The new treasure is the fulfilment of the eschatological promises
"Central to the synoptic gospels is Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Jesus' primary mission to the Jewish people was to offer them the possibility of participation in final, or eschatological, salvation, which, for the most part, he expressed by the term"Kingdom of God.” (A synonym for the Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of Heaven, found in the Gospel of Matthew.) Jesus interpreted his exorcisms and healings as manifestations of the Kingdom of God.”
Jesus Parabolic Teaching about the Kingdom of God
A large part of the content of Jesus' teaching relating to the
Kingdom of God that has been preserved is in the form of parables,
which are metaphors or similes used as means of describing the nature
of the Kingdom of God.
1.2.1. Mark 4:26-29 (Parable of the Seed Growing by Itself)
26 And he said," The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter
seed upon the ground, 27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and
the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how. 28 The earth
produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full
grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in
the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a seed sown that grows without
the help of human beings ("All by itself the soil produces grain"),
and culminates in the harvest. The fact that this parable has no
interpretation attached to it has led to some scholarly differences
as to its meaning. The emphasis of the parable has been placed upon
the one who sows (4:26: “A man sows seed upon the ground"; 4:27: "He
sleeps and gets up"; 4:29: "He reaps"), the seed and its growth
(4:26: “A man sows seed upon the ground"; 4:27: "The seed sprouts and
grows, though he does not know how"; 4:28: "The soil produces grain—
first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head the
sower") and on the the ground and its power to bring forth grain
("All by itself the soil produces grain"). It is probably advisable,
however, to allow for more than one emphasis, so that the parable is
interpreted as an allegory. Given the otherwise unexpected stress on
the seed's growth as independent of all assistance from human beings,
Jesus' point seems to be that the Kingdom of God is a historical
process that is outside of the control of human beings; in the same
way that a plant grows without human assistance," all by itself"
(automatê), the Kingdom of God begins"to grow"In history until it
reaches its culmination. Probably, the harvest represents final
judgment, which will come inevitably, according to God's own timing.
Final judgment is coincidental with the Kingdom of God in its
completeness, also expressed elsewhere in Jesus' teaching as the
paliggenesia, eternal life, the"Age to come"or"that age.”It is
also possible that Jesus intended the sower and the harvester to be
identified with himself; in this case Jesus as the"sower"Is the
mediator of the Kingdom of God, the one through whom God's saving
power is introduced into history, but as the"harvester"Is also the
one through whom final judgment will be executed.
1.2.2. Mark 4:30-32; (Parable of the Mustard Seed)
Mark 4:30-32
30 And he said," With what can we compare the Kingdom of God, or what
parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed,
which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on
earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of
all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the
air can make nests in its shade.”
Matt 13:31-32
31 Another parable he put before them, saying," The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a grain mustard seed which man took and sowed in his field;
32 it is the smallest all seeds but when it has grown it is the
greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that birds air come make
nests its branches.
Luke 13:18-19
18 He said therefore," What is the Kingdom of God like? And to what
shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man
took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the
birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
There are two different versions of the Parable of the Mustard Seed,
a Markan and non-Markan (see Gospel of Thomas 20, 96). The
differences between, however, are negligible with respect the meaning
of the parable. Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed,
or, more accurately, to what happens to a mustard seed. The mustard
plant begins as inconspicuous," the smallest of all seeds," but
becomes conspicuous, a large shrub or"tree" (dendron: Matt 13:32;
Luke 13:19). The emphasis of the parable is on the contrast between
beginning and end. Some scholars believe that the stress is on the
final result of the process of growth, which may be true, but this
should not detract from the central idea of its growth. Jesus' point
is that Kingdom of God is a historical process, beginning
inconspicuously but leading to conspicuous results. The birds sitting
in the branches of the mature mustard plant serve to illustrate how
large the plant has become, so as to accentuate the contrast between
the beginning and end. It is often suggested that the depiction of
the mustard plant as a"tree," large enough to support birds on its
branches, is a metaphor of the Kingdom of God as offering protection
to those within it. A tree as metaphorical of a kingdom occurs in
Ezek 17:23; 31:16; Dan 4:10-12.
1.2.3. Matt 13:44-46 (Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl)
44"The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a
man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that
he has and buys that field. 45"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like
a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of
great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Jesus tells two thematically-related parables to describe what is
required of the one who hears about the Kingdom of Heaven. First, he
says that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a valuable treasure in a
field that must be procured at any cost to the purchaser. (In the
ancient world, coins and other non-perishable valuables were often
buried underground for safekeeping.) Second, he compares the Kingdom
of Heaven to a valuable pearl that is worth more than anything a
merchant already possesses and must be procured at any cost to the
merchant. The response required of the one who hears about the
Kingdom of Heaven is the willingness to procure entry into it at
all costs, since it is valuable beyond all description.
1.2.4. Matt 13:51-52 Parable of New and Old Treasures
51"Have you understood all this?”They said to him," Yes.”52 And he
said to them," Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the
Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of his
treasure what is new and what is old.”
Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a scribe's adding new treasure
to old. The scribe is one who has studied the scriptures and knows
what God has done in the past and has promised to do in the future.
The old treasure represents the previous stages of salvation history,
whereas the new treasure is the fulfilment of the eschatological
promises. Jesus' point is that the Kingdom of God, which is the
realization of eschatological salvation, stands in continuity with
previous stages of salvation history, in no way nullifying them, but
being anticipated by them.
Jesus' Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
Professor Barry Smith, www.abu.nb.ca/Courses/NTIntro/KingdGod2.htm
Web (Extracted May 5, 2013)
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