BEMA Episode Link: 113: Treasures and Pearls
Episode Length: 24:45
Published Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2019 01:00:00 -0700
Session 3
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings, with special guest Corey Knadler, discuss the next two parables of Jesus in Matthew 13.

Discussion Video for BEMA 113

Corey Knadler on Twitter

Transcript for BEMA 113

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 113: Treasures and Pearls - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: 113 - Treasures and Pearls
Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings, with special guest Corey Knadler Focus: Matthew 13:44-46 - The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

This episode examines two short parables from Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 13: the parable of the treasure hidden in a field and the parable of the pearl of great price. Marty challenges the traditional interpretation that these parables are primarily about believers searching for God, proposing instead that they may actually reveal God’s perspective in finding and valuing His people. Using Jewish interpretive methods (p’shat, remez, derash, sod), the hosts explore connections to Proverbs 2 and particularly Ezekiel 16, suggesting these parables demonstrate God’s willingness to give everything to acquire those He treasures.

Key Takeaways

  • The parables of the treasure and the pearl parallel the earlier short parables of the mustard seed and yeast, creating a literary structure in Matthew 13
  • The Kingdom of Heaven is “weird” or counterintuitive - it’s hidden and requires digging, not loud and obvious like John the Baptist’s expected kingdom
  • Traditional interpretation sees the person as the seeker searching for God’s wisdom (based on Proverbs 2:4 - “search for it as for hidden treasure”)
  • Alternative interpretation: God is the man/merchant who finds His people as treasure and is willing to sell everything to acquire them
  • In every other parable in Matthew 13, the main character (farmer, sower, woman) represents God, suggesting consistency requires the same here
  • The primary remez may be Ezekiel 16:1-7, where God finds Israel cast out in a field and treasures her, making her beautiful like a jewel
  • Both interpretations contain truth: wisdom requires diligent searching AND God treasures His people beyond measure
  • Understanding (not just hearing) the word is what distinguishes good soil from other types

Main Concepts & Theories

Jewish Hermeneutic Framework

The episode uses the traditional Jewish four-level interpretive approach:

  1. P’shat (Surface Reading): The literal, straightforward meaning of the text
  2. Remez (Hint): Allusions to other biblical passages that inform interpretation
  3. Derash (Application): The practical teaching or application drawn from the text
  4. Sod (Secret/Mystery): Deeper mystical meanings (not explored in this episode)
The Parables in Context

Matthew 13:44: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”

Matthew 13:46: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Traditional Interpretation (Proverbs 2 Remez)

The standard reading connects these parables to Proverbs 2:1-8, particularly verse 4: “if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord.”

Key elements:

  • The seeker represents believers pursuing wisdom and understanding of God
  • Pearls are Hebrew idioms for proverbs, teachings, or nuggets of wisdom
  • The Kingdom requires active searching and digging - it’s not found by accident
  • Like the good soil, understanding comes through work: breaking up unplowed ground, clearing rocks, burning thorns
  • The treasure is so valuable that everything else pales in comparison
Alternative Interpretation (Ezekiel 16 Remez)

Marty proposes Ezekiel 16:1-7 as the primary allusion, fundamentally changing who the characters represent.

Ezekiel 16:4-7: “On the day you were born, your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean… Rather, you were thrown out into the open field. For on the day you were born, you were despised. Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there and your blood, I said to you, ‘Live!’ I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty.”

Key elements:

  • God is the man/merchant who finds the treasure/pearl
  • The treasure/pearl represents God’s people (Israel, the church, individual believers)
  • Consistency with other Matthew 13 parables where the main character is always God (sower, farmer, woman with yeast)
  • The Hebrew phrase “entered puberty” more literally means “excellent ornaments” or “beautiful jewel” (adornment)
  • The word “jewel” in Hebrew can interchange with “pearl” (limited vocabulary for precious stones)
  • Connection to “plant of the field” echoes all the agricultural imagery in Matthew 13
The Pattern in Matthew 13

The episode identifies a structural pattern:

  • Parable of the Sower/Soils (God sows)
  • Parable of the Weeds (God owns the field)
  • Two short parables: Mustard Seed (God plants) and Yeast (God/woman bakes)
  • Jesus explains the weeds parable, reiterating themes from earlier parables
  • Two short parables: Treasure and Pearl (God finds?)
  • Upcoming: Parable of the Net (God will separate fish)
The Role of Understanding

Central to the good soil in the parable of the sower is understanding. The good soil “hears the word and understands it” (Matthew 13:23).

