A Compilation of Grace

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure, Pt. 2

The kingdom of heaven is like a [very precious] treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field [securing the treasure for [himself]. Matthew 13:44 AMP

I would like to look deeper at the treasure in the parable of the hidden treasure. The gifts Jesus has placed in each of us are part of the treasure that is us. They are imago dei—pieces that make us made in his image.

Ephesians 4:7 says, “And he has generously given each one of us supernatural grace, according to the size [measure] of the gift of Christ.” (TPT)

The Amplified version says this “was given to each one of us [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ’s [rich and abundant] gift.”

For his “body” has been formed in his image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one. And every member has been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of all; and as these gifts operate effectively [to full measure] throughout the whole body, we are built up and made perfect in love. Ephesians 4:16 TPT

The Gifts

So, what are some of the gifts that Jesus gives?

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12:6-8 NLT

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 says, “It is the same Holy Spirit who continues to distribute many different varieties of gifts. The Lord Yahweh is one, and he is the one who apportions to believers different varieties of ministries. The same God distributes different kinds of miracles that accomplish different results through each believer’s gift and ministry as he energizes and activates them. Each believer is given continuous revelation by the Holy Spirit to benefit not just himself but all.” (TPT)

The verses after this list these examples of gifts: words of wisdom, words of revelation knowledge, the gift of faith, gifts of healing, the power to work miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues.

These are not definitive lists of the gifts Jesus gives us. They are examples of the kinds of gifts he gives. Anyone can operate in any of these gifts as there is need. But, each person is given an extra measure of certain gifts as their calling—their special place to shine for God.

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs done. 2 Corinthians 9:8 MSG

Using the Gifts

If Jesus gives us each a measure of himself with the purpose in helping others grow in him, the last thing the enemy wants is for us to be successful. Instead, the enemy wants to stomp on, stunt, or bury the gift, so that we either don’t use it all or use it in broken and ineffective ways. Think about the hidden treasure—it was originally hidden so that no one else would be blessed by it.

When we accept Jesus’ gift of salvation, we instantly become completely new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Even though we are new creations, we don’t yet always live using our gifts as though we made whole. It is a learning process… the process of sanctification. It is a bit like a person going through therapy after an injury or surgery. They have to strengthen and relearn to correctly use the now restored body part. Being in fellowship with Jesus, we grow closer to him and become more like him (2 Corinthians 3:18).

This leads me to another parable in this chapter, that of the sower. The different qualities of the field here represent the state of the hearts of those in the world. I think it is possible that at any time each one of us can have any variety of those conditions in our own heart—the hard soil, the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil. Our hearts are the field where our imago dei—our giftings—can get hidden so no one else will be blessed. In the next few weeks, I will be sharing further about this.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.