MONDAY MEDITATION: No Need to Hide It (June 29, 2020)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that somebody hid in a field, which someone else found and covered up. Full of joy, the finder sold everything and bought that field.” – Matthew 13:44

This one-verse parable stresses that the new way of living offered by Jesus is worth more than anything else in the world. The treasure contains such jewels as:

Discovering God to be unconditionally loving and accepting.

Discovering a community of people who love like that.

Discovering freedom from guilt.

Discovering a sense of purpose.

Discovering ways of serving that make a difference.

Discovering hope even when things fall apart.

Discovering strengths you never thought you had.

Discovering new strengths you never thought you could develop.

Discovering peace in storms.

Discovering the joy that comes from trying to love as God loves.

From your own experience, what other diamonds might the treasure chest hold?

Jesus’ point is showing the immense value of a life of discipleship and the joy of accepting the invitation to follow. The absolute wonder of the Christian life is stumbling upon this when you least expect it. The treasure was there all along, but you just didn’t see it.

However, I’d question one part of Jesus’ story.

Why hide the treasure again?

I simply don’t think such treasure looks that valuable to many people today. Our world values division over unity. Fighting and arguing over listening and discerning. Personal gain over community responsibility. Judgment over grace.

Maybe we who are Christians must let our light shine, and let it reflect off the diamonds embedded in the Kingdom life. Maybe it helps to remember how invaluable the treasure seemed when we first discovered it.

Unlike some of my stocks, the value of God’s treasure has increased exponentially over the years.

Blessed are those who, upon discovering treasure hidden in the field, leave it out in the open, hoping that others might see how priceless it is.