My grandfather was a farmer. He had this fantasy of one day plowing one of his fields and inadvertently unearthing a buried treasure chest filled with money, gold, diamonds, and gems. He always kept an eye out for it, but of course, it never happened. That is, until his children set up a prank.
As a little boy, I remember my mom and my aunts and uncles had purposely filled a small treasure chest with money and buried it in his garden. They somehow led him to find it, and I can still remember watching as he dug it up with his hands, and jumped up, dancing round and round with it in his arms, celebrating his great find.
Jesus tells a story about a man who finds a very valuable buried treasure in a field. It's one of the shortest parables that He ever taught. It's only one verse!
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)
In this parable, Jesus is emphasizing the enormous value of the treasure that the man found. With great joy the man sold all his possessions to obtain it. Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to such a valuable treasure.
Once we discover the kingdom of heaven, nothing in this worldly life compares to it. The treasures of the kingdom of heaven are peace, joy, and love in a father-child relationship with God through Jesus that lasts forever. We enter into this spiritual domain through our belief in Jesus, receiving forgiveness of sins, and the promise of eternal life in Heaven.
I think humans, by nature, are treasure hunters. I think having the treasure hunting trait is a good thing because it drives us into seeking peace, seeking joy, seeking true happiness, and then ultimately realizing that the only place to find it is in God.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
I hope you have found the treasure!
Good friend, take to heart what I’m telling you; collect my counsels and guard them with your life. Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. That’s right—if you make Insight your priority, and won’t take no for an answer, searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, believe me, before you know it the fear of God will be yours; you’ll have come upon the Knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:1-5, The Message)
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