“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44-46
In Matthew Chapter 13, Jesus shares two identical parables right in a row.
They’re both short—roughly 1 verse each. But they have become two of the most well-known stories He ever told.
He said:
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
Notice what both the man and the merchant do: they give up everything to take hold of the treasure they had just discovered.
We love these parables because they remind us of how amazing the Kingdom of heaven is—how God offers us so much more than anything this world could ever provide.
But we often miss one incredibly important detail in this story. The very truth Jesus wanted us to see most.
You see, the teaching isn’t just that the kingdom of God is worth more than anything in this world. The teaching is that in order to take hold of it, we have to release everything else.
The man couldn’t keep his house and his flock AND buy the field. The merchant couldn’t hold onto all his other goods AND buy the great pearl. They couldn’t afford both.
And neither can we.
They had to remove the world to free up the resources to take hold of the Kingdom. That is what this story is about.
Oftentimes, in our world, we try to do both. We try to have God in our life, but we also want to hold on to the world at the same time.
But that’s not how it works. Our hearts aren’t big enough for both. We can’t serve both God and mammon.
It is only when we remove the world from our affections and our accumulations that we free up our lives to experience all the good things that God wants to give us.
You were created for more than this world could ever offer… let go of the world’s clutter, take hold of the pearl, and discover the abundant life God has always wanted for you.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the amazing gift of grace and mercy and the opportunity to live in your kingdom through the sacrifice of your Son. May I take hold of that today and experience all its benefits. And give me a passion to remove all of the world from my life in order to take hold of it. Amen.