[Jesus said:] The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

I read a number of years ago, back when a hundred dollars was still a lot of money, a man, a rock hound, attending a mineral show came across a box of uncut geodes. They were marked from a few dollars to a hundred dollars. In amongst them he found one that was a treasure. I cost one hundred dollars. Even though he had to scrape to get the one hundred dollars together, he gladly paid the price. That geode turned out to be worth thousands. What a find worth having.

We like stories like that. On cable there are shows devoted to revealing treasures. On these shows people bring in what they hope are treasures- antiques handed down through the family, things they’ve found tucked away in trunks and attics, or treasures they’ve found at garage or estate sales - all wondering and hoping they’ve come to posses something of great value. And it only gets better if they haven’t had too pay too much for it. We like stories like that especially if we are the one with the treasure!

Today’s Gospel lesson is about a treasure.

[Jesus said:] The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. As I studied this parable I realized that the man wasn’t looking for the treasure, but there it is right in front of him. Once he realizes what has fallen into his lap, he goes and sells everything, and scrapes the money together, to buy that field. What he had before doesn’t even compare to what he can have now!

Today’s lesson is found in the Gospel of Matthew. I wonder if Matthew smiled to himself as he recorded it, for if you remember Matthew was much-despised tax collector. One day this Jesus came to him and said, “Follow me.” Matthew got up and followed Him. (Matt 9.9) Matthew gave up a lucrative business, gave it all up, to follow this Jesus- to follow after this One who could heal the sick, calm the storms of a person’s life, and even forgive sins. “This I must have.”

Peter and Andrew when they discovered, when it had been revealed to them, that Jesus was the Christ, the One who possessed the keys to the riches of heaven, (they) gave up their fishing business, pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him. (Luke 5.11) They gave up everything to follow after this Jesus.

In Bible study we recently heard of Mary, the sister of the recently raised from dead Lazarus. She gave up “a year’s wages” to buy perfume to anoint her Jesus with. What would you give to someone who could raise your brother to life, not just rescue him from death but raise him to life? What would you pay if someone could rescue those you love, rescue even you from sin, death, and hell? …. The One who could do that would be like discovering a fine pearl, one of great value, when you realize there it is before you, you go and sell everything you have to obtain it.

The treasure is there. It has been revealed to us. The treasure is Christ. So how many of us are willing to give up all that we have to possess such a treasure?… Many of us will say, “I will!” “I would!” “Count me in!” And this may be true, but before the words are done ringing in our ears how often are we already seeking to renegotiate the deal?

How many of us are really willing to give up all our time to have the treasures found in Christ? Our intentions are good but before long they are reduced to an hour here or there and even those hours we sometimes give up begrudgingly. We claim Christ to be the treasure of our lives but we put a lot of things ahead of spending time with that treasure.

When we first heard of this Jesus or a pray was answered we were willing to give Him everything but in time giving up a year’s wages or even ten percent seems like an awful steep gift to give even though He gave it all for us… How many of us want to possess the treasure, but we want to do it as cheaply as possible, with as little required of us as possible?

Where the man gladly gave up everything to possess the field where the treasure lay, how often do we lose sight of that lasting treasure and return to chasing after worldly things, things that wear out and rust? How many times do we choose the tarnished brass of right now over the brilliant gold of heaven? Sadly how often do we want heaven, not as our most treasured possession but as just another coin in our piggy banks?

Yet we need not despair for where we in our sinfulness don’t give completely, Jesus did. Our eternal God, the second member of the Trinity, Jesus laid aside His royal robes to wear the ragged garments of humanness. He walked among us freely sharing with us who are bankrupted by sin the treasure of God’s Word and promises. Moses had foretold of this One: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers, listen to Him…St Peter proclaimed of Him He has the Words of eternal life. (Deut 18.15 & John 6.68) All these riches He shares with us even today.

Where we can’t because of our sinfulness give completely, Jesus gave everything: Though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, so that through His poverty we might become rich. (2 Cor 8.9) He came to give His life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10.45) He willingly gave up His life on a rugged and splintered Roman cross, holding nothing back to earn for us the treasure of God’s forgiveness. Know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty and selfish way of life handed down to from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ. (1st Pet 1.18-19) He died and rose again powerfully demonstrating that the treasure of forgiveness is truly His to give. In Christ is the treasure – our forgiveness!!

This treasure is hidden in ordinary places. Just as our man never expected to find a treasure in the middle of an ordinary field, so too the world overlooks God’s treasure for He has placed it in places the world would never look: between the covers of a book called the Bible, united to the bread and wine of communion, joined to the waters of baptism and spoken from the lips of imperfect believers, but it is real treasure nonetheless, and it has been placed there that we might possess it, and by possessing it we may live as one who has a great fortune.

Having been given such a great treasure we are called to live as ones who possess a great treasure, a treasure still in earthen jars but a treasure still the same. I have a story that may help to illustrate the point:

A number of years ago we were putting an addition on the school where I was principal. The addition was going up while school was in session and keeping people out of the area was an ongoing challenge, one an often overzealous, job-site, foreman named Gene seemed to relish.

One morning before work began about the time parents were dropping their kids off for school Gene observed this well-dressed man wandering in the job site. Gene hustled out of the job trailer just as the man was leaving the area. Gene chased after the man hollering, “Hey, you in suit! Yeah, you in the suit!” When Gene caught up to him Gene proceeded to chew this man in suit up one side and down the other- “Don’t you see that sign ‘authorized personnel only’?” The man in the suit just stood there. He knew something Gene didn’t. When Gene had finished the man in suit calmly stuck out his hand and identified himself, “Hello, I’m Larry McBride, the Assistant Superintendent of the School District. I’m here to see how things are coming along…I don’t believe I caught your name.”

The assistant superintendent didn’t loose his cool when the man was puffed up with his self-appointed importance. No, he was at ease because he knew who he was and the position he held.

We can live at ease, too, ease even when a sinful world comes against us because of who we are- the redeemed children of a risen Savior. We can live at ease when the world seeks to wave its tarnished brass trinkets under our noses or seeks to come against us because we know that we have a treasure stored up for us in heaven, a treasure of salvation. Let us live like the self-assured man in the suit, confident of who we are and whose we are- adopted children of a risen Savior, ones to whom the treasure of heaven has been revealed to and given to.

All around are people seeking after worldly treasure, hoping to strike it rich. Apart from Christ no bobble they have will last, but in Christ they, like us, can have real treasure in abundance. Yet, how will they know if no one tells them of the treasure buried beneath the manger, at the foot of cross, and at the empty tomb.

Amen.