Walking With Christ

Matthew 13:44  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.(ESV)

It’s interesting that I mentioned a hidden gem in the message yesterday and this was part of my reading today.  It just jumped off the page this time.  This verse has always been intriguing to me, probably because of how my brain works, but this verse causes me to ask a lot of questions.  The man had to buy the field so that he could own the treasure that he found there.  If the field wasn’t his, what was he doing in that field?  If he was working in the field for the owner, how did he have the money to purchase the field?  If he had the money to purchase

the field, why was he working for someone else?  He hid the treasure again until he could purchase the field.  What would he have done if someone else had been a bit faster in purchasing the field or had offered the owner more money for the field?  How far would this guy be willing to go to be sure that he alone was the one who owned this specific field?  What if he got robbed on the way to buy the field?  What would he do then?  I have dozens of other questions about just this specific verse, but that’s not really my point today.

I’ve heard whole sermons taught on just this verse.  It’s an amazing verse.  It asks how far a person is willing to go to have such an amazing treasure.  It speaks about the value placed on such a treasure.  After all, the value of something is determined entirely by what a person is willing to pay for it.  This man was willing to give up absolutely everything else in his life just for the opportunity to have this treasure.  He was left with a sack of coins and the clothes on his back.  The treasure wasn’t his until the purchase of the field was completed.  Yet, he was willing to risk everything.

The power of this verse is obvious to most readers.  I think that the impact of this verse and how easily most of us can relate to it masks the power of the very next two verses.

Matthew 13:45-46  (45)Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, (46)who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.(ESV)

In verse 44 the kingdom of heaven is the treasure in the field, and we are seeking to own it.  In verse 45 and 46, the kingdom of heaven is the merchant wishing to buy a precious pearl.  We, you and I, are that pearl.  The kingdom of heaven, God, sold everything to purchase us.  He was willing to sell everything He had for us.

This merchant, God, sold everything for a single pearl.  Jesus went to the cross for a single sinner.  If you’re reading this, you are that sinner.  God, the merchant, paid the highest price imaginable for you.  That is your value to God.  That is what you are worth in the kingdom.