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Gospel: Matthew 13: 44-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Part of the brilliance of Jesus’ preaching was that he spoke in ways people could understand.
Instead of using complex language that made people feel small, or speaking solely in the realm of mystery, he spoke humbly in parables.
“What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall I compare it?” he says. “It is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
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Like a treasure buried in the earth, there is an inestimable value to the Kingdom of God, but not everyone is aware of it; nor is everyone willing to risk all they have to buy that field and dig.
But those who do find an irreplaceable joy.
The focus here is not on the cost or effort it takes to acquire this treasure; rather, on the joy that comes from possessing it.
There’s also an urgency imbedded in these parables. They are not about the life to come; they are about the here-and-now. A person sells, buys, digs, and discovers.
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Similarly, Christ calls his disciples to discover the joy of the Gospel today, not tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come. As the Psalmist says, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
This was a lesson the disciples learned firsthand.
When Jesus invited them to follow him, they left everything and everyone behind, even their families. There was an urgency to his invitation; it might never return. So, they re-ordered their lives to the point that nothing came before Jesus.
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These parables leave a few questions for us to ponder today.
Have I discovered the joy of the Gospel, that treasure buried in a field? How much effort did it take to find it?
And how might I share this treasure with others?
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Image credits: (1) Faith Fire International Church (2) Parable of the Hidden Treasure, Rembrandt (3) Truth for Kids