Get a shovel

Jonathan Gainey on the priceless word

The parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl in Matthew 13:44-46 has a deep and rich background in the Hebrew world, one which has always been a reference to the teaching of God’s word. Learning the word of God was more valuable than anything that had ever existed; it was a hidden treasure that was meant to be excavated by every child of God, and nothing was more valuable.

Jesus’ message was the message of the kingdom. He taught of the priceless way and will of God. And the people who found the kingdom - who found the way of God - had indeed discovered a priceless treasure.

Church fathers like Origen and Irenaeus taught that the pearl was Christ and that those who found Jesus had found the great jewel. But in the context of Jesus’ teaching, it was the opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven and learn to live the will of God that was the value of his invitation.

In Jewish tradition, the greatest treasure was the Torah, and people would give up land, flocks, crops, and gold to have the opportunity for deep study in the Torah of God.

An ancient sage named Jose, the son of Kisma, said, “I was once walking by the way when a man met me and greeted me, and I returned his greeting. He said to me, ‘Rabbi, from what place are you?’ I said to him, ‘I come from a great city of sages and scribes.’ He said to me, ‘If you are willing to dwell with us in our place, I will give you a thousand golden dinars and precious stones and pearls.’ I said to him, ‘Even if you were to give me all the silver and gold and precious stones and pearls in the world, I would not dwell anywhere but in a home of the Torah.’” - Brad H. Young, Parables, 210

The hidden treasure and the pearl both signify the kingdom of God, which is the word of God being learned and lived by the people of God. Jesus calls us to search for the treasures of the kingdom, the will and ways of God and his people, and even to give up everything to know and live according to his priceless word.

Jim Rohn said when we invite people to come and dig for the treasures of higher learning, many will say, “I don’t have a shovel.” He will then say, “Get you one,” with their reply being, “Do you know what a shovel costs today?”

Jesus calls us to pay the price, no matter how expensive the shovel, in order that we may find the pearl of great price that is his eternal word.

Writer: Capt. Jonathan Gainey was born in Jacksonville, FL in June, 1969. He has been married to Staci, the daughter of retired Salvation Army officers, for twenty years and they have four children ages 18, 16, 12, and 4. Jonathan was commissioned as an officer in June of 2002, and is currently serving in his third appointment in New Bern, NC, USA. He is working on a Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the creator and manager of the Flocks Diner website, where his passion for learning and teaching is expressed and shared through writing and a weekly podcast.

Tags: scripture

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