Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G067 Parables about the Kingdom of Heaven:
The Hidden Treasure – The Pearl of Great Value –
The Fishing Net – New and Old Treasures
Matthew 13:44-52
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All the Bible verses quoted in this article are from the King James Version.
Matthew 13:44-52
44 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.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
In this article, we will continue to study the parables of the Kingdom of Heaven: the parable of the hidden treasure, the parable of the pearl of great value, the parable of the fishing net, and the parable of the new and old treasures. The time and place where the Lord Jesus taught these parables were in His lodging in the city of Capernaum, at the end of a Sabbath day. These parables were taught by the Lord Jesus to His disciples, right after He explained to them the meaning of the parable of the tares.
44 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.
The adverb “again” implies that, in addition to the aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven that the Lord Jesus had taught through previous parables, He still had parables to teach about other aspects of it.
The noun “treasure” (G2344) in the original Greek of the Holy Bible is used to refer to valuable items that are stored; it is used to refer to a chest, pot, cupboard, or warehouse that contains valuable items; or it is used to refer to a place where precious goods and assets are stored. The “treasure hid in a field” in this parable could be some valuable assets, such as gold coins, jewelry, and precious stones, stored in a ceramic pot and buried in the ground in the middle of a field.
In ancient times, in the Middle East, wars often occurred. Before evacuating to another place, wealthy people usually gathered their assets into ceramic pots and buried them in their own land. When the war ended, they would return to retrieve the buried assets. However, there were many times when the owners of the assets died before they could return, or sometimes they could not return because the land had fallen into the hands of an enemy nation. Thus, their treasures were forgotten until someone accidentally discovered them.
The person who found the treasure in the parable was probably a laborer working for the landowner. While plowing the land, he might have discovered the treasure. Over the years, erosion or animals digging in the ground could have exposed the treasure. The person who discovered the treasure reburied it in the field. Then he went back, sold all his possessions, and bought that field to have the right to own the treasure. He exchanged everything he had for something more valuable. The discovery of the treasure was accidental, as the person had no intention of looking for it.
Some people believe that the person who discovered the treasure was not honest because he did not inform the landowner about the treasure. However, the treasure did not originally belong to the landowner. When the landowner bought the field, he bought the field, not the treasure. Similarly, when the landowner sold the field, he sold the field, not the treasure. According to Middle Eastern customs at that time, an ownerless treasure belonged to the person who discovered it.
This parable implies that in the world, there are many people who are not searching but suddenly come to know the Gospel of Salvation from *God and are willing to give up everything they have to live according to the Gospel. Even though they may not know anything about the Gospel of Salvation from *God, many people desire to escape their sinful nature and live a holy life. Therefore, when they hear the Gospel, they gladly accept it and are willing to trade everything from their old life to live a new life in the grace of *God’s salvation.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
“A merchant man, seeking goodly pearls” represents those who are educated and eager to search for the truth. They are likely very knowledgeable about the philosophies and doctrines of various religions.
“One pearl of great price” symbolizes the Gospel of Salvation of *God. The merchant seeking fine pearls and finding a pearl of great value represents a person with a desire and search for the truth who has found all truths in the Gospel.
“Sold all that he had, and bought it” signifies that this person has exchanged everything he has for something more valuable. He abandons the philosophies and religious systems he has studied to solely embrace the Gospel of Salvation of *God and lives according to the Gospel.
Both the person who seeks the truth and finds the Gospel and the person who does not seek but still encounters the Gospel share a common point. After recognizing the Gospel, they joyfully accept it and are willing to abandon their old life to fully live the new life brought by the Gospel.
The parable of the pearl of great value can also symbolize Christ seeking those who truly believe in Him, and He sacrifices even His own life to redeem them.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven is preached to all nations on earth. Because of this, many people believe in the Gospel. Unfortunately, not many live according to the Gospel. For example, some who believe in the Gospel in the End Times do not show compassion towards their fellow believers. The Lord Jesus prophesied about them in Matthew 25:41-46.
According to statistics, by mid-2023, there were approximately 2.6 billion people who identified themselves as disciples of Christ, with 1.268 billion belonging to the Catholic Church [1]. But in reality, how many people live a life obeying the commandments of God?
“The good” are those who genuinely believe in the Gospel and live according to the Gospel in every nation.
“The bad” are those who believe in the Gospel but do not live according to it in every nation. Not living according to the Gospel means not obeying the commandments of God. These commandments are clearly recorded in the Holy Bible. Not obeying the commandments of God means not doing what God commands but doing what God forbids.
A person believes in the Gospel to be saved, which means being forgiven of sins by *God and granted eternal life. But if, after accepting the Gospel, he continues to live in sin, committing sins to satisfy the desires of the flesh, how can he have salvation? Anyone who claims to be a disciple of Christ but continues to violate the Ten Commandments of *God, the New Commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Commandment of Holiness from the Holy Spirit does not have salvation [2]. Their punishment will be even more severe than that of those who do not believe in the Gospel because they add the sin of trampling on Christ, disregarding His holy blood, and insulting the Holy Spirit.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The generation of people in the End Times includes those who sincerely accept the Gospel and are willing to pay the price for their faith with their own lives under the persecution of the AntiChrist. It also includes those who are utterly depraved in sin. Their sinfulness is as severe as that of those who lived in the time of Noah before the Great Flood. Therefore, in the End Times, severe punishment from heaven will descend upon those living in sin. Ultimately, they will be cast alive into hell, like the AntiChrist and his False Prophet.
The wicked mentioned in verse 49 include those who bear the mark of the Antichrist in the End Times and those who accept the Gospel in the End Times but lack compassion for their fellow believers.
51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
The disciples of the Lord Jesus confirmed that they understood the parables He taught. This time, there was no need for the Lord Jesus to explain; the disciples understood the meaning of each parable.
Next, the Lord Jesus spoke to them the final parable of the day, which was the parable of every scribe who had been instructed about the Kingdom of Heaven, and brought forth the things they had learned to compare and connect them together.
“Scribe” was the title given by the Israelites at that time to those who dedicated themselves to copying and explaining the Bible. But we understand that the Lord Jesus was not talking about the scribes at that time in general; but He was only talking about the scribes who heard and believed in the Gospel.
“The treasure” is the mind of those who diligently study the Word of God, remembering the lessons learned from the Word of God. These are the most precious things in the world.
“The new things” are the truths they learn from the Lord Jesus.
“The old things” are the truths they learn from the Old Testament Scriptures.
All the scribes who have a heart to receive the truth do the work of comparing, contrasting, and connecting the truths they have learned from the Old Testament Scriptures with the truths they have learned from the Lord Jesus.
The action of “bringing forth” also implies that they expound these truths for others to come and hear them.
The truths a person receives from the Word of God, stored in his mind, are his treasure. For the people of God today, the “old things” are all the truths they have learned about the Word of God; the “new things” are the additional truths about the Word of God they learn every day. The people of God always bring together what they have learned with what they have just learned, comparing, contrasting, and connecting them. Then, they carefully follow them and share them with others.
Thank God! Today we have the complete Bible in our hands, which is incredibly convenient. We have the truths of the Word of God, the most precious things in the world, stored in our minds. If we carefully follow these truths, we will act wisely and prosper in all aspects of life. Let us cast away all the old things belonging to sin to embrace the new life of purity in Christ.
We conclude this lesson here.
May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!
Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
06/01/2024
Notes
[2] https://timhieutinlanh.com/cac-dieu-ran-cua-thien-chua/
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