{"id":2810,"date":"2026-04-23T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=2810"},"modified":"2022-11-25T07:07:23","modified_gmt":"2022-11-25T14:07:23","slug":"a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\/","title":{"rendered":"A Kingdom-Sized Treasure: Matthew 13:44"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_3794\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-2810-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/reflectivebiblestudy\/rbs-ga-parables-17_mixdown.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/reflectivebiblestudy\/rbs-ga-parables-17_mixdown.mp3\">http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/reflectivebiblestudy\/rbs-ga-parables-17_mixdown.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/reflectivebiblestudy\/rbs-ga-parables-17_mixdown.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?powerpress_pinw=2810-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/reflectivebiblestudy\/rbs-ga-parables-17_mixdown.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"rbs-ga-parables-17_mixdown.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/256-reflective-bible-study-gos-31078545\/\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_iheart\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe on iHeartRadio\" rel=\"nofollow\">iHeartRadio<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/feed\/podcast\/\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p><hr class=\"powerpress-player-divider\"><div class=\"spoiler spoiler-style-2\"><div class=\"spoiler-title\">Read the Transcript<\/div><div class=\"spoiler-content\">\r\n<p>As we continue moving through our year focusing in on Jesus\u2019 parables, we come to a series of three short parables that only Matthew\u2019s gospel includes. These three parables are shared just with the disciples, and they are shared after Jesus responds to the disciples asking for explanation of one of Jesus\u2019 other parables. For this episode, we\u2019ll focus on the first parable in this set of three parables, because while the three parables are all short and similar, each is distinct enough to warrant an episode dedicated to it.<\/p>\r\n<p>Let\u2019s read the first parable and discover another way Jesus describes God\u2019s kingdom to the disciples. Our passage is found in Matthew\u2019s gospel, chapter 13, and we will read it from the Good News Translation. In verse 44, Jesus tells the disciples:<\/p>\r\n<p><strong><sup>44\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cThe Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>As we read this one-verse parable, two phrases jumped out to me. The first phrase is how the parable opens. This translation draws a casual connection to the discovery of this treasure. It describes, \u201c<strong>A man happens to find a treasure in a field<\/strong>\u201d. Reading this translation makes me think that the man was strolling through the field, and he trips over something hard and realizes that it is the corner of a treasure chest. The way this is described makes me think that the man was not looking for treasure, but that he at least had his eyes open enough to recognize the treasure was there when it tripped him.<\/p>\r\n<p>When reading the opening statement of this parable from multiple translations, no clues are given to the intentional nature or the casual finding of this treasure. Instead, the parable simply describes someone simply finding treasure hidden in a field. From this detail, and from the fact this is a parable Jesus shared, we can conclude that <strong>the treasure that is found is something that we all can find in our lives if we are paying attention.<\/strong> This \u201ctreasure in a field\u201d is something that we may have been seeking out, or it may be something we find at a time we are not expecting to find it. <strong>Regardless of whether we are actively looking, or whether we stumble onto it, what matters is not that we found it, but what we will do when we have found it.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>After the man found the treasure, he has three options. He can bury the treasure and walk away; He can steal the treasure, have the money, but also have the guilt associated with the theft; or He can sell as much as is necessary to buy the field that contains the treasure, which is the legally correct option. If I sold a home to you, and buried in the walls of the home were diamonds and blocks of gold that I was not aware of, when you discovered them, they would legally be yours. I might be upset at myself for not finding the treasure, but it would legally be the property of the owner of the home.<\/p>\r\n<p>According to the details of the parable, the man doesn\u2019t take any chances that he will not have enough money, so even if he only needed to sell a portion of his stuff, he sold everything because the treasure is that valuable in his eyes. This is the second idea that stood out in my mind as we read this parable.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>This man wants this treasure legally, and he does not want any of the guilt associated with simply stealing it. This man knows that a treasure that has been wrongfully gained is not a treasure in the end. <em>The treasures we can have and enjoy the most are the ones that don\u2019t come with guilt or other negative traits.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>The man buys the field because he knows that with this treasure, he can gain the life he has always wanted. While we might be tempted to think that simply having money can get us the life we most desire, the truth of this parable is that the kingdom of heaven is represented by this treasure that is hidden in a field. In other words, <strong>the treasure that can bring us true fulfillment in our lives is the kingdom of heaven treasure.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>If we read this parable from the New American Standard Bible translation, it tells us that \u201c<strong>The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The amazing truth of this parable is that the kingdom of heaven is something that we simply must open our eyes in order to discover. The kingdom of heaven is something that we might miss if we are not paying attention, but it is something we can discover if we keep our eyes open for it.<\/p>\r\n<p>And not only this, the kingdom of heaven is something that is worth selling everything we have in order to acquire it. The kingdom of heaven isn\u2019t a treasure that can be stolen. Instead, it is a treasure that is worth giving our lives for. This is because all that this life offers us is pain and sin that ultimately leads to death. While life may have its good moments, our lives one hundred, or even two hundred years from now will have ended in death \u2013 unless we have given our lives for the kingdom of heaven.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>When we give our lives to Jesus, He promises to keep us safe through the death we face, and bring us out on the other side into a new, perfect, eternal life that has all the best parts of this life without any of the pain, sin, and death.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><strong><em>The kingdom of heaven is the ultimate treasure, and the first step in finding this treasure is seeking Jesus. Jesus is the way to this treasure, and He is the only way to eternal life!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>As always, be sure to intentionally seek Jesus and God first in your life. Place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus as you choose to open your eyes to discovering God\u2019s kingdom. As Jesus\u2019 return moves closer, be sure you are actively seeking Him in your life so that when He returns, you will be ready.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><strong>One of the best ways to get and stay ready is by praying and studying the Bible for yourself. Regular prayer and Bible study helps draw you close to God and it helps you accept God\u2019s Holy Spirit into your life. With the Holy Spirit working in your life, don\u2019t be surprised to discover that God is using you to bring about His kingdom in the world today!<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><strong>And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>\r\nYear of Parables &#8211; Episode 17: When Jesus shares the short parable about a treasure hidden in a field, discover some things we can learn from this parable, and what is worth selling everything we have in order to acquire it. You may be surprised to learn the treasure we discovered!\r\n<\/p><p><strong>Join the discussion.<\/strong> Share your thoughts on this passage.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio"],"nelio_content":{"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"efiAlt":"","efiUrl":"","followers":[2],"highlights":[],"isAutoShareEnabled":false,"networkImageIds":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[],"series":[],"suggestedReferences":[]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Kingdom-Sized Treasure: Matthew 13:44 - Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Kingdom-Sized Treasure: Matthew 13:44 - Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reflectivebiblestudy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-23T09:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cam\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@godstruthhisway\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@godstruthhisway\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Cam\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6aa6c062baad6d28cd49429d13dee5e3\"},\"headline\":\"A Kingdom-Sized Treasure: Matthew 13:44\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-23T09:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1316,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"Audio Journal Entries\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\\\/\",\"name\":\"A Kingdom-Sized Treasure: Matthew 13:44 - Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-23T09:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6aa6c062baad6d28cd49429d13dee5e3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/a-kingdom-sized-treasure-matthew-13-44\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Kingdom-Sized Treasure: Matthew 13:44\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\\\/gospeladventure\\\/\",\"name\":\"Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure\",\"description\":\"Your Life. 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