Jesus told parables, some in public and some private. The parables we hear today were told in private after Jesus had left the crowd and went into the house to tell these to his disciples (Matthew 13:36). Unlike the public parables to be consumed by the general public, these parables are reserved for believers. They put some demands on the believers while the non-believers have no obligation to fulfill.
I would like to begin with the last parable first. The Net parable (Matthew 13:47-50) is a bit troublesome because it is so similar to the earlier "Parable of Weeds in the Field" which Jesus told in public (Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43). Why did Jesus tell in private yet a similar parable? How does this Net parable differ from the earlier Weeds parable? In both cases, there are good and bad people. In both cases, the angels will separate the good from the bad at the end of the age, the good rewarded and the bad punished. Now even if we say that the field symbolizes the world and the net the church, does it require yet another parable to tell the believers that there are good Christians and bad Christians in the Church? Will Christians be so naive as to think that the Church is a Church of saints only and so blind as to refuse to see that the Church is a Church of sinners? If they are, they truly deserve salvation from their Jesus. In fact, this Net parable is a bit out of place and seems to be inserted here by mistake. It does not fit in with the theme of treasure which is reiterated again as the conclusio of the group of parables.
And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." (Matthew 13:52)
In the gospel of Matthew, the word "new" always means the New Testament and the word "old" the Old Testament. Therefore, the Evangelist is telling the interpreters of the New Testament not to forsake the Old Testament. We cannot dump something because we do not understand it well enough. Throughout Church history, we have seen too many people mutilate the Bible because there are passages incompatible with their own narrow-minded theological convictions. Be humble and insist on studying it hard.
Now, let's turn to the treasure parables.
The parables of "A Hidden Treasure in the field" (Matthew 13:44) and "A Prized Pearl" (Matthew 13:45-46) convey the same theme and demand on the believers. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a hidden treasure in the field or a prized pearl. Once you've found it, you sell all that you have to buy it. Pay particular attention to the market language: sell and buy. Though we always say that we receive our salvation without paying, that we do not deserve this salvation, that it is purely God's grace and we do not earn it etc. (Matthew 10:8), such an understanding goes against the message in these two parables we hear today. In a sense, the Kingdom of Heavens is not free of charge at all. Jesus told us to give up all that we already have in order to make room for this treasure. We need to let go, to give up and to sacrifice. In another occasion, Jesus told us that we need to work hard and fight violently to enter eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14, 11:12). In the case of the Net parable, no demand is explicitly placed on the good. The good are simply good. This is one more reason why the Net parable is out of place.
The Treasure in the Field parable is both beautiful and puzzling at the same time.
The language is beautiful. The whole parable is told in one verse, though it is not rarely done. The contrast is beautiful, especially in Greek.
Πάλιν Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν θησαυρῷ κεκρυμμένῳ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ ὃν εὑρὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔκρυψεν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς αὐτοῦ ὑπάγει καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἔχει πωλεῖ καὶ ἀγοράζει τὸν ἀγρὸν ἐκεῖνον (Stephanus Textus Receptus 1550)
Again, the reign of the heavens is like to treasure hid in the field, which a man having found did hide, and from his joy goeth, and all, as much as he hath, he selleth, and buyeth that field. (Young's Literal Translation)
The parable is puzzling in a way that makes you feel uneasy. A question naturally lingers in my head. From whom should the man buy the field?
If the man buys the field from an agent, it is acceptable that the agent does not know that there is a treasure in the field. But estate agents are unheard of in the first century. Most likely, he was a creditor whose debtor, the original owner, was not able to repay a loan and thus had surrendered the property right of the field.
If the man buys the field from the original owner, does the original owner know that there is treasure in his field? If he does not know, he is stupid and does not deserve the treasure.
Now, whether it be the original owner or the creditor, what does he signify? From where/whom can we "purchase" the Kingdom of Heavens? From God? From the Church? If not from them, where else? That is why the parable is so puzzling as to make you feel uneasy!
This parable is puzzling in yet another manner. Why the secrecy and corollarily the selfishness? In the Pearl parable, the man simply sells all he has to buy the pearl he has found. In the Treasure parable, why does the man hide the treasure in the field again and buy the field instead of the treasure directly? Assuming that the treasure is so huge that it is impossible for the man to carry it away in one go. He needs to unearth the treasure gradually and therefore he needs to buy the field instead. Moreover, the man does want the owner to raise the price or to invite other potential competitors. However, such considerations are irrelevant when we are thinking about the Kingdom of Heavens. Therefore, we are not able to answer satisfactorily why he proceeds in such a secretive/selfish manner. After all, shouldn't Christians be generous as to share the good news, the joy they discover in the Kingdom of Heavens?
Perhaps I should not press the analogy too hard. Parables are not meant to be understood in such an extreme manner. Getting the main theme is enough. Other details are irrelevant and there might not be point to point correspondence. In the end, I am sure there are readers out there who are able to throw new lights on the interpretation of these parables.
My Sweet Lord, allow me to ask silly questions. Make me understand Your will. Amen.
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