"The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes & sells all that he has & buys that field."
(Matthew 13:44)
When I was a kid, I'd dream about finding buried treasure. Must have been all those PIRATE stories/movies (though this was before Jack Sparrow's fame!). Whenever I was out in the woods (like by my cousins' houses in VA), I'd go searching for "treasurers" that might have been lost there. I never found any, but it sure was fun to search!
Jesus once told a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven being like treasure... treasure that someone found, buried & then bought the field it was in. Interesting analogy, isn't it? The Gospel is supposed to be FREE for all, right? At least in welcoming it into our hearts. And it's all around us (the reality of God's love & grace for everyone!). But somehow it remains hidden to so many. When someone "discovers" this amazing grace, it's life-changing! And what is free becomes something that costs everything... because everything changes. Priorities, values, relationships, what's important in life, everything! So it's not unlikely for someone to "sell all he has and buy that field."
My role, as pastor, is to help more people find the treasure. There's enough for everyone (and then some!). The Gospel can be found all over - in numerous fields in our lives - if only we'll look (and help others search, too!).
1 comment:
I heard in a management course once that if you really want someone to pay attention to what you have to say, never mark it "free." "Free" newspapers are seldom taken seriously while those with the largest charge (e. g.: The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Barron's) are the ones most quoted. Our capitalistic society doesn't easily comprehend "free" and equate that with "invaluable." That may be why the church is growing most rapidly in the third world countries such as those in Africa.
Those of us who've broken the mental paradigm and realized the great "free" of Jesus' offering can only help lead others to it; it's up to each individual to make up his/her own mind. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
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