The Lord had told His disciples that the righteous should shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Had our Lord not been rejected, all the righteous would have been established in the Messiah’s kingdom on the earth. But the rejection and death of Jesus has had two consequences (we do not say only two): It necessarily brought judgment and vengeance upon Israel, but it has also called into existence glories and positions of glory which otherwise could not have been. His own people having put it from them, the kingdom could not now be of this world.
The present heirs must have their position elsewhere, and according to the principles of divine grace, a better place than the one on earth is provided for them. When evil has come in and set aside the grace of God, the blessing is never restored in precisely the same way. If God delays the promised blessing, that which He gives instead always exceeds the first promise. So here, when the kingdom could not be immediately set up, another and a better thing is provided for those who did believe. They shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father — a reward outside the world.
The Lord’s Treasure
This leads the Lord Jesus to show how they are viewed while yet in this world; they are a treasure. They are in contrast with the field as a whole, which is not a treasure. They were once children of wrath, even as others, but are now separated, though as in the body still in the field. But the old connection is broken, and a new one subsists between them and their Father; their place now is to witness to the grace that saved and the power that keeps them, and to endure patiently the persecution which necessarily follows. Accordingly, it is with sole reference to the righteous that this parable is spoken.
I do not think that the “righteous” are confined to the church. It is the kingdom of the Father which is in view, and all that inherit that heavenly kingdom are included in the “righteous.” Of course, the church is among them with a peculiar position. But in this parable, it is evident that the kingdom of the heavens presents a very different aspect from that of the previous similitudes. There is no power and dominion here; no branches to support birds; no energy of leaven permeating the mass. The treasure and the pearl represent the good seed — the real heirs of the kingdom. The wondrous fact presented to us is not the value or greatness of those whom the Lord calls His treasure, but His love to it.
The Field
There are three things in this parable — the treasure hid in the field, the purchase of the field, and the immense cost. The word here rendered “field” is generally used for uncultivated, wild and unproductive land. In this unpromising place a treasure is found, but Jesus alone could discover it. Of course, we know that there could be no treasure here, any more than good ground in the first parable, without the Spirit of God first producing it. Nothing but grace has made us different from others, and nothing but the preciousness of the sprinkled blood makes us a treasure. The field at large partakes of His bounties, but the righteous alone are a treasure. The treasure is in contrast with the field, just as the wheat was with the tares. And if the field eventually comes under the judgment of God, we know that no saint, whether of Old or New Testament times, will be judged. They all then must necessarily be of the treasure, and all are included in the name “righteous.”
The Kingdom in Mystery
The treasure is “hid in a field.” This gives no foundation whatever for the notion of an invisible church. Rather, this is a similitude of the kingdom as it now exists in mystery, and as a treasure it is hidden; it is not now manifested as such. That is, the condition of the righteous ones, who form the true kingdom here below, does not show to men the reality and nature of it. That which man has made is certainly manifested. The idea of a great tree giving shelter to birds, or of three measures of meal completely leavened (I speak here of its developed presence), is not a hidden thing. But those who are now in the kingdom are for the most part the humble and poor, and sometimes the persecuted and martyred. That such are the true representatives of the kingdom and a treasure to Christ never occurs to the world. Men know that there are believers in Christ, and they are shrewd enough to discern between a real believer and a mere professor, but that such should be a kingdom is to them fanaticism.
It is only when He appears that we shall be displayed in all the glory His grace has conferred upon us. At present, the real character and destination of the “treasure” is hidden. The world sees only a poor, despised and downtrodden company who, in the midst of scorn, endeavor to keep aloof from the world. Jesus says they are His treasure. We are in the kingdom that shall never be moved. And we are there, not as subjects, but as kings and priests, for Jesus is gathering now out of this world those who shall be heirs, not subjects, of the future kingdom. Is it a marvel that the world knows us not? We have not yet put on our royal robes. The world, having no hope beyond this life, says of us, “Of all men most miserable”; Jesus says, My hidden treasure! The treasure for which the field is bought is hid. It was for its sake alone that the field was bought. He could have it in no other way.
Words of Truth, Vol. 3 (adapted)