The two little parables, that of the Treasure Discovered in the Field and the Pearl of Great Price, both depict a situation where a person finds something that they dearly want to possess. In one, a poor day-labourer comes across treasure buried in a field – an unimaginable windfall! In the other, a merchant recognises something he has been searching for all his business life: the perfect pearl!
Neither, however, is able to get hold of what they have discovered immediately. There is a gap between finding and possessing. But already the mere sight of what each has found frees them to ‘sell all’ so that they can finally possess it.
Jesus told the twin parables to illustrate a key feature of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not something we possess right now; only in the future will it be fully realised in the world and in human lives. But those who have caught a glimpse of it from Jesus know that they have come upon a treasure that will fulfil their deepest desires. The joy of the discovery puts all other attractions in second place. They gain the freedom to ‘sell all’ in order, one day, to obtain what they have seen.
Taken together, the parables contain a whole Christian spirituality – perhaps best illustrated in the life of St Francis of Assisi. His commitment to radical poverty was not something imposed on him. It flowed in complete freedom from the ‘treasure’ of God’s love that he, in supreme degree, has glimpsed.
Brendan Byrne, SJ
Song of the Parable of the Treasure and Pearl of Great Price - (Treasure):
Mo NguyenFri, Jul 24 at 7:57 PM