Pictures of Heaven预览

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus introduces this idea of treasure. He challenges His listeners to resist giving their lives to things that won’t last. Instead, He invites us to acquire stock in the Kingdom of heaven, which is eternal. He reveals that the heart of our often insatiable desire to accumulate stuff, experiences, and relationships is actually worry. But the relationship with God that we get to have because of Jesus is one marked by trust, not worry. It’s a trust built on knowing God as our heavenly Father who delights in taking care of us.

And this sermon sets the stage for a one-liner parable that Jesus tells a few chapters later:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Matthew 13:44 NIV

A couple of interesting things to note:

1. To find something hidden, you have to be looking for it. Imagine trying to play hide-and-seek without the “seek” part. Not so fun! This guy was looking for something, he was out there in the field, seeking. Not sitting in his house waiting for something awesome to magically fall into his lap. God reminded His people through the prophets of old that when we seek Him, we will find Him—when we seek Him with all our hearts. And in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness first, above anything else. So in both the Old and New Testament, we’re invited to an undistracted endeavour. We’re invited to actually search. And the beautiful thing is that this kind of search always pays off.

2. To gain something valuable, you have to give something up. This applies not just to monetary situations. Think about it. In order to have a close, healthy relationship with someone, you have to invest time in getting to know them, having conversations with them, and sharing life with them. You’re giving of yourself to gain the relationship. The same is true with the Kingdom of God. Our culture tends to make decisions based solely on what we get out of something. What are the personal benefits? But that’s not the kind of life Jesus calls us to. Christianity isn’t about you. Christianity is about following Jesus. And the Jesus we follow is a person who literally gave His life for the sake of others. The point of our faith is to become the kind of people who can love God with all that we are and love others the same way that Jesus has loved us. If that’s not the goal, we’re missing the point. The code of the Kingdom is so much less about what we get and so much more about what we give. And in this story, the man who found the treasure gave everything. 

That brings us full circle. Because the point of Jesus’ parables was not just so we’d have these cute, morally informative stories. His parables are an invitation to seek His Kingdom and it’s values and do something with what we discover. They aren’t just stories we listen to—they are truths we live out. So take inventory. What confronted your heart this week? Have you had ears to hear? Are you willing to get your hands dirty? Will you take the risk of really loving others? Will you commit to seeking the treasure of the Kingdom and doing something with what you discover? Allow these stories to remind you just how good God is, what it means to be His people, and what His Kingdom is really like. And then, join Jesus in bringing these pictures of heaven to life on earth.     

Take a closer look at the teachings of Jesus by starting the Who Is Jesus? Part 1 Bible Plan with friends today!