Lesson#30

THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #30
THE PARABLE OF THE TREASURE AND THE FIELD (MAT 13:44)

• MEMORY VERSE: 1COR 6:20

• THIS IS ANOTHER PARABLE THAT IS OFTEN MIS-INTERPRETED. PREVIOUSLY JESUS WAS SPEAKING TO A MIXED MULTITUDE OF PEOPLE. NOW, FOR THIS PARABLE, HE IS SPEAKING ONLY TO HIS DISCIPLES.
• IF WE WERE TO STOP WITH THE FIRST FOUR PARABLES OF CHAPTER 13, WE WOULD HAVE A VERY DISCOURAGING, PESSIMISTIC VIEW OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH. FOR EXAMPLE:
• YOU SOW MUCH SEED OF THE GOSPEL ONLY TO HAVE IT WASTED ON BARREN GROUND, AND ONLY A FEW PEOPLE REALLY BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR.
• THEN THE TARES, OR WEEDS, GROW UP IN THE FIELD OF GRAIN AND YOU CAN’T TELL THE TRUE GRAIN FROM THE FALSE.
• THEN CHRISTIANITY GROWS INTO A GREAT MUSTARD TREE OF ORGANIZATION AND PRESUMPTION IN WHICH SATAN’S FOULS DEVOUR WHAT LITTLE GOOD SEED IS PRODUCED.
• THEN SIN, REPRESENTED BY LEAVEN, PERVADES CHRISTIANITY HINDERING TRUE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.
• THE PARABLE IN THIS LESSON HAS A MORE OPTIMISTIC VIEWPOINT.

• THE PARABLE OF THE TREASURE AND THE FIELD (MAT 13:44)
• READ MAT 13:44
• THE COMMON MIS-INTERPRETATION:
• MANY THEOLOGIANS, PASTORS, AND TEACHERS INTERPRET THE PARABLE TO MEAN THAT THE TREASURE IS JESUS CHRIST, HIDDEN IN THE WORLD, WHICH SOME MEN FIND WHEN THEY SEEK GOD. THEY DISCOVER HE IS WORTH MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD.
• THIS INTERPRETATION SOUNDS GOOD ON THE SURFACE UNTIL YOU BEGIN TO EXAMINE THE ACTIONS IN THE PARABLE.
• WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS INTERPRETATION? THERE ARE TWO VERY BIG PROBLEMS:
• =1= HUMANS DO NOT SEEK GOD. GOD SEEKS US.
• READ ROM 3:9-12
• READ LUK 19:10
• READ JOH 16:13-15
• READ JOH 4:23
• EVERY TIME THE WORD, SEEK, IS USED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT REGARDING A PERSON SEEKING GOD, IT IS USED TO REFER TO A PERSON AFTER THAT PERSON IS SAVED, NEVER BEFORE.
• =2= HUMANS DO NOT “BUY” ANYTHING TO RECEIVE CHRIST.
• READ ROM 5:18-19
• READ ROM 6:23
• THE NEW TESTAMENT CLEARLY SAYS THAT SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT THAT WE CANNOT EARN OR “BUY”.
• A BETTER INTERPRETATION: IDENTIFICATION OF THE ELEMENTS IN THE PARABLE:
• WHAT DOES THE FIELD REPRESENT?
• THE FIELD REPRESENTS THE WORLD.
• JESUS SAID IN AN EARLIER PARABLE THAT THE FIELD REPRESENTED THE WORLD. WE SHOULD BE CONSISTENT BECAUSE THE WORD OF GOD NEVER CONTRADICTS ITSELF. IF THERE SEEMS TO BE A CONTRADICTION, IT IS BECAUSE WE ARE MISUNDERSTANDING IT.
• WHO DOES THE MAN REPRESENT?
• THE MAN REPRESENTS JESUS CHRIST.
• IN EARLIER PARABLES, JESUS IDENTIFIED THE MAN PLANTING THE SEED AS HIMSELF. (13:37) AGAIN WE MUST BE CONSISTENT WITH THE CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE.
• WHAT IS THE TREASURE?
• IF THE FIELD REPRESENTS THE WORLD, THEN THE TREASURE IS THE HEART OF FAITH (THE SOUL OF MAN) THAT WILL BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST.
• FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE, THE ETERNAL SOUL OF MAN IS THE MOST VALUABLE TREASURE IN THE WORLD. THIS IS WHY GOD SENT JESUS INTO THE WORLD, TO SAVE MEN’S SOULS.
• WHEN GOD CREATED MAN, HE CREATED HIM WITH AN ETERNAL SOUL. (1COR 15:45 2COR 5:1-4)
• ALL HUMANS HAVE AN ETERNAL SOUL AND WILL LIVE FOREVER.
• SOME WILL LIVE FOREVER WITH CHRIST AND PARTAKE OF ETERNAL LIFE. (JOH 3:15-16)
• OTHERS WILL LIVE FOREVER IN THE LAKE OF FIRE AND PARTAKE OF ETERNAL DEATH. (REV 19:20 REV 20:10)
• WHAT TWO ACTIONS DID THE MAN DO IN THE PARABLE?
• =1= THE MAN HID THE TREASURE.
• WHAT DOES THE PARABLE MEAN WHEN IT SAYS THE MAN HID THE TREASURE?
• IF THE TREASURE IS A BELIEVING HEART, GOD WAITED UNTIL THE TIME WAS RIGHT TO PAY THE PRICE FOR REDEMPTION.
• FOR EXAMPLE:
• ABRAHAM HAD FAITH, BUT CHRIST DID NOT COME TO EARTH DURING ABRAHAM’S LIFETIME. GOD WAITED 2,000 YEARS BEFORE HE SENT HIS SON TO DIE ON THE CROSS TO PURCHASE REDEMPTION FOR THE WORLD.
• ABRAHAM DIED AND HIS BELIEVING SOUL WAS HIDDEN IN SHEOL OR HADES (THE PLACE OF THE DEAD) WHERE ABRAHAM WAITED FOR HIS RESURRECTION.
• =2= THE MAN BOUGHT THE FIELD. WHY?
• THE MAN BOUGHT THE FIELD TO OBTAIN THE TREASURE.
• WHY DID THE MAN HAVE TO BUY THE FIELD? IF GOD IS THE SOVEREIGN CREATOR OF THIS WORLD, DIDN’T HE ALREADY OWN THE WORLD?
• YES, GOD IS SOVEREIGN, BUT THE WORLD IS SOLD OUT TO SIN.
• ADAM RELINQUISHED HIS AUTHORITY OVER THIS WORLD TO SATAN WHEN HE ATE OF THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL.
• READ COL 1:20-22
• THIS WORLD NEEDED REDEMPTION FROM SIN. THE WORD, REDEMPTION, MEANS THAT A PRICE HAD TO BE PAID TO BUY IT BACK FROM SATAN. JESUS CHRIST PAID THE REDEMPTION PRICE TO BUY THIS WORLD (THE FIELD) BACK FROM SATAN.
• CHRIST REDEEMED THE EARTH AT HIS FIRST COMING BY PAYING THE PRICE OF REDEMPTION. HOWEVER, HE HAS NOT YET TAKEN POSSESSION OF WHAT HE PURCHASED. AT HIS SECOND COMING, CHRIST WILL TAKE POSSESSION OF HIS TREASURE, THE SOULS OF BELIEVERS, AS WELL AS THE EARTH ITSELF. THEN, HAVING TAKEN POSSESSION OF THIS EARTH, CHRIST WILL ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM ON EARTH FOR 1,000 YEARS. (THE MILLENNIUM). (REV 5:2-5)
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?
• JESUS CHRIST SEEKS FAITH IN THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE. FAITH IN THE HEART (THE SOUL) IS A VALUABLE TREASURE. CHRIST PAID THE REDEMPTION PRICE WITH HIS BLOOD ON THE CROSS FOR THE SINS OF ALL THE WORLD IN ORDER TO PURCHASE THE FAITH OF A FEW.
• THIS PARABLE OF THE TREASURE AND THE FIELD CORRESPONDS TO THE CHURCH OF SARDIS IN REVELATION.
• READ REV 3:1-6
• CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH ENOUGH TO KEEP IT FROM DYING TOTALLY. IT WAS A VALUABLE TREASURE OF FAITH IN THE HEARTS OF A FEW PEOPLE.
• IN CHURCH HISTORY, THIS WAS THE TIME OF THE REFORMATION. MARTIN LUTHER DISCOVERED THAT FAITH WAS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION, NOT CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.
• WITH THE REFORMATION, MANY PEOPLE BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH FOR SALVATION.

