Day Forty-six – Matthew 13:44-52

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchang seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46

Treasure . . . it was there all along, but hidden. The treasure was a source of joy. As long as the treasure was hidden, the man in the story did not know this joy. Had he passed that field every day unaware of the joy beneath him?

Jesus’ purpose for the parables is to give us knowledge of that which is present yet invisible (vv. 31-33). Truth is hidden in the ordinariness of the parables, the kingdom of heaven is hidden in every moment, and God is hidden in Jesus Christ. Jesus told parables to enable his followers to go beyond looking to seeing (Mk. 8:17-21).

The people of Nazareth, who appear at the end of the chapter, illustrate precisely what it is to see only the appearance of a thing and miss the treasure within. They looked at Jesus and saw only “the carpenter’s son.” They lacked the faith to see any further (Mt. 13:53-58).

It was “from joy” that the man in the story sold his possessions. It was not from guilt or duty. To him, the treasure was worth more than the things he owned or the cost of the field. It was worth more than anything he had to give up. The one hundred percent we hear so much about does not lead to the discovery of Jesus but results from it. Meet Jesus in truth and then let your passion for him carry you to the point of leaving everything for him.

In one parable, a person found the kingdom of heaven accidently, while the person in the following parable went looking for it. Either way, the kingdom was there waiting to be discovered. And when it is stumbled upon–experienced–, its value is immediately realized.

O Jesus, our Lord and Savior, You stand at the door to the kingdom. To find You is to find “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”; it is to find the hidden joy. Lead us to the discovery of Your kingdom, hidden in this day and in the environment of our lives.  Let us be among those whose eyes are blessed “because they see.” (Col. 2:3; Mt. 13:16)