Kingdom Parables | Worth Everything

Written by Kate Powell 

If you have been reading through the parables with us in Matthew 13, you may have noticed that Jesus doesn’t repeat Himself because He has nothing new to say—He repeats Himself because many times we need to see the same truth from a different angle. 

As I’ve been digging into Scripture lately, I’ve been blown away by how much is revealed in even a single verse. It’s definitely possible to read these parables and understand them intellectually… and still miss what Jesus is actually trying to show us. 

Let’s get into the second-to-last parable on the Kingdom of God and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what we may have read before—but not truly seen. In Matthew 13:44, Jesus says, 

“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.” 

Before we go any further, it’s helpful to note that Matthew uses the terms “Kingdom of Heaven” and “Kingdom of God” synonymously. We see this clearly in Matthew 19:23–24, 

“And Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Truly I say to you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.’” 

Now, let’s look at what Jesus is showing us in this parable. Jesus is comparing the kingdom of God to be like treasure. If you are like me and were not raised in an environment where the Kingdom of God was talked about or understood, then comparing the Kingdom to treasure might sound a bit odd. As we have mentioned prior, the Kingdom of God is anywhere God our Father rules and reigns in the authority of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.  

The Greek word for “treasure” in this verse is thésauros, which refers to a deposit, a “treasure chest,” or a storehouse of valuable items. It signifies immense wealth, something stored upand set apart because of its great worth.  

While thésauros can mean a physical, literal chest of gold, in this context, Jesus uses this word metaphorically to represent the supreme value of the Kingdom of God. 

Why would Jesus compare the Kingdom of God to be like treasure?   

Because Jesus wants us to understand that the Kingdom of God is not just valuable—it is of highest value. Understanding how valuable something or someone is requires understanding its worth. 

And you don’t respond to something based on what it is… you respond based on what you believe it’s worth. The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:7-8:

“But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” 

Paul is crystal clear on what his life looked like before he knew Jesus and life after he came to experience Jesus. He is boldly proclaiming that everything he once considered valuable – status, achievement, reputation, religious credentials – became insignificant compared to knowing Jesus.  

When you truly understand the worth of something—or someone—it reorders everything. Your priorities shift. Your decisions change. Your grip on lesser things loosens. 

So, the question isn’t “Is the Kingdom valuable?”  The question is: Do I actually believe it’s worth everything? Because what you prioritize in life will always reveal what you truly believe. 

Jesus continues in the parable and says, “When a man found the treasure, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” 

Jesus didn’t tell this story just to explain the Kingdom… He told it to expose what we value. 

If the Kingdom really is of the highest value, why don’t we live like it is? Why is it that in Western Christianity we don’t talk much about the riches of living in the Kingdom of God? Not manypeople freely talk about how energizing and life-giving it is to be adopted into the family of our Father and experience daily life in the Kingdom.  

In this parable, Jesus is not being dramatic by telling this story of a man selling everything for treasure in a field. He is emphasizing that the Kingdom of God is THE THING we should be valuing and desiring above all else. 

Many people don’t reject the Kingdom, but they never reprioritize their lives around it. We try to add Jesus in and keep control of everything else.  

That is not what the man in the parable did. He reordered everything.  He found treasure so valuable that he hid it again, sold all he owned, and bought the field just to have the treasure he found. Not only did he sell everything, he did it with joy. 

What kind of value does the Kingdom of God have in your life that you would want to joyfully sell everything you had to more deeply experience the Kingdom of God? 

What would have to be true about the Kingdom of God for you to sell everything you own to experience it? 

Let’s consider the story of Moses in Hebrews 11:23-28.  

“By faith Moses, after he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin. For he considered reproach for the sake of Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking ahead to the reward. By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees him who is invisible. By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites.” 

Moses evaluates what is most valuable and then reorders his life around it.  He considered the cost of belonging to the Lord in his Kingdom and walking by faith to be of greater value than all the treasures of Egypt—influence, wealth, security, prestige, etc. He walked away from all that no matter the cost and chose to suffer with the people in the Kingdom than enjoy pleasures that he knew would not last.  Moses looked ahead at what is unseen to the ultimate reward. His eyes were fixed beyond temporary gain. 

Moses had an unwavering heart conviction that nothing is more valuable than experiencing life in the Kingdom of God.  

Similarly, in this parable the man, upon finding the treasure, recognizes its incomparable worth and, in his joy, willingly sells all he has to gain it—reordering his entire life around what he now sees as most valuable. 

It can initially sound like a huge sacrifice to do what this man did. But the man had zero doubt, zero reluctance, and zero hesitation.  

This becomes an organic response when someone experiences the true value of life in Jesus. 

You don’t give everything up because you have to. You do it because you’ve found something way better. 

This is the invitation of the Kingdom: not loss, but fullness. Not pressure, but overflow. 

And Jesus is inviting you to see clearly that what He offers is not just valuable… it is so valuable that it is worth everything.