This understanding:

  • Requires prepared soil (work has been done beforehand)
  • Connects to Proverbs 2’s repeated emphasis on understanding
  • Comes from searching for truth as for hidden treasure
  • Distinguishes fruitful believers from those who hear but don’t comprehend
  • Is the result of digging, not surface-level engagement
God as Multiple Images

The hosts make a brief but significant point about God’s self-revelation in Scripture:

  • In the Psalms, God takes three human forms: father, shepherd, and nursing mother
  • Jesus uses these same three images in Luke 15: shepherd (lost sheep), woman (lost coin), father (prodigal son)
  • The woman baking yeast into dough can represent God without theological problems
  • Genesis 1:27 establishes this: “In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”

Examples & Applications

The Counterintuitive Kingdom

The Kingdom of Heaven consistently defies expectations:

  • Not arriving with trumpets and armies (John the Baptist’s expectation)
  • Small like a mustard seed, not mighty like a cedar
  • Hidden like yeast worked into dough, not visible and impressive
  • Buried like treasure requiring excavation, not displayed prominently
  • Requires searching, digging, and work to discover
Finding vs. Being Found

If we are the seekers:

  • We must actively pursue wisdom and understanding of God’s Kingdom
  • Casual engagement won’t lead to discovery
  • The Kingdom is worth abandoning everything else to obtain
  • Like the merchant who knows the value of pearls, we must develop discernment
  • This interpretation emphasizes human responsibility and pursuit

If God is the seeker:

  • We are valued beyond measure by God
  • God was willing to “sell everything” (give His Son) to acquire us
  • We were found in a desperate state (Ezekiel’s imagery of a baby in a field)
  • God sees our true value even when we’re covered in blood and rejected
  • This interpretation emphasizes God’s initiative and love
Practical Soil Preparation

The metaphor of searching for treasure connects to earlier teaching about soil:

  • Rocky path: Word is snatched before understanding develops
  • Rocky soil: No depth, so understanding doesn’t root
  • Thorny soil: Worries choke out understanding
  • Good soil: Understanding leads to fruitfulness

Preparing soil means:

  1. Breaking up unplowed ground (confronting hardness of heart)
  2. Removing rocks (dealing with shallowness)
  3. Burning thorns (addressing competing priorities and worries)
  4. Being willing to dig and search (active engagement with Scripture and teaching)
The Value Exchange

Both interpretations involve radical value reassessment:

  • The finder recognizes something so valuable that everything else becomes expendable
  • There’s joy in the discovery (Matthew 13:44)
  • The response is immediate and total commitment
  • No hesitation or partial measures

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Theological Questions

  1. Dual interpretation validity: Can both readings (we seek God AND God seeks us) be simultaneously true? How do they complement each other?

  2. Character consistency in parables: How consistently should we map parable characters across different parables? Are there exceptions to patterns?

  3. The ethics of the treasure finder: Is it moral to hide the treasure again and buy the field without disclosing what he found? What does this suggest about the parable’s purpose?

  4. Hebrew vs. Greek Matthew: What are the implications if Matthew’s Gospel was originally written in Hebrew/Aramaic and later translated to Greek? How does this affect interpretation?

Biblical Connections

  1. Ezekiel 16 in full: Read the entire chapter to understand God’s relationship with Israel as described in explicitly covenantal and marital terms

  2. Proverbs and wisdom literature: Explore other passages about searching for wisdom, particularly in Proverbs 1-9

  3. Luke 15: Study the three parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son as Jesus’s intentional portrayal of God as shepherd, woman, and father

  4. Pearl imagery in Scripture: Investigate other uses of pearl/jewel language (Revelation 21:21, Matthew 7:6, 1 Timothy 2:9)

  5. The good soil parable: Revisit Matthew 13:1-23 with emphasis on “understanding” as the key differentiator

Historical and Cultural Context

  1. Rabbinic interpretation of Proverbs 2: How did first-century Jewish teachers understand the “hidden treasure” metaphor?

  2. Pearl trade in the ancient world: What was the actual value and rarity of pearls in Jesus’s context?

  3. Hebrew idioms for wisdom: Research the use of “pearl” as a term for wisdom sayings or proverbs

  4. Field ownership laws: What were the ethical and legal considerations about finding treasure in someone else’s field in ancient Israel?

