17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

PARABLES OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE AND PRICELESS PEARL

BACKGROUND TO THE PARABLES

American Bible Commentary

These two parables have the same point. The person who finds a buried treasure and the merchant who finds a pearl of great price sell all that they have to acquire these finds; similarly, the one who understands the supreme value of the kingdom gives up whatever he must to obtain it. The joy with which this is done is made explicit in the first parable, but it may be presumed in the second also.

In the unsettled conditions of Palestine in Jesus' time, it was not unusual to guard valuables by burying them in the ground.

Gary DeLashmutt Commentary

The first man is probably a farm laborer who stumbles upon a treasure buried in his boss's field. In ancient times, people didn't have safe-deposit boxes. During war, they often buried their wealth on their property. If they died or were exiled, the treasure was lost. In this story, the farm laborer probably kept the information from the landowner and scraped together everything he had to buy the field so the treasure would be legally his (Jesus is not teaching business ethics here!).

The second man is a wholesale pearl dealer who probably pays a small fee to examine a huge pile of oysters. He finds among the pile the mother of all pearls, and then liquidates all his assets (including his other pearls) to buy the whole pile and get legal title to the mother of all pearls.

A DISCERNING HEART

The first reading is so chosen because it is related to the Gospel reading. For this Sunday the first reading is about the request of Solomon for a discerning heart. He says that he is young and in order to rule his people well, he needed to be able to discern what is good and what is bad. God was pleased with his request and declared that there will never be anyone in Israel to equal Solomon's wisdom.

How does this related to the Gospel?

A normal person can see how valuable a treasure or pearl. But not everyone will be able to see how valuable the Kingdom of Heaven is. In order to give importance to the things of God, one needs to have a discerning heart. One needs wisdom.

To see as God sees, one needs wisdom. To obtain that wisdom, one needs to pray for it.

APPLICATION

A man went to his doctor asking how he can live to a ripe old age.

The doctor asked him, "Do you smoke?" "No."

"Do you drink." "No."

"Do you romantic liaisons?" "No."

Exasperated, the doctor blurted, "Then why on earth do you want to live long?"

The doctor did not have the wisdom to see what it is that makes life worth living. He did not have the discerning heart of Solomon.

How about you?