Commentary on the Gospel of
The three Parables of the hidden treasure, the merchant of precious pearls and the dragnet cast into the sea, help us adjust our sight to better see the presence of the Kingdom of God in the most ordinary things of life. He starts from very ordinary life instances and uses them as terms of comparison to help people better understand the less known things of the Kingdom of God. These parables make reality transparent and reveal the presence and action of God. God experience is a pleasant surprise. Discovering God in life can be very unexpected and at the same time demanding. No one knows that there is a treasure in that field. By chance, a man finds it. He did not know he was going to find it. He finds it and rejoices and gratefully welcomes the unexpected. The message of the parable therefore is not to intellectually comprehend that divine treasures exist, but to seek them ceaselessly until we come across them.
We can ask the question: Is the Kingdom of God worth expending our energy and life on? The two parables here indicate that it is. The finder of the treasure does not hesitate in selling his all to purchase the field where the treasure is. Likewise, the pearl merchant has found the perfect pearl, and sells his all to get that pearl! Pearls are symbols beauty and life. They have come to know not only the value, but also the beauty of God’s Kingdom. They have discovered an element of the Kingdom, and realize that it is worth any price. Moses also discovered an element of God’s reign - close intimacy with God. He paid dearly for what he found throughout his life. What element of the Kingdom have I discovered and be willing to pay any price?
