“Treasure in a field,” my husband says as the day winds down and we feel spent. “Treasure in a field,” I mumble to myself as I get up before the sun to start the day. This is a way of thinking that has begun to permeate into our daily lives. A life that offers more questions than answers, more dependence on God than on self, and more peace and joy in unexpected places despite the situation.
The phrase “treasure in a field” comes from Matthew 13:44 which says,
“ The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field.”
In bible times they didn’t have banks as we know them today. When a person had a “treasure,” and the threat of war was coming, they would dig a hole in the ground and bury the valuable items.
That is what appears to have happened in this story. We don’t know anything about the man in Matthew 13, who finds the treasure, however, he was probably a worker of some sort plowing a field or digging a trench. Whatever the reason for him being in the field, he found the treasure, and upon realizing it’s value, he quickly buried it.
This next part of the parable can be called “the great exchange.” The man sold everything he had in order to purchase the field where he had hidden the treasure. However, this isn’t a get rich quick story where the man spends the rest of his life without financial worry. Jesus places the emphasis on what it cost the man to obtain the field. Scripture tells us that the man sold ALL that he had to purchase the field.
So what does this parable tell us?
On one level you have the story of the gospel. A person gives up everything they have (confessing their sin and living under the Lordship of God), and in return they receive a far greater treasure. They receive eternal life in Heaven.
Most parables that Jesus told have several layers to them, and this parable is no different. I think there are more things we can learn from this parable if we go deeper.
1. The kingdom of God costs us everything–
In the kingdom of God, there is only one King. He is the one who directs our lives. Every area of our life must come under His Lordship. I am often guilty of thinking, “God bless my choices,” instead of, “God what is your will?” I recently read this quote that may seem a little harsh – yet I agree. “Professed Christians who desire worldly wealth and status but are far less consumed with the furtherance of God’s Kingdom must reconsider the true state of their souls.” Scripture tells us the same thing in Matthew 6:21, stating “Where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.”
Perhaps you are thinking, well that is easy because I don’t have a lot of money, so I don’t have much to give up. Money, however, isn’t the only area of our life that must come under submission to God. Think about this question, “If God asked you to ________” could you do it? Maybe you fill in the blank with “If God asked me to move to another city or state;” “Adopt a child;” “Have more children;” “Leave a certain career or job,” “Start a certain ministry or business,” or “Sell everything I have and move to another country,” Could you do it? Could you do it with joy? If the answer is “No,” then that may be a red flag you are still holding onto control. This leads me to my second point.
2. Once we realize how valuable the kingdom is, what we give up will pale in comparison.
A field bought during bible times, gave the new owner the land and everything buried in it. The man in the story, upon realizing how much the treasure was worth, sold everything he had WITH JOY to obtain the field. He didn’t do it begrudgingly; he did it with JOY! Wow! What a challenge! Throughout scripture God shows us that He has a plan for our lives. It is our job to follow where He is going. That often means giving things up. It may be material items, it may be our time, or it may even be our own reputation and perceived status. However, there is nothing that we can ever give up that compares to what we will receive. There is nothing of earthly value that is more important than the treasure of God.
3. Treasure can be found in the everyday-
I love the fact that the treasure was found in a field. It wasn’t placed in a beautiful box on display in a museum, or kept behind guards. Most of us live in the ordinary, the simple, or maybe even the mundane. We live in the ordinary of laundry, helping with schoolwork, and cooking food. But what if that is where the treasure is? It is in the everyday life, where God has called you to be at this time. That is where His Kingdom is at work!
When you lay down your life and follow Him, you don’t know where it will lead. Perhaps the task at hand today is for you to serve those around you and in doing so acknowledging that Christ is King. You are giving up your time, your energy, your personal desires to obtain the treasure in the field. He truly is a treasure in a field worth everything you have!
I can’t think of a better way to end than with the words of this old hymn by George Beverly Shea:
“I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold,
I’d rather be His than have riches untold.
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or land,
I’d rather be led by his nail pierced hands.
Than to be the king of a vast domain
and be held in sins dread sway.
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
this world affords today.”
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