“Buried Treasures” (Matthew 13:44-46)

Stories of the Kingdom: Part 6

This is the sixth of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus’ parables, the kingdom of God, and living as kingdom people.

The Parable of the Treasure Hidden in the Field

The first parable we encounter in this section is an account of a man who finds a treasure, reburies it, then sells all he has to buy the field. One of the more striking notes of this passage is the inclusion of the word “joy.” This is not a mere business transaction, a cold, calculated fiscal decision; this man sells everything he has in joy because of the surpassing value of the treasure he has found. If we push the financial benefit here, however, we miss the point of the parable. To begin, we are not told that the treasure is more valuable monetarily than what he sells and buys. We could conceive of many people who value certain artwork at a much higher financial sacrifice than others. One might pay hundreds of dollars to attend a concert or sporting event that another would happily miss. Sometimes treasure to one is not treasure to another. So, we must be careful not to mistake this parable as some kind of proverb about good investing. Rather, we are meant to see in this parable three things. First, the man rightly recognizes what he finds as valuable treasure. Though some may miss its value, he sees it as something of surpassing value. Second, his response is to sell everything else and buy that field. The ability to possess the treasure is worth more than all that he currently possesses, both in reality and potentiality. Whatever he has now is gladly given up for the sake of this one treasure. Third, he does all this in joy. He does not act under duty, in accordance with a law, or under coercion. He freely and joyfully gives all for this treasure.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

The parable of the priceless pearl appears remarkably similar, and indeed, in many ways it is. Again we have a treasure, again the man sells all, and again the man buys the right to the treasure. In this parable, we do not get the repetition of the word joy, but we do get the addition of the phrase “in search of.” The merchant in this case does not stumble upon a treasure; rather, he goes out looking for, in search of, fine pearls. He knows the value of fine pearls and seeks it. Likewise, the kingdom of heaven is something that is found not merely by accident, but by the one who is in search of it, the one who seeks after it. The kingdom of heaven is not the only kingdom competing for our allegiance. We may set out seeking for something worthy of our lives, but only the kingdom of heaven is of such surpassing, immeasurable, priceless value that it warrants selling all to possess it. Thus, despite some minor differences, the message of the buried treasure and the priceless pearl both point to something worthy of our lives, worthy of our free and joyful sacrifice of everything else so we can receive the kingdom of heaven.

Two Questions to Assess Our Hearts

So we are left with two questions today. What is your treasure? And, what are you in search of? We may also ask, what are you willing to sell or give up to receive what you want? One way we might assess our treasure is by asking honestly how we spend our time and our money. Also, upon what do we place our attention? What do we find ourselves talking about, thinking about, dreaming about? In Scripture, our attention is linked to our loves. For example, Psalm 8 says, “What is man that you are mindful of him? The son of man that you care for him?” The psalmist shows God’s love for humanity by virtue of the fact that God sets His attention upon us, that He is mindful of us. So, what do you give your attention, time, and money to? That is your treasure–and according to Jesus, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So let’s return to the first message in this series: what do you want? Those who follow Jesus are taught to seek first the kingdom of God–put your attention, time, and money on things that last. Find the kingdom of God and give your life to it. Only Jesus is worth your life.