GOSPEL MEDITATION

The Parables of Jesus # 5

Hidden Treasure, Pearl of Great Price, the Net

& New and Old Treasures-Matthew 13:44-52

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or chant the Jesus Prayer.
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. The lessons of the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price are similar.
8. A man found a treasure in a field, concealed it, and did what it took to raise the money in order to buy the field.
9. A man discovered a very valuable pearl and did all he could to obtain it. (In Greek pearl is transliterated margarita.)
10. The central meaning of the two parables is that the kingdom of heaven is so very valuable that all else may be given up.
11. The parable of the net is the third, and last, parable Jesus explains, and the explanation is extremely brief in comparison to that of the sower and the weeds.
12. The point of the net parable is similar to that of the weeds. The weeds are not to be pulled up by the farmer. They are to be left until harvest time.
13. At the harvest, angels will do the work of separating, not the farmer/sower. (We are reminded of Revelation 14:14-20)
14. Jesus, it seems, wants to prevent the sowers from going further as they are likely to cause harm. They are not to act as the great Judge at the final judgment—is a way to interpret the parable.
15. The old and new treasure parable has been variously understood. A major view is that it has to do with those highly trained in the ways of God as found in Scripture; those wise enough to teach what is both old and new.
16. The “new” is best understood and appreciated by knowing that which is “old.” These two are complementary.