Literary Analysis

  1. Chiastic structure in Matthew 13: Is there a complete chiasm in this chapter, with the explanation of the weeds parable at the center?

  2. Parallelism patterns: Compare the two short parable pairs (mustard seed/yeast vs. treasure/pearl) for structural and thematic connections

  3. Matthew’s Gospel structure: How do these parables fit into Matthew’s broader presentation of Jesus’s teaching?

Linguistic Studies

  1. Hebrew vocabulary for precious stones: Investigate the limited terminology and how “jewel” functions as a catch-all term

  2. Ezekiel 16’s sexual language: Examine how various translations handle Ezekiel’s provocative and intimate language

  3. The Septuagint question: Compare Hebrew and Greek versions of key passages to understand translation challenges

Practical Application

  1. Soil preparation disciplines: What spiritual practices help prepare our hearts to understand God’s word?

  2. Valuing people as God does: How should understanding ourselves as God’s treasure change our self-perception and relationships?

  3. The cost of discipleship: What does it mean practically to “sell everything” for the Kingdom?

  4. Active vs. passive spirituality: How do we balance seeking God with recognizing that He first sought us?

Comprehension Questions

  1. Structural Analysis: How do the parables of the treasure and the pearl parallel the earlier parables of the mustard seed and yeast in Matthew 13? What does this structural pattern suggest about Jesus’s teaching method?

  2. Character Identification: In traditional interpretation, who is the man who finds the treasure? According to Marty’s alternative interpretation based on Ezekiel 16, who is the man? What is the evidence for each view?

  3. The Role of Understanding: According to the episode, what distinguishes the “good soil” from the other types of soil in the parable of the sower? How does this connect to the concept of searching for treasure in Proverbs 2?

  4. Hebrew Language Insights: What does the Hebrew phrase in Ezekiel 16:7 literally say that gets translated as “entered puberty” in the NIV? How does this linguistic detail support the Ezekiel 16 interpretation of the parables?

  5. Theological Implications: How does viewing God as the one who finds treasure (rather than us finding it) change the meaning of these parables? What does this reveal about God’s character and His view of His people?

Personal Summary

Episode 113 presents a fascinating reexamination of two familiar parables that many of us have heard interpreted primarily as calls to seek God’s wisdom with total commitment. While this traditional reading based on Proverbs 2 contains genuine truth about the diligent pursuit required to understand God’s Kingdom, Marty offers a compelling alternative interpretation rooted in Ezekiel 16.

The key insight is recognizing the pattern throughout Matthew 13: in every parable, the central character represents God. The sower is God. The farmer with the weeds is God. The one planting the mustard seed is God. The woman baking yeast is God. If we maintain this consistency, then the man finding treasure and the merchant finding a pearl must also be God. This isn’t just about literary consistency - it’s supported by the vivid imagery in Ezekiel 16, where God finds Israel cast out in a field like an abandoned baby and declares, “Live!” He makes her grow like a plant of the field (echoing all the agricultural imagery in Matthew 13) and adorns her with beautiful jewels.

What strikes me most powerfully is how this interpretation transforms these parables from being primarily about our responsibility to seek God into a revelation of how God sees us. We are the treasure He found. We are the pearl of great price. And there is nothing - absolutely nothing - that God wouldn’t give up to acquire us. He did sell everything. He gave His Son. The gospel becomes not just our search for God, but the stunning truth that God searched for us, found us in our worst condition, and considered us worth everything He had.

This doesn’t negate the call to seek wisdom, to prepare our soil, to dig for understanding as for hidden treasure. Both truths coexist: we must pursue God diligently AND we are pursued by God passionately. The Kingdom is counterintuitive - hidden, small, worked into everyday life like yeast in dough. Finding it requires work and commitment. But the most counterintuitive truth of all may be this: that the God of the universe looks at broken, rejected, bloodied humanity and says, “That’s my treasure. That’s worth everything I have.”

The episode’s discussion of God being portrayed as woman, shepherd, and father also reminds us that God transcends our limited categories. Whether portrayed as a man finding treasure or a woman baking bread, God’s character remains consistent: seeking, finding, valuing, and redeeming that which was lost.

These short parables, just two verses each, contain depths that reward careful digging - which is perhaps the most fitting thing about them. Like treasure hidden in a field, the richest meaning isn’t found on the surface but discovered through the work of examining context, language, and connection to the broader biblical narrative.

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