Matthew 13: 44-58

The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field

 

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.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.  So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,  And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.  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.  And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.  And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?  Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?  And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.  And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13: 44-58)

Jesus told four parables of heaven. The first is the treasure of the treasure hidden in the field, the second of the precious pearl, the third of the net of the sea, and the fourth of the good landlord. In chapter 13, Jesus' parable is likened to seeds, mustard seeds, and yeast planted in the ground. Heaven began in Israel, but it was a metaphor for the Gentiles to be saved first.

『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 』(13:44) Here, Heaven means Jesus Christ. Since the Bible says, "Heaven is like treasure," Jesus is the treasure. However, the treasure is hidden in the field. The field means the world (or Israel). The field is "Agros" in Greek. There are cultivated and uncultivated lands. Cultivated land is a field, meaning Israel. The uncultivated land means the world. "When a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth" Here, man means God.

In Mark 12: 1『And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country』. Vineyard here means Israel. So, one person is God. In Luke 14:16, 『He said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:』 Some are God. Luke 13: 6『He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 』 One is God, and the fig tree means Israel.

『A man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth』
"God found this" means that God planned Jesus Christ before the creation. The phrase "God hid treasure (Christ) in a field (Israel)" was that Jesus Christ was hidden from the people of Israel who had been inherited from Abraham. It was hidden in the law. The law is the primary teacher leading to Christ. By the way,

『selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field 』 Some say this, as many people sell their possessions and buy heaven. However, nothing in the world can buy heaven. If people say that, they don't know the meaning in the parable. The meaning of God selling his possessions is to put Jesus Christ to death. This is redemption. Redemption is the purchase of the blood of Jesus Christ for those who repent. So, God buys the field (the stranger in the world) at the cost of the blood.

In the parable of the Pearl of Great Price, pearls are produced from shellfish, which means there is tremendous suffering and sacrifice. Paul said in Philippians 3: 7, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." Jesus said that those who deny themselves and do not take up their cross are not related to Jesus.

The Bible tells us, through the parable of the nets hitting the sea, that the disciples must preach the Gospel of Heaven and become fishermen who fish like men. The world is an open sea. Sharing the good news is netting the sea. The net catches all kinds of meat. There are times when this net is filled and pulled up to the shore, and that is the end of the world. This is also a personal end and the last day of judgment in the world. Those who hear the Gospel and repent and are born again with water and the Holy Spirit will be placed in a good vessel. Those who have heard the Gospel, but have not repented, and the old man has not yet died, are abandoned.

This is a parable of a good landlord.『 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..』(Matthew 13:52) The new is the word of the new covenant, and the old is the law. We must be able to correctly interpret and interpret the law and the new covenant to become disciples of heaven. When Jesus asked, "Did you realize all this?", The disciples answered, "Yes." Then Jesus compared the disciples to you as "the scribes who became disciples of Heaven."

Jesus said to his disciples, "You can learn heaven well and teach the word skillfully and bring out old and new things and teach them abundantly." In order to read the Bible and evangelize to others, you need to be familiar with the contents of the Bible and apply it accordingly.

However, many churches today do not distinguish well between old and new. This is said in Ephesians 5:18 『And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; "Here, alcohol means wine. Wine is the word of God. If you get drunk, say this and then say that. You will gibberish. If you can't tell the difference between old and new, it's not because of the Holy Spirit. So, He says to be filled only with the Holy Spirit. Of course, the Bible says not to be drunk in this world.