Rev. Dr. Joel D. Biermann
Matthew 13:44
July 30, 2017
Every child, I suspect, has dreamed at one point or another about the adventure of following an ornate, hand-drawn map to the spot marked by an “X” under which a treasure is buried. The ideal circumstances would certainly include palm trees, beaches and a few cutlasses and skeletons tossed in for good effect; but even a buried treasure in the neighborhood park would suffice. The romance and mystery of digging into the earth until your shovel made that wonderful hollow thud as it struck heavy, thick wood is captivating; and the thought of rusty hinges creaking loudly as the lid is pushed back to reveal a dazzling mound of gold coins and gems that spill over the sides of the chest is positively exhilarating. Just think of all the ways to spend that treasure…it never gets old. Indeed, there are people who get so caught up in the dreams of discovering hidden treasure that they make it their life’s work, though precious few of them actually have much to show for their efforts. Still, the dream of finding treasure endures, and manifests itself in less romantic and common ways than following maps and digging holes. Now, the more common treasure map is a ticket with a series of six numbers printed on it, but the likelihood of claiming the big prize is about as remote as digging up a chest full of coins—maybe even more unlikely.
Actually, in the world of the first century, buried treasure was not uncommon. In fact, it was a regular part of life. Any wealth that anyone was able to accumulate had to be cached somewhere safe—which usually meant buried in the ground on the family property. Even the rabbis of the time offered the counsel that the safest keeper of wealth was the earth. It was not uncommon or unusual, then, for people in the time of Jesus to gather considerable sums of their personal wealth and bury it in a garden or field that they owned. Of course, this created a few problems. The funds were not exactly readily available with ATM convenience, and far worse, an unexpected death could make it all but impossible to pass along the family fortune as knowledge of the treasure’s location would die with the one who buried it. And, there was always the danger that someone might stumble upon the treasure and take it. Nevertheless, with few better options, people kept burying their treasure, and on occasion that treasure would be inadvertently abandoned and left secretly buried and forgotten. So, Jesus’ short parable is not as far-fetched as it might seem to us. He was describing a very real possibility that every one of the disciples would have recognized as a legitimate dream. A man, likely a hired hand out plowing a field, or a worker cutting across a neighborhood lot, might indeed discover a cache of treasure. It happened.
What Jesus’ treasure-finder does with his discovery was also reality and entirely legitimate. The rabbinical code at that time codified the “finders-keepers” rule. When some property or possession was discovered, and no owner could be determined, it belonged to the man who had discovered it. This means that the man was not acting unlawfully or unethically as he reburied the treasure and then spent all that he owned to buy the field. In fact, he was actually doing far more than was legally required. He could have simply walked off with the treasure, and it would have been his. Instead, he obtained the field and assured his ownership of the treasure beyond any doubt or suspicion. It was his.
Remember, when Jesus told a parable it was intended to drive home some single, critical, truth. Parables are not analogies. They are not meant to be interpreted with point by point connections from the parable to some series of spiritual truths. A parable can be full of details, but the purpose is to make a single strong point. Whenever someone attempts point-by-point comparisons or interpretations, they tend to miss the one big point and end up in trouble. So, what’s the point of this parable? It’s the overwhelming joy that drove the treasure-finder to get rid of everything for the sake of gaining the one thing. And, the one great thing is, of course, the kingdom of Christ, his grace and his gospel.
This parable is only a single verse long—one of the shortest. Still, there are some aspects here to be considered on the way to grasping the one great truth. Jesus did not tell us that the man set out to find treasure. He wasn’t searching when he made his great find. The treasure found him. This is always the way of the gospel. We don’t set out to find God and his truth. He finds us. The other point made clear in this verse is the incredible value of the treasure. This is a great truth that far too many people fail to grasp or forget. Consider for a moment all that the gospel gives. The gospel completely transforms death. When you have God’s treasure, death is no longer the abrupt end and ultimate separation with no resolution. It is no longer the specter that haunts you throughout your short life. And the meaning and purpose of that short life also changes dramatically with the gospel’s message. Knowing that God has created, redeemed, and will raise you complete and perfect on the last day means that your life now matters for eternity. You have purpose. You have direction. You have meaning. God gives all of that when he gives the gospel. The gospel forgives sin and removes guilt—that’s certainly true, but it does so much more. It reorients and focuses life into a richness and hope that is impossible without it. God’s gospel treasure is infinitely, unsurpassably, precious. All of this helps to sharpen and drive home the great main point of this parable: the sheer joy and singleness of purpose that come when you find the one great treasure of Jesus’ gospel. In the light of that treasure, nothing else matters. Next to the gospel treasure, nothing else comes close.
