Sunday’s Readings: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12; Psalms 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52 OR 13:44-46
…from your Pastor’s Desk
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
What to Treasure?
In both of today’s parables, people find something of high value, one a box of treasure and the other a priceless pearl.
How they make these discoveries is quite different. One finds treasure by accident, while not looking for anything in particular. He was working for wages, digging in someone else’s field, and the last thing he expected to find was a trunk of buried treasure. In the other case, the merchant was actively searching for fine pearls and, eventually, -as a result of persistent searching, found one pearl of great value which stood out from all the rest.
Both are images of the Kingdom of God. Both suggest that our relationship with God is greater than any earthly treasure. The first parable suggests that this treasure comes to us as a Grace.
We can be surprised by God’s Gracious initiative, -hidden beneath the surface of our lives. Grace can break through to us when we are least expecting it.
The second parable highlights the importance of searching in coming to know God. The person who seeks will find. If we knock, we will have the door opened.
We can be, and will be, surprised by Grace, but we are also called to seek The Lord with all our heart and soul.
“Wherever your treasure lies, there will you find your heart. ” Matt 6:21
Father Ron
