"The Kingdom of God is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he finds one of great value, he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it."
Gospel of Luke
What is your greatest treasure? What is it that you look forward to the most?
Today, it is quite easy to identify what it is that people are looking forward to. You just have to read in on the newsfeed of Facebook.
For my facebook friend in Ontario, it is a camping trip with the kids and friends. He describes it as "food, beer, and fun." For another, it is looking forward to vacation, being with friends, having the freedom to do what they please. And for another, it is going on that fabulous bike tour with friends.
We are all pretty good at telling people what we like; what gets us excited; what we look forward to most. And these are all good things.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is trying to explain in a few words what the Kingdom of God is like. The difficulty with God talk is that we have to go beyond our normal words to describe it. It is not something that we do a very good job at explaining. It is more experiential. But Jesus does a pretty good job. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field which someone finds. He hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns, and buys the field." And similarly, "the Kingdom of God is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he finds one of great value, he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it."
This treasure, this pearl, is obviously something we see of greatest value; something that excites us beyond compare; something that we cannot possibly afford by itself, but we can have it. In order to have it, we must be willing to sell off or let go of everything else we may have of value. Jesus tells us that we somewhat stumble across this treasure, discover it by accident; but once it is discovered, nothing else will compare to the joy and satisfaction it brings, whether it be friends, jobs, lifestyle or what we do with our free time. This treasure has nothing to do with external things, but makes a special connection with our heart.
If we read between the lines, Jesus is saying that as we discover this treasure, we find it has to do with a personal relationship, a personal connection with the Lord Himself.
St. Augustine describes it well. "Only in God will my Soul be at Rest. Only in Him comes my hope, my salvation".
Once we experience God, once we make that connection with the Lord, then everything else pales in comparison.
How can we help others discover this treasure that Jesus speaks about? In the same way that we've discovered it ourselves: Through living this treasure; by placing it foremost in our hearts and thoughts; by sharing it with those we meet. The other things will always be there. And we are meant to enjoy them as well, but they will never fully satisfy the longing of hearts made for God.
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