Bob Girard Romans 8:26-30 Matthew 13:44-52

As I said last week Jesus taught by telling stories or in parables because it was the best way for the people to understand teaching. The Gospel of Matthew, especially the 13th chapter, is full of these parables. Most of them are very short, but to the point. After the crowds left one day, Jesus went into a house to relax. His disciples had other ideas. They wanted further explanation of the parables Jesus had shared with the multitudes. Jesus did this and gave them more. We heard two of these in the Gospel reading this morning. The parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price remind us of the love God has for all of His children - you, me and everyone else in the world. These two stories are very much alike, but yet different. I think there are a couple of ways to look at the hidden treasure. In this story there is the field, a man, and the treasure. We might see the field as the world. God does not look at the world in the same way we do. We see different cultures, different education levels, people who believe and those who do not. God sees the world as “all inclusive”, people of different backgrounds, physical and spiritual levels. He views the world as His creation ready to receive His love and care. Another way to look at the field is just that, a field. In Palestine in Jesus' day, there were no banks for people to put their valuables in a safe deposit box. They buried their items in their fields. Fighting could break out at any time, their fields becoming battlefields. The people felt if they were run off their property due to fighting, they would be able to come back afterwards and dig up their treasures. It could be that whoever buried some valuables was not able to return to claim them. Someone else began to farm on the land, coming across the treasure as he was plowing. By Jewish law, the treasure would become the finder's. What is the hidden treasure left for us to find? The second parable Jesus told the disciples that day was the pearl of great value. It is much like the buried treasure. The main point is how much love God has for us. The difference between the two is the man working in the field found the treasure without knowing it was there. The merchant however knew the value of the pearl and set about ways to get enough money to buy it and have it all to himself. In Jesus' day, pearls were a very special thing to possess, not only for their value but also for their beauty. We could make a comparison with the pearl and God's Kingdom. To be a part of God's kingdom would be like having the best, most beautiful pearl that could be found. To be a part of God's Kingdom, we must accept and do what God has planned for our lives. To accept this plan is a great and special thing for us. We do not have to search for the greatest pearl. We already possess it. There are many other pearls in the world - fine things, knowledge, appreciation of art, music, the written word. Another pearl we hold is to help one another in whatever way we can. We really do not have to spend all of our time searching for the most beautiful pearl. We already have it. What is the hidden treasure? It is being a part of God's Kingdom, following His plan for us. Sometimes we must search for it. Sometimes we find it as we go about our daily work. No matter how we come to accept it, it is the most precious thing we will ever possess. Have you found the treasure?