On the popular program Antiques Roadshow people bring their treasures to qualified evaluators to find out how much they’re worth. Each item has a story. The stories I love the most are the ones that say, “My parents owned this painting for years. It hung in our living room and all of us kids hated it. When it came to dividing up the estate no one wanted it in their home so I said I’d take it.” Then the evaluator tells them the good news that their work of art is signed on the back by a famous artist and it’s priceless. They are told to insure it for thousands of dollars. Then the camera zooms in to catch the stunned look on the patron’s face and to hear him mutter, “I can’t believe it’s worth that much.”
I often think of how fortunate the man is to hang on to what he thought was a worthless piece of art. Then I think of his siblings who never gave the painting a second look and were so relieved when their brother said he would take it to his house. They must be kicking themselves with regret now.
This week as we continue our study of the Kingdom of God Jesus tells us that the Kingdom “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)
If we use our sanctified imaginations it’s not hard to believe that this field was on the real estate market for some time. Lots of people walked the length and breadth of it but didn’t see any value in it. But one buyer, when he walked across the field, tripped over a box that was barely sticking out of the ground. When he opened it – O what joy! – he found a treasure. He quickly buried it again, went and sold everything he had and bought the field.
Jesus is telling us that sometimes, we overlook the value of the Kingdom of God. We don’t appreciate God’s reign. We underestimate the great worth of God’s rule in our hearts. We look at God’s Kingship like we would an old painting hanging in our parent’s living room. “It’s worthless,” we say.
But Jesus warns us against such an attitude and tells us that the rule of God is of immense worth (Matthew 13:46). It is a source of joy (Matthew 13:44) and if we’re smart we will do everything in our power to possess it (Matthew 13:45).
Of course, this doesn’t mean that we can purchase God’s rule in our lives. It simply means that we have to block out all the voices in our age that tell us that God’s Kingship is worthless and doesn’t deserve our attention or service. We must do everything in our power – it’s like selling everything we have – to make sure God’s rule is firmly situated over every decision we make, every action we take, and every word we speak.
Not everyone will agree with our decision but there will be a day when everyone will discover (Philippians 2:10,11) what we have known all along, God’s rule is of immense worth.
May we all wisely discern the worth of the kingdom of God in our lives,
Pastor Tom