The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; 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; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

(NRSV, Matthew 13:44-46)

In both parables, a person was willing to give up all his worldly possessions to obtain something of even greater value. In a similar way, the kingdom of God has more value to us than any worldly things - possessions, pleasures, prejudices or pride.

It is sometimes noted that the buyer acted deceitfully in the Parable of the Hidden Treasure. He was morally obligated to inform the owner of the field about the treasure. However, we have to keep in mind that there is only one lesson in the parable; it is a mistake to look for meaning in every detail of the story.

Related verses: Daniel 2:44, Luke 1:33, Romans 14:17, Colossians 1:13, 2 Peter 1:10-11, Philippians 3:8-9.

History of publications!

The Parable of the Sower
The Parable of the Mustard Seed

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source text http://www.christianbiblereference.org/jparable.htm
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