Matthew 13:44

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:44 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44 

The parable we will look at today is of the Hidden Treasure.  Here is this parable, which is also our focus verse as told in Matthew’s gospel.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44.

Jesus here equates the kingdom to a man who finds treasure, one that is buried in a field. Treasure could denote where valuables are stored, as is found earlier in Matthew. “And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11. However, in this verse it denotes the valuable item itself.  In a day when places for keeping things safe that we take for granted (like the safe deposits in banks) did not exist people had to make their own arrangements. One method they employed was to bury their valuable possessions (as did the unprofitable servant who hid his talent instead of investing it). If anyone did this before going off on a journey and failed to return, the possessions remained there and might be found later through a chance discovery like that in this parable. And what kind of field this was unknown.  Could have been anything, however many believe it was a field for crops.

And there have been questions as to the morality of finding a treasure there, and then hiding it so he can purchase it. However, this is irrelevant in the meaning of the parable.  Jesus is not dealing with the morality or legality of the man’s action but making the point that there can be treasure such that it is worth selling everything in order to possess it, such as with membership in the kingdom.

Jesus says that the man was very happy over his discovery; finding treasure must surely be a joyful experience.  And the man’s joy leads him to go off and buy the field, even though this meant he must first sell all he has.  The man realized this treasure far surpassed the value of the sum of everything he has.  Therefore, he determined living with this treasure was better then living with what he had.

Jesus is not saying that a man may buy his way into the kingdom; that would fly in the face of all his teaching. The selling of all he has is rather a way of bringing out the truth that one should count all we have as lost for the sake of the kingdom, for this treasure is the grace and forgiveness of God, through the death of Jesus Christ, whereby we will live for all eternity with Jesus.  This parable thus begs the question.  Do we view salvation and eternity with God worth giving up everything we have?  Are we willing to give to give it all up, including our things, property, friends, reputation, etc. to follow Christ? This is what He cal of us.  He is asking us what we value more, the treasures of this world, or the treasures of God? The answer is very clear to me, God’s riches. It may not appear to be riches from the world’s point of view, but membership in the kingdom has infinite value which all the worlds wealth could never come close to matching.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 13:44

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 13:44 

“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

This verse addresses the idea of the importance this Christian walk has in our lives.  It speaks of a hidden treasure in a field.  A man discovers this treasure while walking. This treasure is no doubt far more than just a bag or pot of coins.  The idea is of a gold or silver mine which was found under the field, wherewith the only way to access it is to buy the field.  He considered this treasure so great and valuable and was filled with such joy, he left it as it was and goes back and sells everything he has and purchases it. 

This parable of Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God; but more specifically, salvation provided by the death of Christ.  This treasure is seen through the gospel presented, either directly by someone bringing the word to us, or via some other medium.  We all, in one way or another, have heard the  gospel.  And this gospel is of inestimable worth, having a value beyond anything we could ever imagine. But the question is do we see the value of this treasure?     

The basic idea is, are we willing to give up everything for the cause of Christ?   This can be a difficult question.  In our past lives, we all had many things that were important or of great value to us.  The question is, stated more specifically, are any of these things more valuable to us than our service and devotion to God?  Jesus in this parable states that we should be willing to sell everything, or put another way, to give up everything for Christ.  This has nothing to do with our means of salvation, since this is completely the result of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.  Works has no part in our salvation however, it is the proof of our salvation.  “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:18. 

There is a phrase I use to denote this idea in my life of selling all I have to attain the treasure.  “If we are not all in, then we are not In at all.”  We must be willing to put God first in every area of our life.  We must be willing to give up those things, ideas or activities that are not honoring to Him.  Also, we must make all things secondary that gets in the way of our service to God.  Now, I am not saying we cannot relax, enjoy a good book / movie or spend time with friends and family.  Jesus himself would relax in the company of His disciples and others.  He does not prevent us from enjoying these times.  However, these things must not be ungodly nor take precedence over our calling from God. 

Now, I want to close this with a message of encouragement.  God wants us to enjoy life.  His desire is that we will draw closer to Him each and every moment.  And if we put Him first, this will be the life we will lead.  He is the one who helps us be content in our service to Him and our lives in this world.  “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6-8.  Godliness and obedience to His will brings contentment which is the source of God’s peace.  God wants us to enjoy our lives here, and contentment is the means by which it happens.  Give your all to God and hold back nothing.  You will be amazed at how rich and beautiful your life will become.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.