I like watching Antiques Roadshow. One episode stands out in my mind, when an old lady brought in a small, fragile-looking table. The appraiser looked it over and became very excited because the table was worth a half-million dollars! Turns out it was genuine Chippendale, the queen of all furniture. It was a great moment for antique lovers.
There’s a moment like that in the Bible. Jesus spoke of a man who found a treasure buried in a field (Matt.13:44). In those days there were no banks, and people hid their wealth in places where thieves couldn’t find it. The man was thrilled to discover this long-lost buried treasure. But he had a problem: the owner of the field was the rightful owner of the treasure buried in it. So, the man sold everything that he had and bought the field, thus securing the treasure. Obviously, the treasure was of much greater worth than all his other possessions.
Jesus explained that the kingdom of heaven is like this man who found the treasure. When someone looks into the Bible and understands what the kingdom is, and goes out and finds it, he has discovered a treasure. I’ve met people who discovered it by simply encountering the church, not really intending to search for spiritual treasure. People with good hearts are often thrilled to find it and do everything possible to become part of it. It’s like selling all you have to gain something wonderful.
The New Testament tells us about another man who found the treasure of the kingdom of heaven. His name was Paul. Later, he wrote a letter to some fellow believers and declared, about the Savior, “Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
The question is – have you found the treasure yet? And if you have, do you treat it as more valuable than all that you have?