Seeking Treasures

Simile est regnum caelorum thesauro abscondito in agro, usque, et emit agrum illum. Thesaurus absconditus est coeleste desiderium: ager, disciplina coelestis studii est, in quo abscondetur thesaurus a favore humano, ut ab immundis spiritibus servetur. Quem profecto agrum venditis omnibus comparat, qui cuncta sua terrena desideria per custodiam coelestis desiderii calcat. Sive thesaurus in agro duo sunt testamenta, in quibus multa sentiens latere, per contemptum temporalium rerum otium sibi comparat, ut sit dives in agnitione Dei; quod thesaurum tunc non indivia celat, sed abscondit ne perdat. Iterum simile est regnum coelorum homini negotiatori, quaerenti bonas margatias, etc. Inventa una margarita pretiosa, omnia quae habuit vendidit; quia in comparatione coelestis vitae omnia habita vilescunt. Si vero sanctos homines scrutare vis, unum Jesum Christum, qui absque culpa est, omnibus meliorem invenies. Si intellectum quaeris, illum solum caeteris praeeminere probaveris: In principio erat Verbum, et mandatis omnibus sic charitas est excellentior, in qua omnia restaurantur, et in caeteris libris Evangelium fortius esse probatur. Sanctus Beda, In Matthaei Evangelium Expositio, Liber II, Cap XIII Source: Migne PL 92.69a-c

'The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field...' until '...he bought the field.' 1 The hidden treasure is heavenly longing, the field is the discipline of heavenly studies, in which the treasure is hidden from human passions, that it be protected from unclean spirits. And he is compared to someone who sold everything to buy the field, who every desire for worldly things is trampled on by the care of heavenly longing. Or the treasure in the field is the Two Testaments in which many things are hidden, and through contempt of temporal things a man acquires it, that he may be rich in the knowledge of God, which treasure he then hides, not on account of jealousy, but he stores it away lest he ruin it. Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking good pearls... 1 When he discovers one precious pearl, he sells everything he has because in comparison to the heavenly life everything in this life is vile. If you truly wish to mark holy men, you shall find the one Jesus Christ, who is free from blame, better than all. If you seek to understand, you should test for Him alone who is preeminent above all others: 'In the beginning was the Word,' 3  just as love is more excellent than every commandment, 4 in which everything is restored, and in the other Gospels it is confirmed. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Book 2, Chap 13 1 Mt 13.44 2 Mt 13.45 3 Jn 1.1 4 1 Cor 13.13