Treasure Island

[Jesus said] “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46 ESV).

 

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is a story about pirate gold, stolen from Spanish sailors, who had stolen it from the Incas in South America, who had invaded the lands of other people and had built an empire in the Andes Mountains. The pirates had buried the gold on a Caribbean island. After the treasure map was lost and later found, people from England went in search of it. This is a tale of mutiny, bloodshed, and, in the end, untold riches. It is a parable about people’s illgotten gains and the trouble it brings. While Jesus spoke of a great hidden treasure in our reading today, there is a great difference in the ending.

 

In Jesus’ parable about hidden treasure, our Lord doesn’t focus on where the treasure came from, who might have known about it in the past, and how it came to change through so many people. His purpose for the parable was different than Stevenson’s tale. There are two very important points:

 

§  First, Jesus emphasizes that the kingdom of heaven is a treasure worth more than anything else anyone might have. It is important to recognize that the two are contrasts in this one incredible point. The gold of Treasure Island is merely temporary wealth. However, the treasure the Lord promises is eternal. You cannot lose it, nor can it be taken from you.

 

§  Secondly, we recognize that this treasure is not something someone can find of his own accord. In fact, sometimes people stumble upon it unexpectedly. It is always brought to the individual by the sovereign work of grace. As such it is worth more than everything else in life.

 

It is so easy it is to be consumed in the struggles of life: getting an education, landing a job, finding a spouse, raising kids, fending off health problems, growing old, and, eventually, facing death. Consequently, it is easy to brush off eternal life as vague religious stuff, and to listen to the sneers of people who call it “pie in the sky.” But when Jesus came, He revealed the reality of this incredible forever life. How could you not do anything to possess it! Id that the value you place on your gift from God?