Apologetics

Finding What’s Hidden

by Robert [Bob] Schaetzle Sr. 
01/21/17
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                                                   Finding What’s Hidden              496 words
                                                    By Robert Schaetzle

“God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.” [Mathew 13:44 The Message]

Commitment to Jesus is to learn about something all trespassers, [you and me] growing and learning are searching for. This treasure of Jesus, becomes far greater than just a field of dreams in our purpose for life. It is richer than any amount of gold and silver.

The cost this trespasser paid to purchase his field is often not correctly understood, because the purchase price was already paid by the owner of the field. We should never feel this need to purchase or work for our hidden treasure.

So how do we define this parable? Consider Kingdom values and responsibilities we’re to take hold of as ‘maturing in Christ.’ Petersen’s The Message paraphrase does justice to better help understand this parable.

“Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? If any of you is embarrassed with me and the way I’m leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn’t, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God.”[The Message Luke 9:23-27]

True cost of finding what’s hidden comes through our need of daily surrender, denying self! For the treasure we will receive is found in those things above where Christ is, the treasure of heavenly value.

 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. [Mathew 6:30-33 The Message]

Finding what’s hidden is finding God’s treasure through knowing the power of His presence.

Robert serves in a Sharing and Caring Ministry in Sunnyvale, CA