The Parable of the Undeserved Treasure
A few weeks ago I wrote a parable trying to highlight a nuance in a parable of Jesus missed by a modern reader. In this parable, I am trying to bring out the theme permeating Jesus' teaching of the covenant passing from the Jews to the Gentiles. This will be cross-posted on Eternal Footmen along with parables the other writers have written so be sure to check it out.
The Parable of the Undeserved Treasure
There was once a beggar who wandered from village to village without a home, a hope, or an inheritance. Nobody in the villages knew his name or where he came from, and nobody in the villages cared.One day, a rich man walked up to the beggar as he was lying on the side of the road. The rich man grabbed him by the shoulders, stood the beggar to his feet, and said, "I have a treasure I want to give you. It will make you the father of a great family and the treasure will never run out. Be careful, though, to remember that it is a gift. Use this to bless others."Suddenly the rich man vanished, and in his place was a giant treasure chest. The beggar couldn't believe what had just happened and carried the treasure away, rejoicing in the wonderful and undeserved gift the rich man bestowed upon him.A few months later, the beggar returned to the villages, but this time as a rich man. All the people sought to know him and everyone feared his great wealth. The man began having children, and his family grew and grew and grew. Pretty soon, the old beggar's family had taken over all of the villages he used to wander before the treasure.As long as the beggar was alive, his family remembered that their wealth was a gift. They cherished the treasure and did all they could to help the poor and needy in their area. The family was constantly generous and their fame spread throughout the country.One day, the beggar who became a rich man died, and the unending treasure passed to his children. Within weeks, the children had forgotten that the treasure was a gift. They forgot that their father was once a beggar and became cruel to those in need around them. There were some brothers who wanted the treasure for themselves, so they began fighting about it. Some would use the treasure to gain favor from surrounding villages, while others just got fat off of the everlasting bounty the treasure provided.Eventually, the treasure tore the family apart. One of the children, in seeing the ruin of his family, remembered the story his father told of how he got the treasure. He realized that the family's ingratitude is what led them to their demise. But instead of blaming the family for abusing the treasure, he blamed the treasure and schemed a way to get rid of it.That night, while the rest of his family slept, the young son stole the treasure and buried it in a nearby field. When the family woke up, the son told them what he did. Although at first the family was angry, they eventually came to agree with the young son and decided to keep it buried. If they weren't able to handle the treasure, they agreed that nobody could.From time to time, the family would remember the treasure, but they never dared dig it up. The undeserved gift the beggar received remained buried in the field.___________________________________________________________________________________________““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.” (Matthew 13:44 ESV)