The treasure in the field

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The parable of the treasure in the field by Rembrandt (around 1630)

The parable treasure in the field told by Jesus of Nazareth is only passed on in the Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible through the Gospel according to Matthew Mt 13,44  EU and thus belongs to the Matthew special property . A variant of this parable can also be found in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas in Logion 109.

content

The content is represented in the standard translation as follows:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that was buried in a field. A man saw it, but dug it back in. And in his joy he sold everything he owned and bought the field. "

There is no parallel passage in the other canonical Gospels, but a similar version can be found in the Gospel of Thomas, Logion 109:

“Jesus says: 'The rulership of God is like a man who had hidden treasure in a field that he knew nothing of. After his death he left the field to his son. The son did not know anything about the treasure either and sold it [sc. the field]. And the buyer found [...] the treasure while plowing. He started lending money to whomever he wanted at interest. '"

The parable is directly followed by the parable of the precious pearl and is similar in structure and statement.

interpretation

Allegorical approaches to interpretation

The allegorical practice of interpretation is mainly cultivated in brotherhoods and other communities that are faithful to the Bible. Here it is assumed that Jesus himself is the person described. The treasure concerns the New Testament believers. Other interpreters point the treasure to the people of Israel.

Interpretation of the kingdom of God

Another interpretation, e.g. B. represented by Georg Singe , assumes that the treasure in the field provides an image for the kingdom of God and the parable shows a way to God. The person who has found the treasure must first sell everything he has in order to get possession of the field and the treasure hidden therein.

According to Dietrich Bonhoeffer , in order to be a Christian one has to be a Christian with full devotion. This parable is the first characteristic of “expensive grace” that Bonhoeffer cites and that distinguishes it from “cheap grace”.

Newer interpretations

Klaus Berger interprets the parable from the statement "and sold everything". He comes to the interpretation that the earliest Christianity included a “liberation” that meant the farewell to property and family.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ After: Klaus Berger , Christiane Nord: The New Testament and early Christian writings . Insel Verlag, Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig, 2005, ISBN 3-458-17249-1 , p. 669.
  2. ↑ Peter Müller: The parables of the treasure in the field and of the pearl (Mt 13.44.45f. / Ev Thom 76; 109). (pdf; 62 kB) Protestant theological faculty of the University of Mainz, p. 2 , archived from the original on November 13, 2013 ; accessed on May 21, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Dirk Schürmann, Stephan Isenberg: The forgotten wealth - The mystery of God in the epochs of his actions. Daniel, Retzow 2009, p. 49.
  4. ^ William McDonald: Commentary on the New Testament. CLV, Bielefeld 1997, p. 90
  5. ↑ Georg Singe: Theological foundations for postmodern social work. Münster 2006, p. 68ff.
  6. ^ Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Succession . Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2002, ISBN 3-579-00455-7 (first edition: 1937).
  7. ↑ Klaus Berger: Commentary on the New Testament . 2nd edition, Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2012, ISBN 978-3-579-08129-8 , p. 76f.