Earthly treasure, whether clothing, gold, houses, cars, or any abundance of things that adorn or comfort life, has no permanence, because this world is a stage on the way to the Kingdom of God and not the end of life. In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus uses three metaphors to show the futility of an earth-centered life. Moths, which destroyed the garments that were a key part of ancient wealth, and rust, which corrodes even silver and gold, show that all physical treasure decays and that the same decay eats into a person's life. Thieves represent the ungodly world that continually seeks to take everything we have and gives back only trouble. Old age ruins like a moth, disease corrodes like rust, and death steals everything like a thief, for there are no pockets in a shroud. We take with us only the character we have built. Saving and honest enterprise are not sinful, and wealth that comes our way should be used for the good of others and distributed for God's glory, so that earthly treasure becomes a tool for laying up treasure in heaven. Because the human heart naturally fixes on treasure, the treasure must be the right one: deeds of kindness, good works, the character formed by them, and richness in faith. The treasure of the converted is to be heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, receiving an incorruptible, undefiled inheritance that does not fade away, where nothing corrupts, dies, or is plundered.

The treasure hidden in the field is the church, God's special treasure, traced from Israel (Exodus 19:5; Psalm 135:4) to those who fear His name (Malachi 3:16-17) to the elect, His own special people (I Peter 2:9-10). The field is the world, and the man who finds the treasure is Christ. Before calling, God's people were hidden in the world because they were just like everyone else, dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2). After finding them, Christ hides them again by sending them back into the world, sanctified by His truth and kept from the evil one (John 17), so that they look like ordinary people unless truth becomes an issue. Their life is also hidden with Christ in God like valuables in a vault (Colossians 3:3), secure as long as they keep seeking things above. For joy, Christ gave all He had, His own blood (Acts 20:28), to buy the field. Treasure is a collective noun for the church in its individual members, while the single pearl of great price is the church as one body, the Bride He will adorn and perfect. The merchant cannot be a man, since no one seeks God, can come unless drawn, or can buy anything from Him; only Christ seeks, calls, and pays. A minister's "treasure" in Matthew 13:52 is a storehouse of learning and experience from which he brings out old and new truth in balance for the church's growth.

The hidden treasure in the field is the church, God's elect, whom Christ values so highly that He gave everything to buy them. The field is the world, and the man who finds the treasure is Christ. God called Israel His special treasure and "My jewels" (Exodus 19:5; Malachi 3:16-17), and that title passes to spiritual Israel, the church (I Peter 2:9-10; Galatians 6:16). Before calling, members were lost in the world, hidden by default because they conformed to it, though never hidden from God, who knew them beforehand. After calling, Christ hides them again by sending them back into the world (John 17:14-18). They look physically like the world, but they are spiritually transformed and sanctified by God's truth. The world does not recognize Christ or them, because they are now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). The man's joy in selling all to buy the field reflects Christ's willing sacrifice of His own life and blood for His treasure (Hebrews 12:2). Christ reflects the Father, a God of joy, and believers who receive His Spirit share that joy as its fruit. Christ's joy continues as He intercedes for the firstfruits and looks ahead to the Family of God. He now owns His treasure, and through sanctification He protects and hides it from the world.