God’s Mission

Matthew 13:44-46

“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.”
~ Jesus

There is a song "You’re My Treasure" with these opening lyrics:

You're my treasure, You're my hope
You're my fortune, You're worth far more than gold
And Jesus I invest my life in You.
(by Jonathan Foster)

This song displays a great response to our loving God. Listen to it if you have time. Today’s reading talks about seeking a treasure as well – and giving everything up for it. Often people view these two micro-parables with God’s people as the subjects of the parable – the treasure seekers. But re-read them again, seeing yourself and the rest of God’s people as the OBJECT of the parable, as the treasure. Then the Treasure-Seeker becomes none other than the Son of Man, Jesus Himself. With the change of one small word to that opening lyrical clip (and to as), we can capture the essence of such a view. It would be as if Jesus were singing over us:

You're my treasure, You're my hope
You're my fortune, You're worth far more than gold
As Jesus I invest my life in You.

Is that not a beautiful mental picture? And what’s even better about this imagery is that it’s an accurate picture. It’s true. You are treasured by God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. We all are!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, Your love for the world led to deep sacrifices for those whom You treasure, sacrifices of time, effort, suffering, and ultimately Your life itself. Remind us that we are treasured – thank You! – and that we are loved deeply. And remind us that the others around us are also loved deeply and treasured by You. Let us then bring You honor, joy and satisfaction in our treatment of these treasures known as people; through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Micro-Meditation Scripture

Psalm 103:7-12

He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens
are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.