NOTES for Mat 13:44-46
The comparison of the Kingdom of Heaven with a precious pearl is completely understandable and fitting, for despite all its enormous value a pearl is small in size; it can so easily be buried among worthless junk. Here we can again recall the parable of the mustard seed, just as inconspicuous and yet immeasurably valuable. The comparison of the Kingdom of Heaven with a treasure, for the sake of obtaining which one can leave behind everything one has possessed until now, is also understandable.
But the man who hides the newly found treasure from those around him makes a strange impression. According to the rules of worldly wisdom, he is, of course, acting prudently, not wanting to chatter about a treasure buried in land he has not yet bought. Yet here the matter concerns the Kingdom of Heaven, access to which this man appears to want to conceal from those around him. But Christians are called to share the news of this treasure with everyone who does not yet know about it.
The buyer's "greed" can be justified by zeal for the holy thing, by an unwillingness to give it over to desecration by just anyone. Alas, the Kingdom of Heaven is not a value that everyone receives with joy. But, of course, the hero of the parable does not obtain the treasure in order to hide it in a chest and use it alone. In the end the treasure will become available to all who are ready to receive it.