, but one that we can focus on now is the prospect of even greater joy in the world to come. What is the eternal state but a world of joy beyond description?