24 July

If the kingdom of God could make all the difference to life, how much would we be prepared to give for it?

Everyone knows the feeling of wanting something so much that you would give everything you have to possess it.  Very often we experience that feeling in childhood.  It isn't absent in adulthood, but we are less likely to accept the terms of such a transaction.  However, we often accept a trade-off without realizing it.  Many persons have sacrificed everything else in life for the rewards of professional success, for example, only to find that the prize was not worth the sacrifice.

Whenever Jesus begins any statement with the words “the kingdom of heaven” we know that he is trying to express what human life would be like if our thinking and acting more fully reflected God's will for us.  In this case, Jesus shows us a man finding a treasure in a field.  The man immediately hides it again, sells everything he has, and buys the field.  The treasure in the field is our relationship with God.  Jesus is suggesting that this is the ultimate great prize in life.  How much value are we prepared to put on such a possession?  How much are we prepared to pay?

At first glance, Jesus' next story seems the same, but it is very different.  In fact, to realize the difference is to be deeply moved.  In this story, the merchant looking for fine pearls is actually God, known to us through Jesus Christ – who is in search of each of us.  And when he finds one of us, he is prepared to give everything, even life itself, for us!  We might take a moment to reflect on the immense value and worth this attaches to us, a worth far beyond what we expect or deserve.  To realize who the merchant in this parable really is, is to realize just how much we are loved.  Once again, we are faced with a decision.  What response are we prepared to make in the face of such incredible love?

In all of the stories or parables contained in today's gospel, we are faced with a very basic truth.  Human life is lived in full freedom to make all sorts of choices.  But that freedom carries a price.  To be truly free is to be answerable for one's choices - - this gives life its essential meaning.

“Grant us the fullness of your grace, O God, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure.”(paraphrased, from a Collect for Grace in daily living, BCP, p. 234).

Grace to you and Peace,

Bob+