Holy Hormones Bible Study: Teaching — not Entertainment
THE MYSTERIOUS PARABLES EXPLAINED TO THE PERPLEXED #3 The Hidden Treasure
Who is the Prize?
The explanation is written in plain sight in the OT
Will all the parables be discussed in this series?
No. Only some of the popular ones about the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew.
Is there a difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God?
That will be discussed later in the series.
Before we start
First there is a Theological Concept that requires explanation if it is new to you, Expositional Consistency. When the Holy Spirit establishes an idiom, it remains constant throughout the Bible. The key is provided by Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:4 || “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
Now, if you have been doing more than just skimming, every time you encounter written, “Rock,” you will read, “Christ.”
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
It is written in Matthew 13:44 || “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
This has been sermonised in a number of ways. Just a few are:-
• The Treasure is Jesus for Whom we must sell everything.
• When you find the Treasure secure it.
• We should gladly sacrifice everything we possess, if need be, that we might possess the kingdom of Heaven.
All the sermons I’ve heard go along this line of what the Saint must do.
But take a look at what’s written.
It is already known from the Parable of the Wheat and Tares
Kingdom of Heaven is the Church. Keep in mind that there is neither Kingdom of Heaven nor Kingdom of God mentioned in the OT. It is not unreasonable that these would be unfamiliar terms to the Israelites. Matthew is The Jew writing to The Jews. He is exposing them to a sprinkle of both terms but there is more to do on the other parables before discussing that.
The man is Christ.
The field is the World — that God loved so much.
sells all that he has and buys that field. How did Christ redeem the World? By shedding His Blood and dying on the Cross. He gave it all.
What/Whom is the treasure?
To whom was Jesus speaking?
Jesus is a Jew speaking to Jews who had only the Tanakh. What would they understand in the OT as being the treasure?
° It is written in Exodus 19:3–6 || And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure (H5459 — sᵊḡullâ) to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
° Deuteronomy 7:6 || “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure (H5459 — sᵊḡullâ) above all the peoples on the face of the earth.
° Psalm 135:4 || For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His special treasure (H5459 — sᵊḡullâ).
So Israel is God’s treasure.
But not all of Israel.
He keeps a special Book, as is written in Malachi 3:16–18
Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord
And who meditate on His name.
“They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts,
“On the day that I make them My jewels (H5459 — sᵊḡullâ).PICTURE
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.
So now it is established whom is the treasure back to Matthew 13:44
|| “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
° treasure hidden in a field: Israel (Abram, initially) in the World (you know what kosmos means by now.)
The Grammar shows that Yehovah/Jesus had been looking but now the search was completed. Was this a pleasant surprise for God? No. He declares the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done. (Isaiah 46:10) It was now God’s timing in His Redemption Plan. His Joy is complete when the Ransom is paid.
The treasure is hid (in the field): The Diaspora has hidden the Jews in the World/field for our advantage but it appears that the sun is setting on the Times of the Gentiles.
Is our gaze in the wrong direction?
I’m open to correction but my logic tells me that this parable broadly covers Yehovah, Israel and the ultimate Church. You may differ.
The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime.
All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
(We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.)
