The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
No fixed feast day in the calendar
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A man finds treasure in a field and joyfully sells everything to buy it: the Kingdom is worth more than all
What is this parable?
In chapter 13 of Saint Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells two very short parables, one right after the other, with the same message: the treasure buried in a field and the precious pearl. This card tells the story of the treasure. Both say that the Kingdom of heaven, which means living with God, is so precious that people are glad to give up everything to have it.
The story
Jesus tells of a man who happens to find a treasure buried in a field. The card imagines him as a farmer who has just dug up a clay jar full of gold and silver coins. Long ago, in times of war, people often buried their riches in the ground to keep them safe, and sometimes nobody remembered where.
The field does not belong to him. He buries the treasure again, then joyfully goes home and sells everything he has so that he can buy that field (cf. Mt 13:44). His friends probably think he is strange, but he knows he will receive much, much more.
Right after this, Jesus tells another story, about a merchant who finds a precious pearl and also sells everything to buy it (cf. Mt 13:45-46): you can read it on the card “The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price”.
What does Jesus want to teach you?
What the Lord stresses is the word “joy”. The man who finds the treasure does not feel he is losing anything, because what he receives is worth more than everything. Following the Lord is like that too: sometimes you have to play fewer video games so you can go to Mass, give up a bad habit, or let a younger child have one of your things. But whoever has God has a joy nothing else can match. The parable does not teach how to get rich, and it does not teach that God’s grace can be bought: God’s grace is a gift.
A lesson for you
- Look for God every day in prayer and at Mass, the way you would look for a treasure.
- When you have to choose between what is right and what is easy, choose God, and choose with a joyful heart.
- Keep your faith safe like something precious, and share that joy with your friends.
Identifying marks
- A clay jar full of gold and silver coins, just dug up: the Kingdom of heaven, friendship with God, a treasure worth more than all the riches in the world.
- The beaming face of the farmer on his knees: whoever meets God is filled with joy; he sells everything “out of joy”, with no regrets (cf. Mt 13:44).
- An ordinary field of wheat: God often lets us meet him right in the middle of everyday life: at home, at school, at Mass.
- A man standing in front of a house in the distance, like the owner of the field: the man who found the treasure will go and sell all he has to buy the field from him; following the Lord means daring to give up what is worth less for what is worth most.
The text on this page is the card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
Compiled by i-Catholic · About