Matthew 13:44-46
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
One of the world’s oldest buried treasure legends involves an island off the coast of Nova Scotia called “Oak Island.” As the story goes, in 1795 three teenage boys discovered what looked to them to be a spot where something had been buried and then covered up. They dug as far as they could and found what appeared to be evidence that someone had created an elaborate hiding place. But after digging to a depth of about 30 feet and finding nothing of value they gave up their efforts. But even though they didn’t find buried treasure, the legend was born.
Over the years other treasure hunters continued to dig on the spot, eventually reaching a depth of nearly 100 feet. At that point they hit a stone slab with an inscription on it. According to the story, a cryptologist eventually deciphered the message on the slab to say, “Forty feet below 2 million pounds are buried” (with “pounds” referring to British currency equal to several million dollars).
Since that stone slab has long since vanished into history many believe it to be a fabrication designed to attract continued interest as well as potential investors in the hunt for buried treasure.
Others speculated that there was indeed treasure buried on Oak Island, and that it was that of Captain Kidd or even “Blackbeard” the pirate.
The most famous person to become caught up in the search for untold riches was Franklin Roosevelt who personally supervised a dig in 1909.
Finally, in 1977 a company bought the whole island for $125,000 and then spent some $3 million in drilling. To date all they have found is wood, charcoal and bits and pieces of items left over from earlier digs. Yet the owners continue to believe that riches worth up to $100,000,000 remain buried on the island, even though no actual evidence of buried treasure has ever been produced.
I think stories like this illustrate why Jesus spoke about the kingdom of heaven as if it were buried treasure.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Jesus knows that every human being who ever lived, including each one of us, is on a treasure hunt.
Legendary musician Bruce Springsteen said the same thing in a song in which he sang, “Everybody’s got a hungry heart.”
Jesus knows that we’re all hungry for wealth; for purpose; for love; for joy; for life itself; but often we wind up looking in places that are nothing but sink holes!
Think for a moment about the treasures of your heart. Consider making a list of the things, people, pursuits or possessions that you hold most dear.
Once you’ve made the list, look through every item and ask yourself: “Is this treasure worth giving everything for, even my life itself?”
Then ask yourself, “Do I value any of these treasures more than I value the promise of the kingdom of heaven?”
Pastor Brian Coffey
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