When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

 

           Professional football training camps have begun. I would have to say I am not the world’s greatest football fan. Trust that does not disappoint anyone. I used to be, but not so much anymore. Oh, I will follow a bit the exploits of the Vikings and Gophers. I will make it to a high school game every now and then. But I do not get overly excited about that particular sport. That was not always the case. But it is now.

 

           Back when the Minnesota Vikings hired Denny Green as their head coach, I was pretty much into the game. I remember when they hired him. Any fans remember that first news conference when he was introduced to us? At that news conference, the new coach uttered a statement that was not soon forgotten. He said, “There is a new sheriff in town.”

 

           A new sheriff in town. In other words, there was a whole new order coming. A new regime. A new way of doing things. Fans got excited about that. And we wanted to know what this new order would look like. We wanted to know and see the particulars.

 

           Whenever someone announces a new thing—a new order or way of doing things—people generally want particulars.

 

           I say this because at the center or Jesus’ preaching was the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom was what Jesus was all about.

 

           Consider the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He was first baptized by John the Baptist. Then he endured temptation in the

 

 

wilderness. Then he began preaching. And as far as we know, his first sermon began with, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Or, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.”

 

           The people to whom Jesus spoke those words were having kingdom issues. They were dealing with Rome. Jesus came announcing the nearness of a new kingdom, a kingdom for which they had been waiting. Jesus came proclaiming a new order. I’m sure his hearers desired to know more. They wanted particulars. And Jesus gave the details over the course of his three-year ministry.

 

           The past couple of weeks, we have been looking at the thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel.  This chapter contains parables about the kingdom. We looked at two lengthy stories. There was the parable about the sower and the parable about the weeds. These must have been important parables, because Jesus took the time to explain them to his disciples. The big lesson learned from both is we, as followers of Jesus, sow the seed of God’s Word—the seed of the kingdom.

 

           But also in this thirteenth chapter we find several mini-parables. Short stories. Jesus told stories about the mustard seed, the yeast, the hidden treasure, the pearl, and the net. What do you suppose a mustard seed, yeast, hidden treasure, a pearl, and a fishnet have in common? Are these five items like the kingdom?

 

           Well, not exactly. You see, these five items cannot be separated from the actions involving them. The mustard seed is sown, and it grows. The yeast is hidden, and it works through the dough. The hidden treasure and the pearl involved some selling and buying.

 

The anglers fish. So the kingdom is like the five items and the actions involved with them.

 

           And rather than look at all five, I have picked one. Well, maybe two. The treasure and the pearl. The two are linked.

 

           A certain man found a treasure. The implication was the treasure was hidden. And what I find interesting is when the man found the treasure, he did not keep it. What he did was he hid it again. He hid it in again. He hid it in the same field in which he found it. Then he went and sold everything he had and bought the field.

 

           As I said, that may seem odd. But, according to the law of that day, if a person found a treasure in a field, the treasure belonged to the owner of the field. So in order for that treasure to belong to the man who found it, he would have to hide it again—in the same field—and then buy the field. As the new owner of the field, the treasure would be his.

 

           Then Jesus told a similar short story. There was a merchant looking for fine pearls. Perhaps we can use a bit of bold and holy imagination on this one. The man would have known a fine pearl when he found one. And it seems he did find one. He examined it over and over. He knew beyond doubt that this was the finest pearl he had ever come across. He asked the price. And when he heard the price, he didn’t even negotiate. The pearl was worth it.

 

           After hearing the price, he had to consider his resources. He did not have enough cash on hand. He didn’t even have enough in his savings account. He would have to sell all of his other pearls to get it. Still he would need more. He would have to sell his pearl business. He would have to sell his home. He would have to sell everything—everything.  And that is what he did. He sold everything in order to get that one pearl.

 

           Jesus said the kingdom of God was and is like that. The treasure and the pearl were of such great value that the man and the merchant believed it was a fair exchange to give all they had for them.

 

           And that, I believe, is the message in this for us. Remember, the past couple of weeks we talked about how we are to sow the seed, preach the word about God’s kingdom.  And as we share, we are calling upon people to take a risk. Give up everything and commit to this new kingdom. There is a price.

 

           It seems we don’t much like to talk about the risk part. We tell people that if they accept Jesus, they will escape hell and gain heaven. We tell them the life of following Jesus is the way to happiness. Some would suggest it is the road to success. Now, please don’t

misunderstand, I am not saying this isn’t so. But the call upon us is to give up everything for the kingdom. That may sound too risky to some. But the kingdom is worth it.

 

           Do we find the kingdom of God to be of such value that we are willing to give everything—everything—in order to gain it?

 

           During last week’s worship service—via modern technology—we heard from Erik and Ele. As you know, they are serving as missionaries in Africa. During their word to us, Erik talked about presenting the kingdom to the people there. He mentioned the idea of the pearl, and how they are preaching the kingdom as the pearl of great price. I found myself moved by a couple of things.

 

           First, they have given up much to be in  Africa. But they believe the message of the kingdom—the kingdom itself—to be worth it.

 

           But, second, they are preaching the kingdom in a largely Muslim area. They are calling upon Muslim people to make a commitment of their lives to Jesus and to embrace the kingdom of God. Think about that. Do you know what it would cost such a person to say yes to Jesus and the kingdom of God? Everything. And we are talking more than possessions. It would cost an entire way of life. It could even cost them their families.

 

           But we believe it is worth it. Right? Well, then it is also worth it for us. Jesus came preaching the kingdom. Then he gave specifics. The kingdom is like a treasure. It is like the best pearl. The kingdom…. well, it is of such great value that we would think nothing of giving up all we have—everything—in order to gain it.

 

           When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.