Matthew 13:44-50 Treasures

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.   "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,  and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind;  and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.  So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,  and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [Matthew 13:44‭-‬50 NASB]

The field is the world, and we are the treasure. The man who found the treasure and purchased the field is Jesus.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan offered him all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would bow down to worship him. Jesus did not refute Satan's right to make the offer, He simply declined it. Satan is called the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), and the "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2).

Satan - for now - is the ruler of this world. So for our sake, Jesus gave all that He had to purchase us from Satan's power. He lay aside His deity and lived among us as a man. And He died a horrible death on the cross. "Although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." [Philippians 2:6-8 NASB]

He paid a great price for us. The church is the treasure in a field, and the pearl of great price. In the parable of the pearl, he says "upon finding one pearl of great value..." The one pearl is the one body of believers; the one bride of Christ; the one church. 

Jesus finishes His parables with another illustration of the corruption that will inevitably come into the church. 

He casts his net to gather as many as possible, and catches both good and bad. He is not in a hurry to purge corruption from the church, nor to remove evil from the world. It will happen when the time is right. At the end of the age, He will judge those who truly knew and followed Him from those who gave lip service only.

Going to church and following the traditions of the church does not make you a Christian, except in name only. The true followers of Jesus have a living relationship with Him. 

Follow the example Jesus set. Just as He gave everything for your sake, in turn you need to surrender everything for Him. Don't let yourself be deceived by the world, or by the traditions of the church, or by your own mind. Know Him fully, and let His Spirit lead you, and you will truly be a child of God, and a treasure worth having.