“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
— Matt. 13:44–46
Much like a pearl inside an oyster, sometimes the greatest and most profound truths come in the pithiest of sayings. These two sayings of Jesus are definitely fantastic examples of that. They are very simple parables that are easy to grasp and understand. And yet, just like the point they are making, there is so much more within once we slow down and enter the story.
Imagine yourself as the man or the merchant. Smell the soil of the field or the salty water where the oysters are. Visualize coming across the treasure in the field — did you have to dig to find it, or was it poking out of the ground? What was it about the pearl that caught your eye as it sat under the water? What could possibly be found in that treasure, how large must that pearl have been, to motivate you to (don’t miss this) sell everything you have in order to purchase the field or the treasure? Not just doing that, but doing it with great joy and excitement? Take a moment more — when was the last time you felt that kind of joy about, well, anything? Honestly, this is a ridiculous story, almost ludicrous. No one in their right mind would actually do anything like that, right? Which is exactly the point, but not the entire point.
Now consider what Jesus says is the treasure hidden in a field and the pearl of great value. Jesus is talking about the kingdom of Heaven. Often, we think the treasure being spoken of is salvation, which it is. But it’s also so much more. The treasure that’s worth more than anything else in our lives is more than just accepting Jesus Christ as your savior, it’s embracing the way of life that Jesus introduced to us and the world. Walking in the way of Jesus — loving God with all our being (Matt. 22:37-38), loving our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:39), loving even our enemies and praying for those who persecute us (Matt 5:43-48), living a life of Christ-like service to the rejected and hurting (James 1:27), resting in the grace of Christ (Matt 11:28-30) — that is the treasure beyond all value. That is worth more than all of our earthly possessions or dreams.
The apostles and countless saints throughout the centuries have experienced the truth of these parables. Paul experienced this so viscerally he proclaims, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Phil. 3:8) Most of us, though, are scared off by that idea. As Brennan Manning once said, “We want to draw close enough to the blazing inferno of the love of God that we stay warm, but not so close that we might get burned.” It makes you wonder if we’re missing something, doesn’t it?
As we continue through this summer, be intentional in reflecting on your walk with the Lord. Have you found your relationship with Jesus to be a treasure worth selling everything you have to gain? What is holding you back from knowing Jesus so well that everything else becomes “rubbish”? How would it actually feel to let yourself be burned by the blazing inferno of the love of God? There’s more to this life than just living and dying, waking and sleeping. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so you could merely be forgiven of your sins and receive the promise of eternal life, He meant for you to have more and better life than you’ve ever dreamed of (John 10:10), and that life is best found and pursued together (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
— Psa. 51:12
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
