Bible Reading Blog
“The Value of the Kingdom”
Categories: Congregational Bible ReadingBIBLE READING: Matthew 13
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13.44)
The kingdom of heaven is depicted as something of surpassing value. Somebody put that treasure in the ground because they knew its value and tried to secure and protect it. When discovered, there was no doubt it was worthy of this man’s attention and efforts to get it.
Throughout this chapter Jesus stresses in every possible way that the kingdom of heaven is worth everything that we have. Jesus was constantly confronting people with this truth: You must count the cost and understand there is a trade involved. (Matthew 8.18-ff; 19.16-21; Luke 9.23; 18.18-ff). Calling on people to sacrifice is not popular today. Yet it has always been part of real service and devotion to God. From the time of Cain and Abel man has been called to give up whatever the Lord calls for to serve him.
Do we see the value of the kingdom of heaven? As reasonable as the bible tries to make it, many are blind to the real value of what the kingdom offers. Jesus would quote the prophets: many will have eyes to see and not see; ears to hear and not hear (Matthew 13.15; cf. Isaiah 6.10).
To make faith work you must have this mindset: heaven is worth it all. If you don’t feel that way, you’re going to struggle, plain and simple. Our attitude must be, “here’s the treasure I’ll do whatever it takes to get it.
To accomplish this, we must realize we can’t own every treasure. Jesus says, in effect, you can own a lot of lesser pearls or one great pearl. You can possess a lot of minor things, or you can give them all up for a single field and what is contained there. You can’t have it all. Something had to go. Otherwise, why would this man sell all his stuff? He saw the value and realized what it would take to get it.
We don’t get this because we live in a culture where we can have our cake and eat it. We live in excess, and we think we can have everything we want. But I think this parable is trying to impress on us that this ONE treasure is greater than all things.
It’s an amazing offer but we must understand what happens next. The who found the treasure is no longer looking but owns what he has found. If we have found the value of being citizens of the kingdom, we need to own it. We need to do whatever it takes to own it. We need to let that find be the defining moment of our lives.
“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” (Mark 8.36)
