Finding Treasure
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.
Matthew 13:44
John and Mary were walking their dog on their property when they stumbled on a rusty can partially unearthed by recent rains. They took the can home and opened it, discovering a cache of gold coins over a century old! The couple returned to the spot and located seven more cans containing 1,427 coins in all. Then they protected their treasure by reburying it elsewhere.
The cache of coins (valued at $10 million) is called the Saddle Ridge Hoard, the largest find of its kind in US history. The story is strikingly reminiscent of a parable Jesus told: “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).
Tales of buried treasure have captured imaginations for centuries, though such discoveries rarely happen. But Jesus tells of a treasure accessible to all who confess their sins and receive and follow Him (John 1:12).
We’ll never come to an end of that treasure. As we leave our old lives and pursue God and His purposes, we encounter His worth. Through “the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7), God offers us treasure beyond imagination—new life as His sons and daughters, new purpose on earth, and the incomprehensible joy of eternity with Him.
By James Banks
REFLECT & PRAY
You are my greatest treasure, Jesus. I praise You for giving Your life for me on the cross, so that I could find forgiveness and new life in You.
How are you treasuring your relationship with God? How can you share that treasure with others?
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Jesus compares the “kingdom of heaven” to treasure and what a person will do to acquire it (Matthew 13:44). We might be tempted to focus on an earthbound understanding of treasure, but Jesus is emphasizing the sacrifice involved. The one who found this great treasure “sold all he had” just to obtain it. At another point Jesus noted, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (16:26). Living by Christ’s values means that everything else pales in comparison. The kingdom of heaven demands our total commitment to Jesus. Tim Gustafson
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