“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.” (Matthew 13:44 NLT)
Jesus’ illustration of the treasure in a field gives us great insight into what it means to be a follower of Jesus, devoted to His holy Kingdom. Think of this man’s focus. He “sold everything he owned” in order to invest in this one “Treasure.” Think of the implications. NOTHING HE OWNED was worth more than what He’d set his heart on having. How different we think about our possessions…and Jesus!
The adage is often true that we don’t own our possessions, they own us. We’re governed, not only by what we have, but what we still long to have, to possess, failing to understand what we have too often has us. Many reject the idea of committing their life to Jesus because of the commitment it involves, never stopping to consider the “commitment” they’ve already made to the life they’re now living. Commitment isn’t the problem; the focus of our commitment is.
Notice the source of this man’s joy was the Treasure he’d “discovered hidden in a field.” What are the implications? As a man wandering aimlessly across a field we stumble through life not really looking for anything, simply passing through life hoping somehow to get to the other side. We give little thought to what’s in the field, where it’s leading, if we have any purpose for being in the field, who we might meet or much of anything else.
Yes, of course, there are those who have high ideals and strong motivation to become something significant. They set a course to become a doctor, lawyer, corporate Executive, builder of an empire to their honor, while others just hope to squeak out an existence, raise a family and have enough to eat. The vast majority of people on planet earth are either seeking to survive or to thrive at someone else’s expense. The goal is self-motivated, self-inspired, self-generated, with self-interests and sometimes something as simple as self-preservation as our main goal.
How shallow our thoughts, attitudes, desires, and aspirations until one day we find the Treasure who is Jesus. He creates in us a new hunger, a hunger we never knew existed, one that takes us out of ourselves and fills us with desire to please Another. Martyn Lloyd-Jones showed great insight when he wrote: “If every man and woman in the world knew what it was to hunger and thirst after righteousness, there would be no danger of war.”
Why? Because wars are fought to take what another has or to prevent someone from taking what’s perceived as ours. The only way to move beyond that is to understand love and what motivates and feeds our need to have and give love. Ray Majoran speaks to this in his moving prayer:
“Lord Jesus, You are the treasure greater than everything this world can offer. Your Kingdom may be hidden from proud eyes, yet it’s worth is beyond measure to those You have opened to see it (Matthew 13:44). We praise You as the King who brings eternal riches into ordinary fields, revealing glory where we often see only dust, distance, and difficulty.
Thank You for the joy that comes when Your Kingdom becomes our true treasure. We confess that our hearts still reach for what fades, trying to build security from possessions, approval, comfort, and control. Please reorder our desires until every lesser treasure finds its proper place beneath the worth of knowing You. Your Word reminds us that the Father is pleased to give His people the Kingdom (Luke 12:32), and that this Kingdom is marked by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
Holy Spirit, train us to live like people who have found what cannot be taken away. Give us wisdom to loosen our grip on what cannot last, courage to obey when surrender feels costly, and joy that shows the surpassing worth of Christ.”
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 