What do you think about when you think about the Kingdom of Heaven?
What is it like? Jesus once said the Kingdom of Heaven is like… treasure. When you think about Heaven you may envision streets of gold & pearly gates but I don’t think that was the image Jesus was trying to bring to mind. For Jesus, the idea of treasure speaks of something of immeasurable worth & value. The truth is, we all organize our lives around what we value most. The difficult question we must be honest about & answer is, What is it we have placed at the very center of our lives? And is it the same treasure about which Jesus spoke?
Last year I shared the story on this blog of a Vince Lombardi sweater that was found in a Goodwill store & purchased for 58 cents. That same sweater later went to auction & sold for more than $43,000!
It’s interesting, isn’t it, the things we assign value to. Some of you are going to stop by Goodwill on the way home today, aren’t you?
I think there’s something about us that is always seeking to obtain treasure.
[Tweet ” There’s something about us that is always seeking to obtain treasure. #kingdomofheaven”]We’re captivated by movies & books seeking lost treasure. As a kid, there’s simply nothing more fun than a treasure map where X marks the spot. Deep within us is a desire to identify treasure, seek after treasure, & do whatever it takes to obtain that treasure we value most.
Why else would anyone spend $43,000 on a sweater?!
The question I want us to wrestle with today is simply this:
What is the treasure we’re after?
By definition, treasure is something of great value. It’s highly desired, sought after, anticipated, longed for. But I think one of the problems we face is that for most of us, we’re not captivated by treasure like we once were. We’re not excited by treasure like we once were. Nothing really impresses us anymore.
Even the least among us is wealthy by the world’s standards. Did you know that nearly half the world’s population lives on less that $2 a day. 1.2 billion people live on less than $1 a day. You spend more than that on Starbucks every morning. Most of us are wealthy by the world’s standards. And we can talk more about that later, but here’s the simple point for today: One of the consequences of wealth is that we’ve lost the desire & wonder of finding treasure.
[Tweet “One consequence of wealth is that we’ve lost the desire & wonder of finding treasure.”]So what happens is that we long for what I’ll call easily obtainable treasure that we can get our hands on without much cost, but after obtaining it the satisfaction we receive from it is short lived & we’re quickly left unsatisfied all over again, seeking the next easily obtainable treasure as we continue the search for satisfaction & fulfillment.
So what you & I have then is a treasure problem. The treasure we often go after is too easily obtained. It’s too cheap. The treasure we often go after has a short shelf life. And it doesn’t bring us lasting joy.
The good news is that Jesus once told a story about treasure, but it’s a different kind of treasure altogether!
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like… Treasure
Here’s what Jesus had to say about treasure & the Kingdom of Heaven…
44 “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.
In this first story, there’s a man who isn’t looking for treasure, but he finds treasure. He finds something of great value, immeasurable worth. And Jesus says that when he finds it, he’s excited! He’s emotional about the find. But he knows that the treasure isn’t his yet & that he’s going to have to sell everything he can get his hands on in order to purchase this field so he can own this treasure. But that’s not even a thought to be considered. There’s no hesitation. There’s no, let’s make a pro & con list & see if this would be a good investment, a wise financial decision. No. This treasure is so incredible, so awesome, so good that this man quickly & willingly does whatever he needs to do to obtain this treasure.
And then Jesus tells another story, similar to the first, but different. See if you can hear what sounds the same & what is different about this story…
45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!
In this story, there is a merchant searching for choice pearls. In the original language I think it’s important to note that literally, Jesus says, there was a man, a merchant. In other words — this person’s primary identity was human being, not merchant. He was a man who was a merchant. Merchant’s did not have the best reputation in the time of Jesus. They were known for buying low & selling high, turning a profit & taking advantage of others.
Maybe some of you can identify with this guy. Because there’s someone today who feels like whatever this treasure is we’re talking about, you’re not worthy of it. God would never give it to you. But however you think of yourself, think of yourself first as a person created by & loved by God.
