May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

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 13:44-46)

In Christ's name and to his glory, dear friends: We have been listening to what God says about his Kingdom. Remember what the Kingdom of God is. It is not something outward and physical, but inward and spiritual. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Today we consider the inestimable worth of life in God's Kingdom. Our central thought: JESUS, PRICELESS TREASURE. May the Lord bless us during this hour of worship!

The scene. When we catch up to Jesus this morning he is speaking to the people along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew records 7 parables which Jesus spoke that day. Four were part of his speaking to the crowd - The Sower & Seed, The Weeds among the Wheat, The Mustard Seed, and The Yeast. In verse 36 Matthew says that Jesus then went inside a house where he explained the parable of The Sower and spoke three more parables - The Treasure, The Pearl, and the Net.

The parables. These two little earthly stories with heavenly meanings are simple enough. The point that Jesus is trying to make is clear. It seems that there are two important truths that Jesus lays out for our hearts pleasure and good. First, the Kingdom is the greatest of treasures God has prepared for his creation. Second, he who finds this treasure has great fortune and blessing. May God help us to see this and thus be the one who finds!

The treasure. Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like a treasure. Keep in mind that the Kingdom is all the good things God gives the believer in and through Christ Jesus. Perhaps v. 43 of this same chapter will be enough to give us wisdom on the subject. There Jesus says: Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. To be in God's Kingdom is to have the righteousness of Christ, to be found sinless by the blood of Jesus, to have the joy of being a child of faith, to have the peace of knowing that God has redeemed us from sin and death for life now and forever.

Hidden. The Kingdom is like a treasure hidden. This was a common occurrence in Jesus' day. Before the days of FDIC protected banks and life and property insurance, people of means would divide their property into thirds. One third was used for expenses, another was deposited, and another third was hidden, often buried in secret. Because of unstable government and times, it could very well happen that a person of means would have his property confiscated and the man put in prison. The man could use his hidden stash as a bribe to secure his release or as a new start should he be released outright. If the man met an untimely end, his secret stash remained hidden.

The treasure of God's kingdom is hidden. Do not accuse God of being unwilling to share. The parable of the Sower and the Seed has countered that charge. He casts his seed graciously with reckless generosity. The kingdom is hidden because of the mind and heart of sinful man. We just don't know this treasure when we see it. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2). Man in his sinfulness is too smart for his own good. He has a false sense of his ability to safely choose for himself and chooses to ignore God's treasure passing it off as old, useless, and not relevant. We know how easy it is to not treasure God with all our hearts.

The treasure is also hidden in the sense that God has hidden it. Not to conceal it but to preserve it and make it as accessible as possible. God our Savior wants all to find it so he carefully hides it in a place where it can and will be found - in his Word and Sacraments. He is saying: Dear children, you do not know what is good and precious. But I will place my treasure in the field of my word. Whenever you are digging around there, you will find it. No eye has seen...but God has revealed it to us. (1 Corinthians 2)

Found. When a man found it... Both parables speak of the fortune that comes to the one finding this treasure. This is a precious word - a man found. Notice, a man found. He is anyone. He is not described as being of great wisdom, ability, or virtue. He is just a man. He is one of the whole world that God so loved that he gave his Son to save. He is one of the "whoever" who believes in him. He is anyone. He is you and I. And he finds. He was not even looking for it. He just happened on it. He did not intend this, but God did. God put the treasure there. God let him happen upon it. God led him to it. What a gracious Lord this parable pictures for us!

And here is a scene relived by countless loved souls over the centuries. The Lord pulls us to the field where the treasure is hidden. When his hand lays sorrow on our lives, when we turn there is the treasure. When God leads us to a new circle of Christian friends who are themselves in the field, there we happen upon the treasure. When we must let go of what we valued highly in this world we find ourselves digging for something and when we dig in his field, there we happen upon something more valuable - Jesus priceless treasure.

Secured. The man hides the treasure again. This is not done selfishly as if it is only for him. This is zealous precaution. He sees the great value of what he has found and cannot bear the thought of losing it. He will do anything, pay any price, and expend any effort, if only he can have this one treasure.