Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was

The parable of the treasure in the field presupposes something familiar in its day that scarcely exists among us now, namely, hiding treasure. At that time it was the order of the day. There were no savings banks, no safe-deposit boxes, and normally no houses that could not easily be broken into. It was literally possible to break into the average house in Palestine by simply digging through the mud-brick wall. The technical term for “breaking in” translates to “digging one’s way through.”³

Besides that, there were constant wars, pillagings, attacks by robbers, and fires. Hence, money and valuable objects were buried, and it could easily happen that when war swept through a locality the buried treasures were not dug up again and lay forgotten. It happened now and then that someone discovered a buried treasure in a field. There were even people who specialized in searching for forgotten treasure; in Jewish culture they were called “earth churners,” “wall knockers,” or “beam breakers.”⁴ That is the background of the first parable. We can imagine the action of the story something like this:

A day laborer is working in a field. He is a wage worker; the field does not belong to him. That he is poor is evident from the fact that he has to sell “everything” he has to be able to buy the field: his broken-down house, its furniture and utensils, a few tools, his donkey. His plowshare struck the treasure—probably a large clay jar full of silver coins—while he was plowing the field. After he has counted it and assured himself of its enormous value he hastily throws dirt back on the object he has discovered, perhaps looking furtively around to see if anyone is watching him. Then, with unspeakable joy, he turns everything he has into cash and buys the field. That way he can be sure that no one can subsequently challenge his possession of the treasure. He is not bothered by having to sell everything he has because his loss is nothing in comparison to what he has to gain.

In the second parable the milieu shifts. The actor is no longer a poor person but a wealthy merchant. This man is not described as a kapelos, a small shopkeeper, but as emporos, that is, a wholesale merchant, a man who imports and exports. The story takes place not in the country but in the city, perhaps in the course of a trading journey and probably even overseas somewhere. The merchant is apparently a specialist in pearls; he deals in them and is constantly searching for more. Pearls were highly sought after in antiquity; they were then what big diamonds are to us. Immense sums were paid for the most perfect examples.

One day the merchant comes across a pearl of unusual size and beauty. The pearl fisher or intermediate dealer is asking quite a bit for it, but the specialist knows that in the right place and at the right time he will obtain a price for this pearl that would make your head swim. So he sells all his property, everything he can turn into liquid capital, and buys the pearl. It is the deal of his lifetime.

What do these two parables mean to say? The introduction in each case is crucial; it does not say “the reign of God is like a hidden treasure” (as most translations have it) and certainly not “it is a hidden treasure,” but “it is with the reign of God as in the following event.” It is the whole event that is compared to the reign of God—from the lucky find through the selling of the property to the giant transactions the day laborer and the merchant make in the end. Hence many interpretations and translations are too narrow and one-sided when they try to find the crucial point or the central meaning of the two parables in one particular part or object.

For example, it is repeatedly said that the point of both parables is the enormous value of what is found. The reign of God is as precious as the important treasure and the shimmering pearl. Another position says no, the infinite value of the reign of God is not what is decisive here. Rather, the point is that because of the inconceivable value of the reign of God one must sacrifice everything. What is crucial is the giving, the renunciation of property, the unlimited willingness to sacrifice.⁵

No, indeed, other interpreters say. That is not the crucial point either. The day laborer has encountered a unique opportunity that will never come again in his impoverished life. Likewise the merchant: never again in his life will he see such a pearl. So those hearing the parable should recognize the unique situation in which they are placed. Now, at this hour, God is offering salvation, and now, at this hour, it must be seized.