“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44)
What does 'like treasure hidden' mean?
Remember that "kingdom" is translated from the Greek word βασιλεία (basileia) which means, according to the lexicon, "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."This means that "kingdom" relates to the consciousness of perceiving the Supreme Being's greatness. This takes place as a person comes to know and love the Supreme Being. Once we rediscover and embrace our relationship with Him, we become fulfilled.
But why would a relationship with God be hidden?
Because our true identity and true relationship with the Supreme Being is hidden from those of us in the physical world. We are not these physical bodies. We are spiritual in essence, and we were created to be the Supreme Being's loving servants and playmates.
But because love is based on freedom, the Supreme Being gives each of us the choice to love Him or not. He never forces us. And those of us who chose not to love Him were given a physical body in the physical world in order to escape from Him. These bodies give us a false identity and this dimension combined with the nature of our senses and mind allows our true relationship with Him to be hidden from us.
Consider what Jesus said as he considered and wept over the people of Jerusalem:
“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes." (Luke 19:42)And how he praised God:
“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children." (Matthew 11:25)"Children" here refers to those who humbly wish to revive their relationship with the Supreme Being.
And when our true relationship with the Supreme Being is revealed, it becomes a treasure to us because it fulfills us.
Each of us is desperately looking for fulfillment and true love within the physical world. Yet we never seem to find it. Even our family and spouse relationships do not fulfill us. This is why we perpetually seek that perfect soul mate. And those who seem like our soul mate also don't fulfill our quest for the perfect person. We soon realize their faults, and even if we settle down with this person and learn to tolerate those faults, we know deep inside that we didn't find the person we were looking for.
This is why so many people mistakenly go outside marriage in search for the perfect person. They are still thinking they will find the perfect person in this world. They won't. They will only find others who are also full of faults, just as we have. They will basically trade one set of faults for another, producing heartache on the way.
The answer is simple: the Supreme Being is our soul mate. He is the perfect person we have been looking for.
He is everything we expect in a soul mate. He is loving, kind, generous, strong, and beautiful.
Once we have a taste of the spiritual fulfillment of loving the Supreme Being, we cannot get enough. We never get tired of it. We must return to it constantly, and we must protect it. So we hide it.
Such a relationship is a spiritual relationship, and the people of this world - who are scrambling for fulfillment within the forms and things of the physical world - will not understand this relationship. Thus it must be hidden from view.
Once a person has a taste of the joy derived from their relationship with the Supreme Being it is so complete that the person will give everything up in order to continue to embrace that relationship. It is completely fulfilling, so the forms and things of this world have little meaning.
Gradually, as our love for the Supreme Being increases, we become increasingly prepared to make sacrifices to please Him. In the perfect stage of love for God, we are ready to sacrifice everything to retain that relationship with the Supreme Being.
This level of commitment is rare indeed. Jesus illustrated this type of commitment as he was willing to give up his physical body. He was willing to sacrifice his physical body in order to please the Supreme Being. Consider Jesus' desire to please God:
The answer is simple: the Supreme Being is our soul mate. He is the perfect person we have been looking for.
He is everything we expect in a soul mate. He is loving, kind, generous, strong, and beautiful.
Why did the man hide it again?
Why would the man hid the treasure after he found it? When a person living within the physical world comes to realize His eternal relationship with the Supreme Being, he will need to hide it away from others in order to remain living within the physical world.Once we have a taste of the spiritual fulfillment of loving the Supreme Being, we cannot get enough. We never get tired of it. We must return to it constantly, and we must protect it. So we hide it.
Such a relationship is a spiritual relationship, and the people of this world - who are scrambling for fulfillment within the forms and things of the physical world - will not understand this relationship. Thus it must be hidden from view.
What does 'in his joy' mean?
The word "joy" is translated from the Greek word χαρά (chara), which refers to "gladness" or "joy" specifically related to a relationship: "of persons who are one's joy" according to the lexicon.Once a person has a taste of the joy derived from their relationship with the Supreme Being it is so complete that the person will give everything up in order to continue to embrace that relationship. It is completely fulfilling, so the forms and things of this world have little meaning.
Gradually, as our love for the Supreme Being increases, we become increasingly prepared to make sacrifices to please Him. In the perfect stage of love for God, we are ready to sacrifice everything to retain that relationship with the Supreme Being.
This level of commitment is rare indeed. Jesus illustrated this type of commitment as he was willing to give up his physical body. He was willing to sacrifice his physical body in order to please the Supreme Being. Consider Jesus' desire to please God:
"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." (John 5:30)And consider what he prayed just before he was arrested (right at the time he could have run off and avoided the arrest):
“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39)