One Man's Treasure
"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 mule, a cart, a pickaxe, and a hillside in Sipsey, Alabama.
In 1935, Heman Drummond set about digging for black gold on a family-owned parcel of land, where he unearthed a seam of coal that would eventually spin its energy-producing threads around the globe, enabling people everywhere to live more productive and efficient lives.
It's an extraordinary story—evidence of the impact one individual can have when he (or she) "sells all" to "buy the field" where an inestimable treasure has been discovered.
For Heman Drummond, it was coal. For Sam Walton, it was retail. For Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, technology. And the list goes on.
But what about you and me? Not everyone is an entrepreneur of the "Forbes 500" sort. So, what can we invest in? What do we have to offer? What contribution can we make?
According to Jesus, there is a treasure available to all of us if we are willing to devote the time and effort to both discover and "purchase" it. It is a treasure of incalculable worth and lasting value. What is it?
The Kingdom of God: the kind and quality of life that comes in and through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
When Jesus began His ministry, His first message was about the presence of the Kingdom and its immediate accessibility to all who would accept the invitation to enter. Jesus spent the remainder of His earthly life (three and one-half years) teaching about the Kingdom, modeling its principles, and welcoming others to join Him in Kingdom living. His most famous Sermon (Mt. 5-7) was a comprehensive overview of the attributes and character of those who would deliberately and purposely choose to follow Him as citizens of the Kingdom of God.
Why does this matter? Why is this so important? Because the Kingdom, this "treasure" of immeasurable price, is eternal in nature. It is the only thing that is going to last. All other things will pass away, but not the Kingdom. Therefore, our investment in it pays dividends now and throughout the endless ages. Coming to terms with this ultimate truth about the Kingdom is the most important realization that any human being ever has.
Dallas Willard's cogent observation sums it up well, "There must be nothing held of greater value than Jesus and his Kingdom. He must be clearly seen as the most important thing in human life, and being his apprentice is the greatest opportunity any human being ever has."
It is only by embracing this magnanimous opportunity to enter the Kingdom that we truly discover the treasure worth "selling all" to possess, which then affords us a pathway for making known the goodness of God for His glory and the advancement of His Kingdom—both now and forever.
A fellow beggar along the Way,
Greg