I like what Macarthur is saying on this.
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. (13:44)
As He does in the other parables, Jesus builds this simple story around an experience or situation familiar to His hearers. Few, if any, would themselves have found such a treasure; but the practice of hiding valuables in the ground was common. Because there were no banks or other public depositories, most people protected their valuables in a secret spot in the ground. When they needed money or decided to sell or trade a piece of jewelry, for instance, they would go to the place at night, uncover the jar or storage box, take out what was desired, and rebury the rest.
Because Palestine had been a battleground for hundreds of years, families would often even bury food, clothing, and various household objects to protect them from plundering enemy soldiers. The famed Jewish historian Josephus wrote, “The gold and the silver and the rest of that most precious furniture which the Jews had and which the owners treasured underground was done to withstand the fortunes of war.”
Over the years, the ground of Palestine became a veritable treasure house. When the owner of buried treasure died or was forcefully driven from the land—sometimes deported to a foreign land such as Assyria or Babylon—the treasure would be forever lost unless someone accidentally discovered it, as occasionally happened.
No doubt that was the fate of the
treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again. The man may have stumbled over part of the
treasure or seen some of it protruding above ground as he happened to pass through the
field. Or he may have been a hired hand who inadvertently dug it up while plowing or cultivating. In any case, the
field did not belong to him, because,
from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
Many Christians are embarrassed by this story, thinking Jesus used an unethical act to illustrate a spiritual truth. It seems to them that the man was obligated to tell the owner of the
field about the
treasure, since it was on his property and therefore rightfully belonged to him.
The point of the parable does not involve the ethics of what the
man did, but rather his willingness to sacrifice everything he had in order to possess the
treasure. But what he did was not unethical or dishonest.
In the first place, it is obvious that the treasure was not hidden by the present owner of the field and was unknown to him. Otherwise, he would have retrieved it before he sold the field. The
man who bought the field obviously knew the owner was not aware of the
treasure or he would not have offered to buy the field, knowing the treasure would not be included in the deal.
In the second place, rabbinic law provided that “if a man finds scattered fruit or money, it belongs to the finder.” If a person came across money or other valuables that were obviously lost and whose owner was dead or unknown, the finder had the right to keep what was found.
In the third place, the basic honesty of the
man is testified to by the fact that, had he been dishonest, he would simply have taken the
treasure without any thought of buying the field. But he did not even use part of the
treasure to buy the field; rather, he
sells all that he has, and buys that field.
<sup>[1]</sup>
John F. MacArthur Jr.,
Matthew, vol. 2, MacArthur New Testament Commentary
