A man might pass over the place where treasure had been concealed. In dire necessity he might sit down to rest at the foot of a tree, not knowing of the riches hidden 105 at its roots. So it was with the Jews. As a golden treasure, truth had been intrusted to the Hebrew people. The Jewish economy, bearing the signature of Heaven, had been instituted by Christ Himself. In types and symbols the great truths of redemption were veiled. Yet when Christ came, the Jews did not recognize Him to whom all these symbols pointed. They had the word of God in their hands; but the traditions which had been handed down from generation to generation, and the human interpretation of the Scriptures, hid from them the truth as it is in Jesus. The spiritual import of the sacred writings was lost. The treasure house of all knowledge was open to them, but they knew it not.

Det kunne ske, at en mand gik hen over stedet, hvor der var skjult en skat. Måske var han i stor nød, da han satte sig for at hvile ved foden af et træ uden at vide, at der var skjult en stor skat under dets rødder Det var tilfældet med jøderne. Sandheden var blevet betroet hebræerne som en skat af guld. Den jødiske husholdning, der bar Himmelens stempel, var blevet indstiftet af Kristus selv. Forløsningens dyrebare sandheder var tilsløret af symboler og forbilleder Men da Kristus kom, kunne jøderne alligevel ikke genkende ham, som alle disse symboler viste hen til. De havde Guds ord; men overleveringerne, som var gået i arv fra det ene slægtled til det andet, og menneskers fortolkninger af skriften skjulte sandheden, som den er i Jesus, for dem. Den åndelige betydning, som fandtes i de hellige skrifter var gået tabt. Al kundskabs skatkammer stod åbent for dem, men de vidste det ikke.