Have
you ever heard of a man named Forest Fenn? Maybe you have run across his name
in headlines, but even if you have not his life can best be compared to a hero
from one of the most successful cinematic series in history. Fenn is the real
life Indiana Jones—with art collector, air force pilot, and archeologist all on
the resumé.[1]
My heart still accelerates when I hear John William’s theme song from those
films. If you are not familiar with the series it chronicles a swashbuckling
professor in search of lost relics like the Arc of the Covenant and the Holy
Grail. Who doesn’t love a good treasure hunt?
Back
in 2010 the real life treasure seeker—Fenn—buried almost $2 million worth of booty
somewhere north of Sante Fe, New Mexico. He wanted to be remembered, so he hid
gold, jade statues, and a copy of his book, then shared a poem as a clue. To
date at least 65,000 people have set out to find the buried prize—and at least
two of them have been found dead.[2]
Still Fenn will not relent and neither will those who search for the handsome
fortune. Surprisingly, a pastor longing to find the hidden stockpile most
recently died in this wild goose chase. I am not making up this sad fact. A
Christian minister went out in search of earthly treasure and never returned.
This death makes me wonder, “What treasure am I willing to seek even if I die
in the process?”
What
treasure is of such great value to you that you would give everything you have
to take hold of it? In today’s Gospel lesson we hear Jesus speaking six
parables to the crowds and his disciples. Many of these descriptions of the
Kingdom of God are familiar to us—the mustard seed, the leaven, the merchant
and the pearl, and even the abundant catch of fish. This week at first glance
though, I struggled to see a shimmering thread tying all of these parables
together—other than that they are about the Kingdom of God. Of course, I left
out two of these parables, and both of them refer to treasure. Two parables
about treasure may very well help us to understand not only the rest of what
Jesus spoke in this Gospel passage, but also why we must boldly seek hidden
treasure ourselves.
The
first of these parables Jesus told featured a man, a field, and some treasure. Maybe
you easily understand this parable, but as I heard it this week the wording
confused me. “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” (Matthew 13:44). Is the treasure buried by a man who then digs
up his own prize? That does not make sense. Presumably someone else buried the
treasure, then another found it, buried it back, sold all he had, and only then
took hold of the land and the treasure. This treasure seeker gets what he
wants, but he did so by trespassing and digging up someone else’s land—not to
mention selling everything else to get the prize-filled property. And yet, Jesus
says this is Kingdom of God. Entering into God’s Kingdom may cost us. We may
have to risk things we hold so dearly to go out and find God’s realm! Jesus
later tells a second parable about treasure.
This
next parable about prized possessions almost lies hidden—like buried treasure—within
this Gospel lesson. After Jesus asked if the hearers had understood these
parables—and they audaciously answered yes—Jesus spoke of scribes trained for
the kingdom of heaven. I believe we are these scribes trained for God’s purposes.
Jesus compared these scribes to the master of a household bringing out old and
new treasure. Jesus’ response to the affirmation of the understanding hearer is
a challenge not to get stuck in only one way of seeking the ultimate
treasure—relationship with God. Jesus challenges those with ears to hear not to
simply rest on treasure, but to bring out those prizes to enlighten others.
Together these parables require of us seeking out the treasure that is God’s
Kingdom by all means possible and sharing that treasured realm by any means
necessary.
We
can use these two parables further to act as keys, which will unlock a fuller
vision of the divine life within the other parables. God threads a theme
through these other stories, namely that the Kingdom of God hides beneath the
surface away from plain sight—it is not a kingdom with boundaries, a castle, or
a passport office. In other words, we cannot always see the hidden treasure
that is God’s domain. Even within ourselves we may not know the power of
Christ’s light that shines until we spend some time digging around our own
souls. As we examine these parables closer we may be surprised.
Taking
a look at each parable we see something hidden. A huge shrub hides within a
tiny and often unwanted seed. Bread enough for a huge wedding banquet may be
lurking within the spoiling yeast of the last loaf. The most beautiful pearl
could easily rest at the bottom of the ocean or a merchant’s trunk. Good fish
hide both beneath the surface of the water and among the undesirable ones.
Thus, we see in each of these stories the hidden treasure—God’s Kingdom.
God’s
Kingdom hides so easily from us. We may believe we have found it in something
so cherished and beloved by us that we cling to it tightly. If we are not
careful though, we will soon discover that hanging onto the treasure of old
prevents us from taking hold of new treasures. We are challenged to not only
possess old treasure, but to be like a wise collector who sees the value of the
new as well. Our relationship with God—our place in God’s Kingdom—exists
similarly. Jesus challenges us to take hold of buried treasure from old, while
seeking new hidden stockpiles as well.
Why
is seeking this treasure both old and new so important though? Seeking the
treasure–God’s Kingdom and the love we know in Jesus—holds the most value of
anything in the world precisely because when we experience the love of God and
share it with others this treasure has the power to transform the world. This
pearl is worth giving up everything to find it. It is worth giving up a spot in
the garden for the tiny mustard seed, time in the kitchen tending to loaves of
bread, all we have to buy a field, and blood, sweat, and tears to catch fish—good
fish. Jesus gives to us the Kingdom of God and he asks us treasure it and to
share it with everyone. How will you seek this treasure and if you find it how
will you share it with others?
x
[1] Trendacosta, Katharine. The Most Astonishing
Real-Life Treasure Hunts. August 22, 2013.
http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-most-astonishing-real-life-treasure-hunts-1181644705
(accessed July 27, 2017).
[2]Bromwich, Jonah Engel. Colorado Man
Is Second to Die in Quest for Buried Treasure. June 21, 2017.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/us/forrest-fenn-treasure.html (accessed July
27, 2017).
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