HOMEWORK
THE PARABLE OF THE MERCHANTMAN AND THE PEARL (MAT 13:45-46)
THIS IS A SELF STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE TREASURE AND THE FIELD (MAT 13:44)
• IF CHRIST WERE TO COME BACK TO EARTH TODAY, WOULD HE FIND FAITH IN YOUR HEART?
• IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF WHAT FAITH IS, READ HEB 11, ESPECIALLY VERSES 1 AND 6. THEN READ ROM 10:17
• FAITH IS BELIEF WITHOUT VISUAL PROOF. IT IS A CONFIDENCE OR TRUST IN JESUS CHRIST. IT IS A BELIEF THAT THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD AND DOES NOT LIE. WHEN THE BIBLE SAYS THAT JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR YOUR SINS, THAT HE WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD, THAT HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, THAT HE IS COMING AGAIN, IT IS THIS BELIEF DEEP IN YOUR HEART WITHOUT VISUAL PROOF ON YOUR PART THAT IS NECESSARY.
• WRITE DOWN YOUR OWN STATEMENT OF FAITH REGARDING WHAT YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE IN HEART ABOUT JESUS CHRIST AND WHO HE IS.

• PREPARATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE MERCHANTMAN AND THE PEARL (MAT 13:45-46)
• THIS IS ANOTHER OFTEN MIS-INTERPRETED PARABLE. PUT ASIDE YOUR PAST CONCEPTIONS REGARDING THIS PARABLE, AND RE-EXAMINE IT CAREFULLY. THE MESSAGE IS SIMILAR TO THE LAST PARABLE BUT WITH SOME DIFFERENCES.
• READ MAT 13:45-46
• WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THIS PARABLE AND THE ONE IN THE LAST LESSON (MAT 13:44)?
• (A CLUE: CONSIDER THE DIFFERENCES IN THE OBJECT SOUGHT.)

• WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PEARLS?
• WHO DOES THE MERCHANTMAN REPRESENT?
• WHAT IS THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE? (A CLUE: IT IS NOT THE SAME AS THE “TREASURE” IN THE LAST PARABLE, BUT SIMILAR.)
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?

• MEMORY VERSE: EPH 5:27