Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46
Nobody wants to put a lot of money into something only to realize that there is no value in it. It is not a good thing when stocks crash and values of homes decline. What if there was something that was truly worth investing in? What if there was a guaranteed 1000% return on investment on something? Would you buy it? Of course, you would.
What if you were looking to buy a house and realized that there was a secret room full of treasure hidden in the house. No one knew it was there. The listing price of the house reflected this was the case. Sure, it was a little out of your price range, but you knew something that everyone else didn’t know. You know there is a lot of extra value here that people didn’t see. You most definitely would be able to come up with a little more cash to make the investment because you know that there would be a significant return on your investment!
Jesus tells a story similar to the one above to illustrate what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Jesus said, of course you’d sell everything you had to get enough money to buy the field with the hidden treasure in it. Duh!
He then tells another story about a merchant looking for the best pearls, and when he found it, he was going to buy it.
Finally, he tells a third story about the Kingdom of Heaven being like a huge fishing net that catches so many different kinds of fish. Not all the fish you get will be good to sell, but a lot will be!
These stories illustrate the value in being a follower of Jesus and being a part of the Kingdom of Heaven. Becoming a follower of Jesus is like investing in the field with the hidden treasure. You will have to give up a lot to get it, but once you do, you know it’s going to be totally worth it! No where else will you find the life changing power of God to forgive sin and the power to live the life that God created you to live, from now into eternity.
But once you become a Christian, it’s not a once and done type of transaction (you’ve got the treasure, now you just get to sit at home and enjoy it). It’s like the merchant looking for the best pearls; you find one and sell it and continue to be involved in this market for the rest of your life. Being a follower of Jesus is not something of so great a value to you that you keep it to yourself. No, the value is like a huge net full of fish, it is for everyone. The people that you get to influence is the major value of the Christian life. Unfortunately, not every fish (person) will be a good return on your investment, but so many will, and we let God work that all out. God just wants us to cast the net.
So, when is the last time you invested in something that had eternal value? Have you bought that field with the hidden treasure? Are you in the market for the best things in this life? And are you casting your net wide and investing in people?
When you can have this big of a return, why invest in anything else?