The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Jesus said 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."
—Matthew 13:44-46
In the world of marketing, there are two ways of determining the financial value of a product or, in some cases, even an idea. The first is the actual value of the product, which is largely based on the cost of materials and labor needed for production. But it is the second measure that is considered much more important for companies with something to sell. This is the perceived value.
The perceived value of an item is the “worth” that the product has in the mind of a consumer. As one marketing website observed, “For the most part, consumers are unaware of the true cost of production for the products they buy; instead they simply have an internal feeling for how much certain products are worth to them. To obtain a higher price for products, producers may pursue marketing strategies to create a higher perceived value for their products.”
As unlikely as it might seem, this idea of “perceived value” is at the heart of this Sunday’s Gospel which brings together two short parables about the Kingdom of Heaven.
In the first parable, Jesus uses the image of a treasure buried in a field. As a person—most likely a day-laborer or wage worker who was working land that was not their own— is digging when they find treasure hidden beneath the soil. Recognizing the value of what they’ve found, and in order to avoid any dispute about their right to own this treasure, the person goes and buys the entire field.
As unlikely as this might seem to us today, concealing treasure was not an uncommon practice at that time. There were no banks for the poor and most houses were vulnerable to break-ins. The majority of people lived with the threat of being robbed or of their homes and goods being destroyed by fire. And so, money and other valuables were buried for safekeeping. However, as Gerhard Lohfink observed in The Forty Parables of Jesus, “It could easily happen that, as a result of wartime events and upheavals, buried treasures were not retrieved and lay forgotten. It certainly happened that someone came across a treasure buried in a field. There were even people who specialized in searching for old treasures; among Jews they were known as ‘moles,’ ‘woodpeckers,’ or ‘termites.’”
“The Hidden Treasure” (“Le trésor enfoui”) by James Tissot (1886-1894)
The character about whom we hear in the second parable is from the opposite end of the social spectrum. Instead of a humble laborer, Jesus tells of a wealthy merchant who discovers a precious and valuable pearl. It’s helpful to keep in mind that pearls were highly sought after in the ancient world and immense sums would be paid for even just one fine pearl. Scripture scholar Barbara Reid, O.P., reflects: “A merchant in search of fine pearls would have been a rich man, most likely making his money on the backs of the poor divers in his employ. Merchants are generally depicted negatively in the Scriptures, as avaricious and corrupt. The surprise is that even such person as this could come upon the reign of God and be moved to sell all they have for this pearl of great price.”
By making use of these characters and images in these twin parables, Jesus is helping the disciples move beyond limited expectations or vision of what the Kingdom of Heaven—the Reign of God—might be. The treasure and the pearl were not something new, but rather they were simply waiting to be discovered: stumbled upon by the laborer and recognized by the trained eye of the merchant, both present but not yet perceived. The Reign of God isn’t something that we are expected or even able to fashion ourselves. Rather, the Kingdom is a reality—a gift—that is revealed to those who are attentive and searching. Remember, parables are ultimately about God and God’s work and not primarily about us or our actions.
In a commentary on this passage, Diane Bergant, CSA, has this to say about the “treasure” of the Reign of God:
It is the realization of knowing that we belong to God, that we are cherished and cared for, that we have been called to commit ourselves to the noblest values of the human heart. It is the prize that gives meaning to the present, and its fullest delight draws us into the future. It feeds our hungers; it satisfies our thirsts; it piques our curiosity. The kingdom of heaven excites us as a child is excited at Christmas or a bride on the morning of her wedding. It has the calming touch of a nursing mother, the warmth of a lover’s embrace, the approving smile of a good friend. The reign of God is the fulfillment of our deepest desires and our fondest hopes. Nothing in the world can compare with it, and that is why we are willing to sacrifice everything to attain it.
In homilies and reflections focused on these parables, many preachers and teachers often lean into a call to sacrifice—that we give up all to claim, to take hold of the treasure that is the Reign of God. However, that interpretation is antithetical to both the spirit of these parables and to the interpretation invited by the First Reading of this Sunday’s Mass (taken from the First Book of Kings) in which God blesses Solomon with wisdom as a gift, rather than as something Solomon claims for his own. Obviously, the treasure and the pearl are unique and of incomparable value and, yes, the worker and merchant must act decisively, risking everything to attain the Reign of God. But, within all of this we cannot lose sight of one final detail: Jesus notes the laborer’s response to the discovery of the treasure, declaring, “out of joy [he] goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44). Returning to Lohfink:
The [merchant’s] fascination with the find is so great that it determines the whole event. The day-laborer does not hesitate for a second, any more than the merchant does. Both of them are enraptured: by the brilliance of the treasure and the shimmer of the pearl. They have been seized by a joy beyond all measure… Here Jesus utters a crucial truth, and what is so delightful is that he does not formulate a theory but tells a story. To be moved by God’s cause so that one gives everything for it is ultimately not something done out of simple consciousness of duty, “you should” or even “you must!”
The response of the laborer and the merchant—including their decisions to buy the field and the pearl—were not motivated by a sense of obligation, but rather because they joyfully perceived the inestimable value of what they had discovered.
Too often in our spiritual lives, our decisions and commitments are shaped by a “should” or “ought” that too often has its roots in shame, guilt, or fear, rather than in the joyful recognition of God’s gift and revelation. The Kingdom of Heaven—the Reign of God—is a gift and it is one that calls for joyful, humble acceptance. The invitation for us is to be attentive and alert to the signs of the presence of the Kingdom in our lives and to allow our gratitude for the abundance God promises to us to inspire us to ever-deeper commitment and faith:
I have said, O LORD, that my part
is to keep your words.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces…
Wonderful are your decrees;
therefore I observe them.
The revelation of your words sheds light,
giving understanding to the simple. —Psalm 119:57, 72; 129-130
O God, protector of those who hope in you,
without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy,
bestow in abundance your mercy upon us
and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may use the good things that pass
in such a way as to hold fast even now
to those that ever endure.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Collect for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
