Let us read Matthew 13:44-46.
Did you find Christ, the living son of God, your brother, friend and savior? Isn’t he the greatest treasure we can ever find in our lives?
Yes, there is nothing greater and more valuable then Christ. In him we have the fulness of everything, including eternal life. This is far beyond all our smaller and greater treasures that we possess and pursue in our daily life on earth.
And yet – do we truly value this treasure of Christ, and are we always happy and thankful to have found him?
In this long speech of Jesus about the kingdom of heavens, reported in Mt 13, he gives these examples of two persons finding the treasure of God’s kingdom. One finds it accidentally, like a treasure hidden in a field that is suddenly discovered. The other person is seeking diligently for the treasure and finds it eventually.
The way they come across the treasure is very different with these two persons. But their reaction is very similar. As soon as they find the treasure, they acknowledge that it is the most valuable they can ever find, they sell all they have in order to aquire the treasure.
How is our reaction when we encounter the immeasurable grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ? Do we sell all we have? Do we give Christ the priority in our life, above anything else, are we willing to leave and to give up all that we have aquired in our previous lives – just to make shure this treasure of Christ is ours?
It is not done easily to give up something that we used to cherish, or to give it a lower position in our list of priorities. How is it possible to react the way the two persons do?
About the first one it is said: in his joy he went and sold all he had to buy the field (Mt 13:44). If we truly recognise the value of Christ for our lives – then we will be so joyful that we can overcome all fear and worry, and give up everything just to make sure we have Christ.
For the second one, the merchant, it is not mentioned which state he was in when he found the pearl. But is is natural to assume that he was completely convinced of doing the right thing in giving up everything to aquire this one specific pearl. Being a specialist for pearls and trained through his life-long search he was able to recognise and cherish its value.
Another person who gave up everything for Christ was Apostle Paul – he considered all he pursued in his past life a loss, all his great achievements he designates as rubbish and he wishes nothing else but to know Jesus Christ and to share his life, his sufferings, his death and resurrection (Philippians 4:4-11).
Recognising the value of Christ, the truth of the gospel which is “the power of God for the slavation of everyone“ (Romans 1:16 NIV), will give us the joy, the conviction and decisiveness to leave behind and sell all we possess and we have strived for, and to give Christ and the Kingdom of God the first position in our hearts, in our physical and spiritual lives.
So let us give all our efforts to acknowledge more and more the immeasurable value of the one true treasure, Jesus Christ, that we may naturally, joyfully and with full determination leave behind anything else in order to be found completely united with him, our savior.