[Tweet “However you think of yourself, think of yourself first as a person created by & loved by God.”]This merchant had looked at a lot of pearls. He was on the lookout for pearls of great value. But then, then he found a pearl who’s value & worth far exceeded the value & worth of every other pearl he had ever seen. So much so that he was instantly motivated to sell everything he had to own this pearl.
And this is what Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven is like. And I want to make sure you’re clear. Jesus isn’t just saying the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure, or like a pearl. He’s saying it’s like the whole story.
It’s like the treasure found by chance in the field by a guy who gave up everything to have the field so he could have the treasure.
It’s like the merchant who was searching for pearls but found a pearl that was greater than any other pearl & he gave up everything to get the pearl that he simply couldn’t live without.
And I want to ask you:
Have you discovered this Kingdom of Heaven?
I once heard Louie Giglio say, “The activity of the human soul is to find something of value & worship it.”
[Tweet “”The activity of the human soul is to find something of value & worship it.” -Louie Giglio”]I think there’s something true in that statement. That we were made, we were built, to identify something of value. And upon finding it, we respond in worship.
So if you want to know what you value most, then look at your life & see what you worship. What is it that garners the majority of your time, your attention, your affection, your money, your support, your praise, your adoration.
This is what we do, isn’t it. We are treasure hunters. But the treasures we seek & find & go after & obtain, they never satisfy. We’re always wanting more. We’re always left wanting.
[Tweet “There is a treasure that is greater than any other treasure. #kingdomofheaven “]But there is a treasure that is greater than any other treasure. There is something of greater value & higher worth than you could imagine. There is something that if & when you catch a glimpse, a true glimpse of it, it will completely change your life. And I want to ask you, have you ever found or discovered this treasure I’m talking about?
Jesus is the Treasure
There’s a sense in which I can almost hear Jesus thinking as he’s telling the story… I’m the treasure hidden in the field. You’re looking at it! The treasure is standing right in front of you & you can’t even see it. It’s in plain sight but it’s hidden. I’ve told you the Kingdom of Heaven is near because I AM near! Literally, standing in front of you, can reach out & touch you near.
And instead of giving up everything they had & going after the treasure that was right in front of them, they crucified the treasure. The killed Jesus. They nailed the King of the Kingdom of Heaven to a cross.
You are the Treasure
But again, that’s what the Kingdom of Heaven is Like. it’s an upside down kind of Kingdom. Because in the Kingdom of Heaven, there’s a sense in which you are the treasure. And the King of the Kingdom of Heaven was willing to give up everything to pursue you, to find you, to come after you. And when Jesus finds you there is a celebration in Heaven. Because another treasure has been found. And the price that was paid for you was never too much, you were worth every last cent.
Someone told you once that you were worth nothing. Maybe you felt like a 50 cent sweater lost at Goodwill. But Jesus said I’ll pay $43,000. No… I’ll pay whatever the cost for the treasure that is you.
And when we get this… when we realize that Jesus is the treasure & we are after Him & there is nothing that compares to Him… And when we realize that somehow, for some reason, Christ pursues us… then something has to change for us, doesn’t it. Because this isn’t a message & this isn’t a treasure that we can keep for ourselves.
Treasure Hunters
Because right outside, there’s a lot of treasure waiting to be found. There’s a lot of people Jesus is pursuing. And as people who have found the treasure, as people who have been found by the treasure, we now have the opportunity to join Jesus in the greatest treasure hunt the world has ever known.
Do you remember the words Jesus used when he called those first guys off the fishing boat to come & follow him? He said, Come follow me & I will make you fishers of men. In other words, I’m going to make you treasure hunters.
And when we join Jesus as fellow treasure hunters, as we join His mission & vision to seek & save the lost, we participate in making things on earth as they are in Heaven. We participate in making the world the way it was always supposed to be. Because we discover a treasure that always satisfies. A treasure that never grows old or tired. A treasure that costs us everything but is worth all we are & all we have. It’s Jesus. Only Jesus.
May we have the courage to reorganize our lives around the treasure that is the Kingdom of Heaven.