But, this one, important take-away from this concise narrative is precisely the part of the parable that is the most problematic. We can accept the idea that the treasure is valuable and worth having, and that it is simply handed over to us without our having to earn or purchase it—like stumbling on buried treasure that is suddenly now your own. But, the part about getting rid of everything else so that you will be able safely to keep the treasure…well, that creates a fair amount of pushback, doesn’t it? But, that is the point, and it is a vital truth about our Christian lives. God gives the gospel without charge or cost, but once you’ve discovered it—once you’ve received it—you gladly give up everything to keep it, because in light of it, nothing else counts. And this willing, even eager, giving up of everything else is a hard spiritual truth. Indeed, we often balk at the idea of readily giving up everything else for the sake of the gospel. We wonder if maybe it isn’t possible to get rid of part, or maybe even most of what we have and enjoy, but perhaps not quite all of it. As we think about it, this does not seem unreasonable; in fact, it’s rather a logical idea. Why couldn’t the man who found the buried treasure have sold just part of what he owned to buy the field? Why did he have to sell everything? The trouble, of course, is that we want God’s gospel treasure, but we also want to keep everything else along with it. And that, the parable teaches us, is quite impossible. The gospel is all or nothing. To receive what God gives in Christ is to exclude everything else. That’s the point of the parable. Jesus knew that if we maintain any affections or desires for the treasures of this world, we are in great danger of losing the eternal gospel treasure. That’s why the man in the parable got rid of everything else. Compared to the treasure he had found, nothing else mattered; he got rid of all of it for the sake of the one thing that did matter. By removing all other treasures, he made sure that the one treasure that counted was his, always and forever, because with that treasure what else would he need?
The things of this world must go if God’s treasure is to be gained. When you hold on to earthly treasure along with God’s Kingdom treasure, you have a divided heart. You’re trying to get what God gives in the gospel at the same time that you’re trying to grab what the world offers. Jesus called this trying to serve two masters—another impossible idea. When you are face-to-face with God’s treasure, you dump all of the world’s treasure. You get rid of everything that would otherwise demand your attention and your affections. When you have the gospel, only one thing matters: only the treasure of God’s forgiveness and promise of life. What is eternal replaces what is temporary. But, sometimes letting go of the other stuff is not easy. It can mean some significant sacrifices. Those family ties and bonds of the heart that threaten your relationship with God and his gospel must be severed. The mindset and expectations of your friends and co-workers who insist on tolerance and moderation in all things spiritual must be rejected. The standards that define success and accomplishment in this world must be renounced. The self-indulgence and insatiable quest for pleasure that drives this world must be forsaken. All of that goes. All that the world clutches, all of the things that most people count as most important, are given up. Everything that captures the attention and imagination of everyday people is discarded.
The man in the parable unloaded everything for the one thing that mattered—and he did it with joy. I suspect that his family, friends, and neighbors thought him a fool for selling everything that he had. But, he knew better. He knew the treasure. It surpassed, overwhelmed, and consumed everything else. This is your reality. You know the gospel of Jesus. You know that what God gives you in the gospel both now and for eternity is far more important than anything, anything in this life. Don’t doubt the truth of this, and don’t forget it as you live and move in this world surrounded by everything else that gets in the way of the gospel. Hang on to the treasure that matters, and don’t let go. And don’t look over your shoulder with a longing backward glance and a wistful sigh at those things you are forsaking for the gospel. If you are looking back or looking all around, you’re ignoring and denigrating the treasure God has given; you’re choosing stuff over Christ.
Too many Christians try to have it both ways: they want what the gospel gives, but they also want what the world gives. Too many Christians long for the treasures of the world, and forget the value of the gospel treasure that God gives. Don’t’ be fooled. The world has nothing to offer that can rival what only God can give. Satan will do his best to trick Christian people into thinking that they are missing out, or that they can keep their world treasure along with the gospel treasure. Don’t believe the lie. That’s the point of the parable. If you’ve got the gospel, but are still trying to hold on to some other treasure, you will lose it all. But, of course, to receive and hold fast to the gospel alone is to have it all a thousand, a billion, times more than anyone ever before.
The gospel excludes all else. It accepts no rivals. God tolerates no competition. God and his gospel are the one treasure that surpass everything else. You have that treasure. You know its eternal value and its infinite worth. So, live like you know what matters. Don’t listen to Satan or the whispers, the appeals, and the demands of those around you. You know what counts. You know the treasure. Let go of all that other stuff. Get rid of all those things that the world treasures, and hold on to the treasure that God gives. His treasure beats anything you’ll ever earn, win, or dig out of the ground. And it’s yours, today…make sure that it stays that way. Amen.