During His ministry on earth, the Lord Jesus Christ employed the use of parables to teach and illustrate certain lessons. Today, we shall examine one of many parables that center on the Kingdom of Heaven.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. [Matthew 13:44, NKJV]
Although this is a concise parable, there is so much to uncover from it. Let us then proceed into the lessons we can gain from it.
The Kingdom of Heaven is a Treasure
The word Treasure can be defined in many ways — something precious, an item of great value and worth, an item that is unusually desired, to name a few. It is also not coincidental that Jesus Christ used this word to depict the importance and value of God’s Kingdom.
You see, God’s Kingdom is extremely sacred and is to be cherished. It is a very precious domain and as such, should be in our purview constantly. It is not something we should take likely or regard with indifference.
Those Who Seek It Shall Find It
From the passage, we see that the man who found the treasure in the field did so because he deliberately searched for it. In a similar vein, anyone who wants to be a true partaker of God’s Kingdom must search for Him genuinely.
Throughout Scriptures, it is evident how God consistently emphasizes that those who seek Him in total humility and honesty will find Him.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. [Jeremiah 29:13, NKJV]
I love those who love Me, And those who seek Me diligently will find Me. [Proverbs 8:17, NKJV]
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. [Lamentations 3:25, NKJV]
One Must Protect His Treasure
Now, when the man found the treasure as illustrated in the parable, he hid it again. On this note, we shall remind ourselves about something that we need to be aware and conscious about — the fact that our treasure needs to be guarded at all times.
We live in a world where the Enemy is in opposition with those who have the Light in them. A world that is driven by the desires and pleasures of the flesh. A world where its ruler constantly tries to lure as many as he can away from the light they found.
Knowing all these and even more, it is imperative we secure our precious jewel of God’s Kingdom (and our inheritance of it) even as we make efforts to propagate the Gospel to others who may be in the dark. No matter what, we must be wary of the devices of the devil even as we live our individual lives.
The Results of Finding God’s Kingdom
Anyone who experiences God always has a remarkable encounter. The man in this parable was no exception either. Thus, we shall highlight three major things that the finding of the treasure caused in his life:
He experienced an unquantifiable joy
This joy he felt caused him to sell all his possessions
He bought the field that contained the treasure after giving up all he had
When we find God after a genuine search of Him, there is no doubt that gladness fills our heart. This gladness and satisfaction we feel ought to make us give up everything we have, and place God as our utmost priority. Whether fame, prestige, ambition, power, wealth, etc., it is essential we strip ourselves of all our attachments and put God first in our hearts as nothing should prevent us from truly being inheritors of the Kingdom.
Let us also examine the relationship between the treasure and the field. The field was acquired only because the man found the treasure in it. If we really ponder on this, we will see that it is ONLY when we seek God first and make Him the true priority in our lives that we gain access to the benefits of His Kingdom.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. [Matthew 6:33, KJV]
May the Lord help us even as we seek and store our treasure in Him.