Watch Hidden Treasure Application Video (9 min video)
This video is taught by pastor Daniel M. Doriani, Ph.D.. Dr. Doriani served as Covenant Seminary’s Dean of Faculty from 1995 to 2003, when he accepted the pastorate of Central Presbyterian Church (EPC) in St. Louis. His books include Getting the Message, Women in Ministry, The Life of a God-Made Man, and Putting the Truth to Work: The Theory and practice of Biblical Interpretation.
Transcript
When I saw this property on screen I thought to myself, “that’s one ugly piece of land.” And now that I’m standing here, I have to tell you this is urban blight at its worst. This is one ugly piece of property. And that set me thinking. You know, it’s very different to watch something on a screen compared to experiencing it in person. It’s one thing to live, it’s another thing simply to watch.
For example, it’s very different to watch a picture of a waterfall as opposed to feeling the spray in your face and the roar in your ears. Seeing versus experiencing—they’re different things.
WHY JESUS TAUGHT IN PARABLES
That difference between experiencing something and simply watching it is one of the main reasons why Jesus taught in parables. He didn’t want to teach things that would enter our minds and then be filed away as some fact that we knew. He wanted to tell us stories that would enter our imaginations, that would enter our bones. We feel ourselves getting into the story, not just to live the story, but to hear what He said, to understand His teachings about the kingdom of God and to act on them.
At first blush, Jesus’ parables are just interesting little stories—relatively simple at first reading. But then you notice something strange happens in the parable, something that teases your mind into thought. You wonder, “Why did Jesus put that in the story? What does it mean? What does it mean to me?”
After a while you begin to realize why Jesus taught in parables. He told these stories so they would force you to think—so they would be like a piece of sand in your shoe. Even the last thought before you go to bed at night is one more reflection on that parable. Then you realize that was his purpose in the first place: to make you think, to make you enter, to make you live—really live—what’s in the parable.
EXPLAINING PARABLES
So what exactly are parables?
They’re simply comparisons that Jesus used that teach important truths about the Kingdom of God. This particular parable teaches us four different things about the Kingdom of God. The first is that the Kingdom is priceless. The second is that the Kingdom reveals itself to us often unexpectedly. And then, third, when it does, we should take radical, decisive action to acquire the Kingdom. Finally, when we do acquire the Kingdom–or maybe we could say it acquires us–it transforms everything.
When it comes down to it, the parable of the Hidden Treasure is about a very simple question: once we realize the supreme value of the Kingdom, will we enter it? Will we live faithfully before the King?
THE FOUR QUESTIONS
As we apply the parables to the Kingdom of God and life in the Kingdom, there are really four aspects of application of our studies. I’d like to phrase them as “the four questions people ask.” They are four questions people have asked throughout the ages—philosophers, ethicists—and they certainly also appear in the Bible. In fact, the Bible teaches us to ask these questions, and it gives us abundant answers to them.
The first question is “What is my Duty?” What should I do—meaning, what does God require of me? What behavior is specified in the Law of God? What do the Ten Commandments require? What does Jesus require in His teachings? What does God require as a bare minimum for our actions? That’s the first question: What’s my duty? What should I do?
The second question is “What should I be?” or the question of character. The question of character—who should I be—touches on our ability to do what God requires us to do. In other words, we all know that we can’t simply resolve to do whatever we wish. Because we’ve all experienced those times when we want to do something, but we find that we can’t. Or we do it for a little while, but then we peter out—we don’t persevere. How can I actually have the capacity to persevere in the obedience that God wants of me? How can I achieve virtue? How can I be a loving and kind and gracious and generous person? That’s the question of character.
The third question you could call the question of goals, or the question, “Where should I go?” The first and second questions are answered the same way for everybody. Everybody has the same duties, everyone should pursue the same Godly character. But then, when it comes to our goals, they are unique for each one of us. God has given each one of us particular gifts, experiences, skills, teachers, even failures, that uniquely prepare us for what He wants us to do.
How do I figure out what my gifts, what my experiences, what my passions, what’s unique in the way God has made me or you that will lead me into projects, into the kinds of things that I’ll invest my life’s energy in? That’s the third question.
The fourth question is that of vision or discernment. How can I learn to see the world God’s way? Now, of course we know that the Lord gives His absolute truth, but His truth is challenged in so many ways in our culture. There are, of course, other religions such as Islam or Buddhism. Beyond that, there are agnostics and atheists and naturalists. And they’re all putting forward their claims.
Even people who aren’t philosophers are simply saying, “Hey, enjoy the good life. Live for pleasure. Live for achievement. Live for recognition.” How can I screen out—understand, but disregard those false voices; how can I hear the truth and see the world God’s way? How can I discern His voice among all the others?
Those are the four basic questions the Bible teaches us to ask in so many ways. We will consistently apply those four questions to the parables as pathways to application.
PURCHASING THE KINGDOM
So, what does the parable of the Hidden Treasure require in regard to our duty? It’s very clear: the parable requires that we use decisive action to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom and God’s righteousness.” This parable requires us to be willing to take the radical action of selling everything—giving up everything, paying any price—to enter the Kingdom of God.
The second question concerns our character: who should we be? This parable answers that we should be men and women who have the kind of character that is able to take decisive action to enter the Kingdom of God. We need to see an opportunity and take advantage of it quickly. Even further, we need to be willing to give up what is most precious to us in order to acquire the Kingdom.
Third, we have to think about our goals. The parable of the Hidden Treasure really makes one simple point: until we actually do enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the main goal we have in life is to enter the Kingdom. We have to be willing to do whatever it takes, make any sacrifice, endure the ridicule, even the scorn of friends and relatives. We should be willing to pay any price to finish the race in order to win the prize.
Finally, let’s talk about wisdom or discernment. Let’s not do it through a series of statements, but rather through questions. The first question this parable teaches us to ask is, “What is of true worth? What is of supreme value?” And beyond that, once we as Christians accept the supreme value of the Kingdom, do we sometimes reacquire those things that we once sacrificed for the Kingdom? How, in short, can we forget what the Kingdom of God is worth?
If you’re watching this story today, it’s possible that you aren’t sure that you’re a member of the Kingdom of God yet. Now is the time to ask if you’re not sure. Ask your teacher, ask your pastor, ask a friend. This study may be God Himself revealing His Kingdom to you at this hour. It could be time for you to act—to act decisively so that you can live in the Kingdom of God.
It’s also possible that you’re watching this video and you are a child of God—you are living the Kingdom. But, as you think about the cost that the man in this story paid, you realize you haven’t done anything radical or risky like that for a long time. You’ve been assuming—you’ve even been presuming on God. It may be time for you to recommit yourself so that you’ll live truly in the Kingdom of God.