Wednesday
December 15 Joy Matthew 13:44
The
kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and
hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
****
This concise parable is troubling.
One day, a person was walking on someone else’s property that seemed
undeveloped/unhabituated. He or she or
they [nonbinary] or even “it” (with the ways our biblical books sometimes
reference gender of children) just happens to stumble upon a treasure that
could be covered with leaves, dug into the ground, or conveniently placed into
a tree knoll or shrub. Anyway the story
goes, it seems that the treasure was intentionally placed, even if albeit, the
owner of the land had forgotten it or was ignorant of the prize. Instead of moving on, the finder becomes greedy,
knowing that the treasure is worth greater than the price of the land. The person pays a steep momentary loss for a
bigger gain based purely on luck and trespassing. We’ve heard stories of people wandering onto
other’s properties but didn’t make it out alive. How is this person so lucky not only to
survive but to also thrive?
At a time when shelfs around the United States are running empty
of possible gifts to place under the Christmas tree, this parable recalls to us
that one precious gift worth more than all the rest in the world. To take this story literally, we are to
selfishly cling (yes, you read that right!) to the treasure like nothing else
matters (thou shalt have no other gods!).
This treasure that Jesus is referencing, of course, is the reign of God
that is the focus in these days of Advent and Christmas, the already and not
yet present kin-dom. Christ has come
into the world once; Christ will be incarnate once again to right all wrongs
(i.e. trespassing) and show God’s divine justice through love. No other present is needed under the tree;
just this hope.
If there could be another sentence added to this parable, maybe in
this person’s joy he/she/they/it shows off this precious gift like an excited
child who runs around the house with that one prized possession unwrapped that
morning from under the tree. Because we
know, when joy is present, it’s hard to keep silent—even if that joy was
questionably obtained.
Prayer: God, the treasure of infinite worth, help us to stay focused on you this day. Remind us of the surpassing joy you give us. Even as we are 10 days away from many, many deadlines, let them all pass by if we don’t have you grounded in our motivation. And, being so near you, let us share the story of your coming and second coming to those who, in these days, don’t know how precious you truly are. We ask this boldly in our own faith. Amen.
Pastor Kevin O'Hara, Emanuel Lutheran, Pleasantville
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