Parables of the kingdom

JESUS said to His disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

REFLECTION LIKE A TREASURE BURIED IN A FIELD. What a strange parable of the Kingdom! In Biblical times, when there is trouble or invasion, people put their treasures and precious belongings in a jar and bury the container. It may happen that in time the treasure is forgotten or the one who buried it has died. Here comes a farmer who accidentally plows the jar and discovers the treasure. He knows he has no rights to it; the owner of the field was its true owner. To get the treasure, therefore, he must buy the field.

At first, the parable seems strange, but it makes sense when we speak about the nature of God’s Kingdom. God’s Kingdom is like a buried treasure that we encounter or stumble upon. It is a gift, but to make it our own, we must pay a big price.

We do not possess God’s Kingdom by just accidentally discovering it. We have to work hard and make necessary sacrifices to make our possession of it right. God’s Kingdom is a pure gift; our efforts to possess it make it even more precious to us. Have you found the treasure called God’s Kingdom?