“So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.”
The teaching here is that the seed is completely fitted to produce fruit. The seed is placed in the ground by man, but he cannot make it grow, nor does he understand how it is that it does grow. He sleeps at night, and rises at day, and can see that the seed has taken root, and is springing up, but “he knoweth not how; for the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself.” Even in nature God has so ordered it that the seed should fructify: “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” Then the harvest, and the sickle gathers in the fruits of the earth.
So is the kingdom of God. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:88The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8).) Thus it begins—takes root; and God is the Husbandman. A Paul may plant, and an Apollos water, but God must give the increase. And thus, as all must be begun by God, all is the parables of our lord. 327
increased by God, and all will surely be gathered into His garner by-and-by. On the other hand, our Lord said, “Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” (Matt. 15:1313But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. (Matthew 15:13).) While, of the Christian, we read, “Ye are God’s husbandry” (“tillage” in the margin). He sows the good seed; He waters watches over, and tends the growing, that we may grow up into Him in all things. And a glorious harvest is approaching, when we shall be gathered into His heavenly garner. To Him be all the praise!
The Hidden Treasure.
“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 fields The interpretation commonly given to this parable, is, that when a man sees the value there is in Christ, he gives up and abandons all that he may possess Christ.
We doubt not that this is a mistaken view of the parable. When does any man ever sell “all that he hath?” and if he did, would it purchase Christ? The mere giving up is not enough. We read, “Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:33And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3).) Whereas, the invitation of the gospel is, to buy, “without money, and without price.” (Isa. 4:11And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. (Isaiah 4:1).) Christians are, indeed, called to be loosed from all earthly ties. Our Lord said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:2626If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26).) But that is not simply that I may win salvation, but when I have that, I am called to forsake all that I have (ver. 33), that I may be Christ’s disciple, or true follower. Phil. 3:4-114Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:4‑11) has also been quoted, but surely this was in consequence of the apostle possessing salvation that he desired to win Christ, and not that he might gain salvation by his self-denial.
We doubt not the parable points to Christ as the One who finds a treasure in His people, and for joy sells all that He has, that He may obtain possession of it; as, indeed, we read, “who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame.” (Heb. 12:22Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2).) “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:99For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9).) Yes, as the parable says, He sold all that He had; and, as the passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews proves, He kept in view the joy that was set before Him, which joy our parable also speaks of.
We must, indeed, look at who Christ was, and the position He had as Creator (all things were made by Him, and for Him), and as God from eternity; and then look at our Lord in His humiliation, His agony in the garden, and His shameful death—being made sin for us, and enduring the hiding of God’s face—before we can even get a glimpse of what it cost Him to purchase the field in which lay hidden the treasure of His heart.
But there is another point in the parable. It says, not only that the man purchased the treasure, but also that he bought the field in which the treasure was hid. Now, in the same chapter, our Lord, in explaining the parable of the Sower, says, “The field is the world.” Then our Lord bought the world—all mankind. And here lies an important truth. It is like a rich man going to a plantation of slaves, and after paying down a price for the whole of the slaves, he sends forth a proclamation, that whosoever will may be free. But, alas! the slaves like their plots of ground, and their earthly ties, and prefer to remain in slavery.
So our Lord bought, in His death, all mankind, and has sent forth His ministers, to beg men to be reconciled to Him. But, alas! men prefer the chains of Satan, and the baits he skillfully lays for them.
This illustrates also the difference between “buying” and “redeeming.” Many are now deluding their fellow-men with the thought of universal salvation; whereas there is a wide difference between buying slaves and offering them liberty, and the actual bringing them out of their slavery. We read of some—lost souls—who deny the Lord who bought them (2 Pet. 2:11But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1)), whereas, those who are redeemed are actually translated out of the kingdom of Satan, and into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.” (Col. 1:1313Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Colossians 1:13).)
Such, then, is the parable of the hidden treasure. Christ is the purchaser; His saints are the treasure; all men are the field. It is called the hidden treasure, for none could have discovered that Christ had a treasure where all was sin and wickedness. The doctrine of the church, too, had been long hidden; as we read, Paul made known “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations.” (Col. 1:2626Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: (Colossians 1:26).) Then all were to see “ what is the fellowship of the mystery which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hid in God.” (Eph. 3:99And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: (Ephesians 3:9).) Christ had then endured the shameful death of the cross—having become poor, sold all that He had—but He will have the treasure with Him by-and-by—a glorious church, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing! To His name be all the glory!
The Pearl of Great Price.
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls; who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”
This parable is very similar to the last under consideration. Here the merchant-man sold all that he had to possess the prize. There is nothing said of buying the field: it is simply the pearl that is bought, the pearl of great price.
It is Christ who sought goodly pearls. Israel was, and will yet be, one of God’s pearls, and He may have many others. But the church was the pearl of great price—the bride, the Lamb’s wife—and our Lord sold all that He had, and bought it. Here also, who can tell what is included in that saying, “sold all that he had?” We must look at the height from which Christ came, and the depth to which He stooped, and then we can never fathom how much it cost our Lord in becoming poor. We can, indeed, only wonder, admire, and adore!
Now, if Christ calls His church a pearl of great price—of such value, indeed, that to obtain it He gave up all—what value should not we set upon it, and think of every saint as a part of that pearl of great price? And how anxious we should be to answer to that value He set upon us! It should, indeed, cause us to give up all, and count all but dung and dross, that we might win Christ. (Phil. 3:88Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, (Philippians 3:8).) But this can surely be done only by those who already have Him as their Savior, and who desire to have Him solely as the object of their hearts, though never fully realized till we see Him as He is and are with Him in the glory.