Scripture

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. (Matthew 13:44-45)

Prayer

Have a family member pray for your time together.

Ask God to help everyone in the family understand His Word and who He is.

Hidden Treasure

The Treasure in the Field

Where do you put something if you want to keep it safe? You might have a safe, a bank account, or a safe deposit box. If you are younger, you might have a piggy bank or a special hiding place in your room or under your bed. In Jesus day, one of the safest ways to protect something was to bury it, to hide it. You would hide it in a place no one else knew about. Paul used this imagery in Colossians 3:3. We died, and our life is hidden with Christ in God. That doesn’t mean it is hard to find. It means our life in Christ is safe and secure. No one else can take it away.

In Jesus’ parable, someone treasure in a field. When people read this parable, they often ask, “Why didn’t the man tell the people who owned the field the treasure was there? Wasn’t it really theirs?” This parable isn’t a moral story concerning what to do when we find something that is lost. When we find something lost, we should return it if possible. This is a parable about value of the kingdom of heaven.

The man sold everything he had to buy the treasure. Everything!! Jesus’ lesson is that the kingdom of heaven is more important and has more value than anything else.

What would you struggle to give up for the kingdom of heaven?

Pearl

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. (Matthew 13:45)

The man in this parable is a merchant who travels around the world looking for valuable things. What do you think is the most valuable thing you have ever seen?

This wealthy merchant is out to acquire excellent pearls. It is his business to deal in them. In order to appreciate this point, one must know the esteem in which pearls were held by those in the ancient world. Incredible amounts of money were paid for a single pearl when it was a perfect specimen of its kind. Great skill was required to gauge the value of a pearl, noting its defects in shape, tint, smoothness, etc. An equivalent in our world would be the value placed on diamonds.

In June 2015, Bobbie Oskarson from Longmont, Colorado stopped by the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. After paying her $8 entry fee, she started to dig. She found The Esperanza Diamond, a rare D-color, 8.52 carat, icicle-shape diamond valued at $1-million dollars. She only paid an $8 entrance fee to discover a $1,000,000 diamond. That was a great find! A painting by German Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer valued at $10,000,000 was bought at a yard sale for $30. If you found that painting, would you have sold all you possessed to buy a $10,000,000 painting?

The kingdom of heaven is worth more than a $1,000,000 diamond or a $10,000,000 painting, but you can’t buy it. Nor, can you pay an entrance fee to discover it. It is the gift of God, but it is worth more than anything in the world. That is Jesus’ point. The excellent pearls the merchant seeks represent all the higher things of this earthly life which are prized accordingly by men: philanthropy, humanitarian work, peace, moral living, justice, better social conditions, science, art, etc. Yet, none of them are more valuable than God’s kingdom.

Spend a few minutes talking to each member of the family and discuss which possession has the greatest value to them.

We must give up everything which would prevent us from possessing the eternal treasure of God’s gift.

Family Activity

This week, go on a family adventure. Use the link below to find a GeoCaching site near you. See what kind of treasure you find and send a picture to Cheryl.

https://www.geocaching.com/play

You will be required to make an account.