Parables of Jesus—
The Parable of the Treasure in the Field
and a Pearl
By Joyce Webb 2008
A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
Jesus told stories so people could understand things about heaven.
The Parable of the Treasure in the Field
Matthew 13:44,45,46
Jesus told about a man who found a treasure in a field. The Bible does not say what the treasure was.
The man kept it a secret.
He wanted the treasure. But it was not his field. It was not his to take.
He decided to buy the field, then what was in the ground would be his. So he sold all the things he owned to get enough money to buy the field.
When the field was his, he went and took the treasure out of the ground.
The treasure was worth more than all he had before.
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The Parable of the Pearl
Another story was about a man who found a wonderful, beautiful pearl.
He sold all he had so he could go buy that pearl. The pearl was worth more than all he had before.
The meaning of these stories is: Having Jesus is worth more than all that we have.
Jesus is worth more than our house, our car, all the money we have.
Jesus is worth more than our family.
In some countries that do not believe in the Bible or Jesus get very angry when someone from their family becomes a Christian. That person if put out of the family. The family will not speak to them any more.
Jesus is worth more than our family.
Jesus is worth more than our life here on earth. In some countries, people are killed if they become Christians.
Jesus is worth more than life here on earth.
To have salvation and know that we will go to heaven when we die is worth all we have. It is better to give up everything in this life so we can have Jesus and heaven.
If we give up Jesus, we give up salvation and heaven. The only way we can get into heaven is through Jesus.
Jesus said “if you deny me, I will deny you before my father which is in heaven.“ Deny— means to say you do not know Jesus, or to say you are not a Christian.
If the time comes in our country that people are against Christians, we will have to choose what is most important to us.
It may be that if you are a Christian you will not be able to get a good job. In Russia, under Communism, if you did not belong to the Communistic Party and have a card that showed that you belonged, then you could only get jobs like being a janitor, pumping gas, being a dishwasher, or such. Good jobs were for good Communists.
True believing Christians would not belong to the Communist Party. Being a Communist meant that you did not believe in God. So true Christians would not join the Party. So they could not get good jobs.
They were poor. Life was hard. The Christians would rather be poor than to give up Jesus and heaven and being a true Christian. Jesus was worth more than having things on this earth.
It is possible that someday things in the United States may be like that
There is much talk on TV on the news about many groups who are against true born-again Christians.
People say that Christians have a narrow idea about things. Some people do not like to hear what God’s word says about sin.
They blame the Christians for being hard and judging others. They think Christians should not be allowed to talk against certain sexual sins. They want to make laws that will make it a “hate crime” if you say things about certain kinds of sin.
Someday laws in the United States may limit what can be said in public. Preachers may not be allowed to preach against certain sexual sins.
There could be laws made that will be against Christians.
Someday choosing to be a Christian and telling God’s word may bring punishment to us from our government. We hope that does not happen, but it may.
These two parable stories tell us that Jesus and heaven are more important than all other things.