The Treasure And The Pearl

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

— Matthew 13:44-46 —

The kingdom parables give us tremendous insight into the kingdom of God. Our Lord explains to His disciples—all His disciples, including you and me—several things about the kingdom so we will know what’s going on and not be confused or discouraged. It is paramount we understand these great truths, for we are given charge to teach and preach the Gospel of the kingdom. The more we know, and the more encouraged we are, the more effective we will be.

The first kingdom parable, the parable of the soils, reveals to us that most will not believe the Gospel. And these unbelievers will coexist with, and outnumber, believers. The second parable, the tares, teaches us that both believers and unbelievers will coexist until the harvest, and that believers are not the reapers. Believers are not called to exterminate unbelievers; this is the job of Christ’s mighty angels at the time of harvest (Matt. 25:31-32, II Thess. 1:7-8).

The next two parables, the mustard seed and the leaven, show us that the kingdom of heaven will start very, very small and will grow to be very, very large, and will influence all of the earth. Many will experience and be blessed by the far-reaching influence of the Gospel until it is fully realized in its final culmination.

Today we consider the next two parables, the treasure and the pearl of great price, which speak to how men receive the Gospel message of the kingdom. While all mankind are under the sovereign rule of the Christ the King, a minority enter into privilege through believing the Gospel, while the majority refuse and are destroyed. And of those who believe, they come one of two ways, as these two parables show forth. Many merely appear to stumble upon the Gospel, while others spend their lives searching for truth and find it in the Gospel. In both cases, each man sells all they have to obtain it, and each man goes away rejoicing.

Is the Gospel that valuable to you?