Biblical counselors teach others to treasure Jesus as their all in all. Photo: Fishpool gold coins by Lawrence OP CC BY 2.0
By Marshall Segall (desiringGod.org)
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44)
Lots of people are completely content to have Jesus as a Savior, forgiving them of all their sin. Fewer are ready to have him as the Lord of their life, leading and growing them in godliness. But have you ever thought of Christ as your Treasure?
A Treasure Hidden in a Field
One of Jesus’s parables in Matthew’s Gospel follows a man into a field. He’s walking through the field and stumbles on something unusual, something out of place. He probably didn’t know what he’d found at first. He never expected to find random riches in a field. But he did. He had discovered a lifetime’s worth of wealth, just lying unguarded, unclaimed in his path.
How can I have this treasure? What do I have to give or do to own and experience and spend this treasure forever? That was the man’s response, and he knew he had to own the field to have the treasure. So he sold everything he had so that he would have enough money to buy the field.
Worth All
Everything. The point of the parable is to highlight the infinite, precious worth of knowing Jesus and being known by him. The man sold everything to have this treasure. He gave up his home, his furniture, his livestock — anything that had any value. He sacrificed things he had made, gifts that had been given to him, possessions he’d had for years and years. He said goodbye to it all in an instant, and he did so because he could see what he would gain would far surpass everything he’d ever owned up until that point.
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