The treasure hid in the field.

This parable tells of the inspiration and joy which a man experiences when God’s grace touches his heart. Warmed and illuminated by the light of this grace, a man sees clearly all the emptiness and misery of material goods.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field" (Mt. 13:44).

The grace of God is the real treasure, and by comparison to it all earthly goods are insignificant (or dung, as expressed by the Apostle Paul). However, a man cannot take possession of this treasure until he sells all his property and buys the field where that treasure is hidden; and in the same way, he cannot receive the grace of God until he makes up his mind and gives up all his earthly goods. For the sake of the grace delivered in the Church, a man must sacrifice everything: his prejudice, his spare time and quietness, as well as success and the pleasures of life. The man who found the treasure "hid it," so that others would not steal it. In a like manner, a member of the Church who receives God’s grace must carefully keep it within his soul; for if he exhibits this gift, he will lose it because of his pride .

As we see in this first group of Gospel parables, the Lord gives us a complete and harmonious teaching about the internal and external conditions needed for the increase of the blessed Kingdom of God amongst people. In the parable of the sower, we read about the need to clean off the worldly interests from our hearts and to make our hearts receptive for the Good Word. In the parable of the tares, the Lord warns us about the invisible power which consciously and artfully sows temptations among humans.

The next three parables hold the teaching of how the power of grace acts in the Church: the transformation of the soul is gradual and unnoticeable (the seed growing in the ground), the power of God’s grace is unlimited (the mustard and the leaven), and this power of grace is the most precious thing anyone would ever want to purchase (the treasure hid in the field). Jesus Christ added more to this teaching about God’s grace in the parables about the talents and the ten virgins, which are from His last, third group of parables; they are discussed below in Chapters 3 and 4.