Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. (Matthew 13:44)
The finder replaced the treasure where it had been hidden, to protect it, and in order that his procedure in securing it might be according to due process of law. It should be noted that Christ does not necessarily commend the action of the man who found the treasure, nor does He condemn the man. If there be any question as to the propriety of the man’s course of action, it should be remembered that for the purposes of the parable the man’s character has nothing to do with the main point that Christ is seeking to present—the value of heavenly treasure and the effort needed to secure it (see p. 204).
Treasure hid.
This parable, recorded by Matthew only, illustrates the value of salvation as represented by the gospel message, together with the effort that must be put forth on the part of the individual to secure it. In this case the “field” represents the Scriptures. Because of the frequent political turmoil and economic uncertainty of ancient times it was common for a man to keep his valuables buried in the earth, where they often remained after his death. Those into whose hands the land passed would not know of the buried treasure, and probably would have no more claim on it than the next person. In this case it is clear that the owner of the land knew nothing about the buried treasure, or he would have reclaimed it before selling the property. According to Mosaic law, he who found what another had lost was to restore it (see on Lev. 6:3, 4). But in this instance, apparently, the original owner was long since dead, and the treasure could not be restored to him. Thus the finder had as much right to it as anyone, and title to the treasure legally went along with title to the land. See on (Matt. 6:19, 20).