“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)
I read this parable recently and it's been returning to me at the oddest moments, sneaking its way back into thoughts and tasks, almost pestering me to take a closer look. To reexamine what it means. And what it means to my life.
Just some quick thoughts on this rainy Monday morning in Nashville...
The man in this parable was out in a field, and the treasure was hidden, the Word says, so obviously the man was searching for something.
When he found the treasure, he was excited! Can you imagine? I have an image of Morgan Freeman from the movie Shawshank Redemption (rough movie, and not for the faint of heart, but a favorite of mine... I highly advise watching the TV version), and Morgan Freeman's character "Red" is in a field searching for something that someone has left him. When he finds it, his eyes widen a bit, then he slowly peers around and behind him, making sure no one is watching. I picture the man in this parable that way. Making sure no one is watching and then quickly hiding the treasure again.
He goes and sells everything he owns. Everything. That treasure he found surely must be something in order for him to do that. Talk about believing in something. Talk about commitment to a goal.
He buys the field. It's a conscious choice. He's giving one thing (everything he has) in exchange for another (the hidden treasure).
Jesus told this story as an illustration. Of course, the indescribable treasure is relationship with Him, life in the Kingdom, mercy when judgment is deserved. And we are each the man. The man in the story goes and sells everything he has, which indicates total surrender. Total. Nothing held back. He's sold out. Literally.
Which begs the question (the question that's been returning to me), "what do I still need to sell?" What still remains in the way of me giving myself fully to Jesus Christ? Is it fear? Is it something I aspire to own or have or to accomplish? Is it hesitation, knowing he's going to demand changes in my life, and my heart, that I'm not quite ready to bow the knee to?
What do I still need to sell?
I'm still working through the answer to that question, and am asking Him to show me. And the beauty is...he will. Not only that, he'll also give me the strength to sell it, to lay it down. To surrender. What a Savior!
Another truth that resonates through this story for me is that we can't receive something if our hands are full. It's hard––or…impossible––to grab hold of something when you're hanging on to something else.
So, are you hanging onto something instead of Him? Or trying to hold onto Him and that "other thing?" Do you have anything you still need to sell? Or, perhaps, are you still searching for that treasure? If you are, there's a field with a treasure, with your name on it.
And oh...what a treasure He is!
And oh...what a treasure He is!
Blessings on this Monday,
Tammy