Background to the Gospel In the last of three gospels recalling the parables of Jesus, we hear the parables of the Buried Treasure, Pearl of Great Price and the Dragnet laden to capacity. Once again Jesus uses these parables to describe not only the kingdom of God but the differing responses to its advent and the ultimate response of God to our acceptance or rejection. The first parable is that of the Buried treasure (Mt 13:44) the second "Pearl of Great Price" (Mt 13:45-46), the third, the Dragnet is found immediately after (Mt 13:47-48). Most likely the first two were told as a pair with the last one added on for emphasis:
"Jesus said this to his disciples: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it." In the days before banks and savings funds, rich people tended to keep their wealth in solid form such as coins and gold and to bury it in fields where it was safe from thieves and invaders. The parable is silent on who actually buried the treasure and presumes he is no longer in the picture. The implication seems to be that the present owner of the land is blissfully unaware of what is buried on his land and presumes that he is not actually entitled to a share in the treasure found. The focus is on the one who finds the treasure, he has the good sense to keep his find quiet and to simply buy the whole field and claim its treasure too. Presumably too it makes sense to buy the field should it contain more treasure, yet to be discovered. Thus his response is singled minded and "out of joy".
The second parable of the Pearl is somewhat different from the Buried Treasure. In the first the find was a surprise: here the merchant is engaged "in searching for fine pearls". Once again as in the first parable this is about seeking and recognizing the value of God's gift. Though the man in the first parable may have simply run across the treasure by chance, here he purposely sought the treasure, making it his sole profession and purpose in life. At first the merchant may not have been aware that such a great pearl existed. In the process of examining other pearls he may have caught rumor of such a pearl. Or he may have discovered it on his own. Seekers often have gone through the process of examining a number of religions, philosophies and ideas. And indeed the scriptures reckon as virtuous those who are skeptical, carefully evaluating the ideas proposed rather than accepting them gullibly with a blind faith
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away." Continuing his description of the kingdom, Jesus turns his attention to a metaphor from the fishing industry, an industry familiar to his many of his disciples. A Dragnet was usually dragged between tow boats or laid out behind a single boat and dragged with long ropes to the shores, collecting everything that got in its way. Just as the seeds in the others parables came to harvest, the dragnet came to harvest when it was filled to capacity. As we last week in the parable of the Weeds and the Wheat (Mt 13: 36-43), the time comes for a selection and judgment. Here only the "good" fish will be kept and sold at market, the "bad" namely the unclean and inedible ones will be thrown away, some back into the sea, others to be picked over by the dogs and cats.
Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. "Do you understand all these things?" They answered, "Yes." And he replied, "Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old." Connecting this lesson to the last judgment at the close of the age, Jesus describes how the task of separating the righteous from the wicked will be done by the angels. The latter will be thrown into the "fiery furnace where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth", traditional Semitic language for eternal pain and suffering. By asking the disciples if they "understand these things" reminds them that they were told in parables and not always open to immediate understanding. The final line reminds them of their mission to preach the kingdom "the new" but at the same time to treasure their Jewish heritage "the old". Both come from the storeroom of divine providence!
Introduction to the Gospel Page