“The kingdom of
heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again;
and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the
kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one
pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew
13:44 – 46).
I have been
blessed to know musicians over the years, I don’t mean people who can play
instruments, I mean people who play and often write music as their way of life.
Musicians live in music and music lives in musicians. I have a neighbor friend,
Mike, who is a musician. Mike had a career in the Postal Service, from which he
retired; but he has never retired from being a musician – that is impossible;
Mike’s soul is in music and music is in his soul.
When Mike and I
talk, music is usually a part of the conversation, music can drive the
conversation. Mike will talk to me about the composition of lyrics and music,
he’ll talk to me about the creative process, he’ll share about what he is
working on in his home studio. I am not a musician, but since I have loved
music all my life, I love not only listening to Mike and asking questions, but
I can usually understand what he is talking about because of my love for music;
and also because there is much similarity between music and storytelling, good preaching
and teaching, and thoughtful writing. When I am with musicians, I expect them
to talk music, that is just who they are…they can’t help themselves.
I had a dear
friend who was an artist and a photographer. When we rode motorcycles together
he always brought his camera, he was always watching the light and looking for
a photo opportunity. He rode in front of me and I rode a safe distance behind
him, especially on country roads. I did this because I never knew when he would
abruptly stop, grab his camera, and start taking photographs. Light was everything
and light on an object or landscape didn’t wait for anyone, it changed by the
moment and time was of the essence. If he saw a “shot” he needed to take it
right then, not 30 seconds from then.
He rode in front
so that I wouldn’t crash into him. He also rode in front so that I wouldn’t
keep tooling down the road, leaving him behind, not knowing that he had pulled
over to take pictures. When I rode with my friend I knew what to expect, I knew
not to be in a hurry, I knew to pay attention to him, I knew we’d likely pull
over a few times. I knew this because my friend was an artist and photographer,
this is who he was. There are those who take photos for a hobby, then there are
those who are artists and photographers.
There are
different ways to view the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great
value, both are like diamonds with facets, the light is refracted and they may
catch our eyes differently. Sometimes we can be so concerned about not reading something
the “wrong way” that we never read it any way, we never enter into it and allow
it to enter into us.
Let’s learn to
ask ourselves, “What are the possibilities here? How is the light catching me?
What am I seeing in this moment?”
Can we see Jesus
giving Himself for the field, for the world (Matthew 13:38)? Can we see Jesus
giving Himself completely for His Bride, the pearl of great price? Can you see
Jesus giving Himself for you, can you see yourself as His treasure?
Can we also see
our own lives and our response to Jesus? Note that in both stories the people
sell all that they have to obtain the treasure. Whether we see Jesus or
ourselves in these stories, the core of them both is the selling of all to
obtain the treasure; the core story is an overriding passion and commitment to obtain
the treasure at the cost of everything else.
Jesus gave His
all for us, and we are called to give our all for Him and for others.
Unreserved surrender to Jesus, unreserved commitment to Him, is our calling, our
purpose, our destiny.
It is not a
matter of Jesus being a part of our life, it is a matter of Jesus being our
life. If a musician’s life is music, how much more ought our life to be Jesus?
“He who eats My
flesh, and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in Him” (John 6:56).
Consider that
Jesus says, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is
fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
“If anyone
wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and
follow Me” (Luke 9:23).
Can we find
anywhere where Jesus says, “Ease into discipleship. Take your time and test the
waters, carefully wade out into the depths of commitment to me.”?
When the man
found the treasure hidden in the field he sold all he had to purchase the field.
When the other man found the pearl of inestimable value he sold all that he had…and
he did it right then…and bought the pearl!
Suppose after
the purchase of the pearl his friends saw him and asked, “Where is your house?
Where are all the nice things you had? Where is your ornate chariot? Where are
your fine wall hangings? Where are your works of gold and silver and precious
stones? Where is your stable of racehorses? Aren’t you dining with us tonight in
your favorite five-star restaurant? Where is your wealth, where is your
treasure? You had so much, where did it all go? Where are all the many pearls
you used to have?”
The Scripture
says, “He went and sold all that he had.”
Let us be
honest, are we not like the disciples crying, “Why this waste?” (Matthew 26:6 –
13). What is the sense of taking everything we have and everything we are and
pouring it out on Jesus? Is it not a waste? Does it not make better sense to
give Jesus a little, as much as circumstances warrant, and keep the rest for
ourselves (of course we tell ourselves that we are “stewards”)? After all, we
can give Him everything in eternity, can we not?
Is not single-hearted
devotion to Jesus Christ a bit unreasonable? What would people think?
Are we “all in”
for Jesus as Jesus was “all in” for us?
One of my
fondest memories is of our visits to the saints in Warrenton VA many years ago.
The songs sung were accompanied by the flutter of angels’ wings and, it seems
to me, heavenly voices. This particular song has remained with me over the
years, and I think I’ll close with it:
YOU FILL UP MY SPIRIT
(to the tune of John Denver’s Annie’s Song)
You fill up my spirit
As I stand here inside You
And call on Your name,
You come and You love me,
You’re my joy
and my sorrow,
I sit in Your presence
And love you again.
My Jesus, I love You.
I will always be with You.
Let me cry in Your presence,
Let me die in Your arms.
It’s all my desire
To give my life to You.
You fill up my spirit,
I’m Yours evermore.
(This can also be sung in the plural – we/us).
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