The Parables Of Christ Pt 4: Priceless - The Hidden Treasure And The Pearl Of Great Price.
Matthew 13:44–46
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
The Joy of Discovery
“Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44
When this man discovers thge treasure, he knows he’s stumbled onto something incredibly valuable—more valuable than everything he currently owns.
But he doesn’t just grab it and run. Why?
Because in the culture of that time the treasure would only legally belong to the owner of the field. So if the man wanted to claim it the right way he couldn’t just take it—he had to buy the land it was buried in.
He’s willing to do the hard-honest work of giving everything, in order to fully possess what he’s found.
He knows exactly what he’s found-and with joy, He re-orders his entire life to take hold of it.
This parable can be viewed from a different angle with this man as a picture of Jesus Himself:
Seeing us as a treasure in a broken world. Willing to give everything—even His own life—to make us His.
So this parable works on two levels:
We respond to the Kingdom with joyful surrender…
But we only do that because God joyfully sought and redeemed us first.
The Call to Surrender
“When he found one pearl of great value, he went and sold all he had and bought it.”
– Matthew 13:46
The second parable carries a different feel than the first.
This man isn’t stumbling into something unexpected—He’s searching.
When He finds the pearl He sells everything He owns to make it His-no hesitation-no halfway offer-He knows exactly what He’s found and he refuses to miss the chance to have it.
Jesus is making something very clear here: The Kingdom of God isn’t something we casually add to our lives. It’s not a side hustle or a spiritual upgrade. It’s the one thing, worth everything.
This parable isn’t only about how we respond to God. It’s also about how Jesus responded to the will of the Father.
Jesus didn’t come to do His own will, He came to fulfill the will of the Father, and the Father’s will was crystal clear: to seek and save what was lost.
The same joy that moved the merchant to sell everything is the joy that carried Jesus through the agony of the cross.
“For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross…” – Hebrews 12:2
The Certainty of Value
“…and bought it.” – Matthew 13:46
Both of Jesus’ parables end with a bold, decisive action:
The man who found the treasure in the field and the merchant who discovered the pearl didn’t hesitate. They knew what they had found was worth everything.
When someone truly sees the Kingdom—when they realize who Jesus is and what life under His rule looks like—they will let go of everything else… to make it their own.
When Jesus saw your brokenness,fear and your past mistakes-He didn’t hesitate-He didn’t flinch at the cost-He knew the price of redemption and He still said “Yes”.
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
These parables don’t just show us how we respond to God-they reveal how God in His mercy and mission first moved toward us.
TABLE TIME:
As we engage in conversation, let Paul’s words to the Colossian church be our framework. Colossians 4:6, ‘Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.’
The Joy of Discovery
“Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has…” (v. 44)
How would you explain the difference between the kind of joy Jesus is talking about and the kind of happiness we usually chase in everyday life?
Have you ever had a season where following Jesus felt especially joyful or alive again?
What helped you reconnect in that way?
What are some things in our culture—or even in your own day-to-day life—that can easily take the spotlight away from the joy of following Jesus?
The Call to Surrender
“He went and sold all that he had and bought it…” (v. 46)
Why do you think Jesus links total surrender to joy in this story?
Is there anything right now in your life that’s hard to hand over to God—whether it’s control, comfort, time, or something else?
How should our perspective shift when surrender isn’t about what God is taking from us, but about what He’s inviting us into?
In what ways does it help to think of surrender as trading up, not missing out?
God’s Pursuit of Us
“For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross…” – Hebrews 12:2
What goes through your mind when you think about God seeing you as His treasure—something worth pursuing and redeeming?
What does it say about God’s heart that He would give everything, not out of obligation, but because He wanted you?
How might God be inviting us to not only receive the Kingdom, but to actively join Him in His mission—loving and pursuing others the way He pursued us: patiently, sacrificially, and seeing each person as treasure worth finding?
PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER: