2/16/25 “A Wise Investment”
“A Wise Investment”
Matthew 13:44-46
(Show Beverly Hillbillies Intro)
Well….Did that bring back some memories for a few of you?
As many of you may recall, the Beverly Hillbillies was a popular sitcom that ran for 9 seasons beginning back in 1962.
The show told the story of Jed Clampett and his family…
…Jed accidently strikes oil on his property…this discovery of ‘black gold’ results in him becoming an instant multi-millionaire…
…Jed then moves himself, granny, Jethro, and Elly May to Beverly Hills because he’s told ‘That’s where rich people live’.
I remember as a kid in the late 70’s & early 80’s, almost every day when I would get home from school, the Beverly Hillbillies would be on TV.
The show actually ended the year I was born, but I would enjoy watching the re-runs….
…I would laugh at granny’s antics…groan at Jethro’s dimwittedness…admire Jed’s humility…and, of course, dream of meeting Elly May someday – she was probably my first celebrity crush.
But the idea of there being treasure right underneath one’s feet always fascinated me…
Jesus also tells a story about buried treasure….but this one has nothing to do with the Clampetts, or Mr. Drysdale, or Jane Hathaway…
In the first of two parables for today, a man unexpectedly discovers a priceless treasure just below the ground while out in a field…
Unlike Jed Clampett, however, this man does not own the property containing the treasure…
…therefore, he hides the treasure again and sells literally everything he owns in order to purchase that piece of land containing the priceless treasure.
Let’s take a look at how Jesus words this parable:
He describes the entire story in just one verse….verse 44 (Matthew 13:44)
It begins like this:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field….”
In our day today, it may seem strange to hear of treasure being buried out in the middle of some field, right?
But 2,000 years ago, it wasn’t all that uncommon.
Keep in mind, investment opportunities were not exactly easy to find…
(That’s why the master in the parable of the talents is so happy to find that 2 of his 3 servants were able to double their money through investments)
…But for many citizens, the only way to really ensure their valuables were safe from thieves and potential military invaders was to ‘bury it in the backyard’, so to speak.
People would also stash food, clothing, and various household objects of value in the ground just to keep them safe….
…I don’t know…maybe some of you do this still today!...
Don’t raise your hand - unless you want people coming over to your place late at night with shovels and post-hole diggers!
When it comes to the buried treasure in our story for today, we are not told who the valuables once belonged to….what the treasure consisted of…or even the identity of the current owner of the field…
….those details really aren’t that important – all we need to know is that there was buried treasure – and it was worth a fortune!
Verse 44 (Matthew 13:44) continues: “….When a man found it, he hid it again…”
So, here we are introduced to a man…we don’t really know anything about him.
He may have been a hired hand…or a neighbor…or even a traveler going through the region.
Again…the specifics are not important here.
We notice that the man accidentally comes upon the treasure…perhaps part of the valuables were protruding out of the ground…
…or maybe he had been hired to do some plowing or cultivating in that field…and perhaps found the treasure that way.
But it’s interesting how the man handles this situation…it seems as though he has somewhat of a moral compass…
I mean, he could have just dug the entire bounty up under the cover of night and run off with it….no one would have known the difference.
But…On the other hand, he doesn’t make it a priority to inform the current owner of the field about the treasure either.
He just finds it….and he puts it back.
…But he knows it’s there….and it’s that knowledge that motivates him to take the course of action that Jesus tells us about in the last phrase of verse 44 (Matthew 13:44) “….and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
We don’t even know if this piece of property was officially for sale….
…But we can surmise that the present owner of the land knew nothing of the treasure contained under the soil, otherwise he would have obviously removed it before the sale went through.
Look at how the man who found the treasure was completely obsessed with obtaining it…
…Everything that he did after finding the treasure was for one purpose, and one purpose only….to buy that field…and obtain the valuables contained therein.
This became his mission in life…this was his sole passion and purpose.
What a lesson we can learn from this man’s attitude….
Those of us who have found the truth of the gospel message…those of us who understand the priceless value of knowing the savior….
…How we too ought to be willing to surrender anything in our lives just to have the opportunity to follow Jesus Christ.
Some of you may be familiar with the name AJ Griffin.
AJ was a standout basketball player who spent his freshman year playing for the Duke Blue devils back in 2021.
…the next year, he was drafted into the NBA as the 16th overall pick and played 3 years in the league before retiring last October at the ripe old age of 21.
He walked away from the balance of a 17-million-dollar contract…why?....to enter the ministry.
AJ gave up what the world says is the pinnacle of success - money, fame, prestige, women, power…. to enter a profession in which the pay is ….well, let’s just say it’s not 17 million!...
where the central job duties are to selflessly teach, serve, and encourage others….to not bring attention to yourself – but to God….pretty much the opposite of a professional athlete.
Now – I don’t know what flavor of Christianity AJ is affiliated with – and, really that’s not important.
The lesson we can learn from his story is that if he can walk away from millions and millions of dollars to pursue Jesus…
…Then what are we willing to surrender in order to follow Christ…?
Are you willing to give up everything you have – if asked to do so – for the kingdom?
Hold that thought as we look at the second short parable from the mouth of Jesus beginning in verse 45 (Matthew 13:45) “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.”
So, already, we can see that both of these parables contain similar elements…namely, something of great value…but they are also quite different in their approach.
Unlike the man who stumbles across treasure in a field, the merchant introduced here in verse 45 is searching for something of great value…
…the man in this parable knows what he is looking for…he just hasn’t found it yet.
In those days, a merchant was a wholesale dealer.
He would travel about the country looking for items to buy, and then sell for a profit.
…Kind of like Mike and Frank from the show ‘American Pickers’….anyone here ever see that show?
Two guys travel across the country in their white cargo van looking for items of value that can be purchased at a low cost…then sold for a much higher price.
To be a good picker, you need to know what items are valuable…and what items are not worth much of anything.
The merchant in this parable understood the immeasurable value of spiritual truth – illustrated by pearls – which were the most highly valued gems in the ancient world
…he just hadn’t yet come across the one pearl worth more than all the others.
Eventually, though, he finds it.
Jesus says in verse 46 (Matthew 13:46) “When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it”
Think about it….This pearl of great value was worth more than all the other items in his collection…combined!
Like the man finding buried treasure in the field, the merchant wasted no time in selling off what he already had obtained throughout his lifetime –
…just to obtain one item that would be more valuable than anyything else….
Imagine selling literally everything you own in order to obtain just one thing…
It reminds me of the apostle Paul’s inspiring words in Philippians 3:7-8 “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
Paul joyfully ‘loses all things’…in exchange for gaining life eternal….not a bad deal…right?
After Paul’s conversion experience on the road to Demascus, everything that he had gained or achieved in his life… he likened to ‘Rubbish’
If you’re curious, the Greek word for ‘Rubbish’ is “Skubalon”…which can also be rendered as ‘dung’ or ‘manure’….
…So the next time you’re driving down a country road and you see a honey wagon spraying liquid ‘Skubalon’ all over a field…think of this passage from Philippians chapter 3.
..And let it also be a reminder of how your trophies, your accolades, your achievements, your social status, your occupational level of authority, your wealth, your possessions, your reputation, your intellectual accomplishments….
…They’re all like manure compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ!
A question for all of us to consider this morning is this: ‘Do I live according to this perspective in my life?’…
…Do I really view my relationship with Jesus to be far and away more important – and more valuable - than anything else this world has to offer?
…Or are you making Jesus share space with something else up there on the top shelf of the priority cabinet of your life?
Is he all by himself up there…..or does he have company?
…Maybe he’s gotta scoot over a little bit because your 60-hour a week job (and the good money it makes for you) is becoming extremely important in your life.
…Maybe the savior has to make room for that brand new vehicle that you polish up every chance you get.
…Maybe Jesus has gotten moved to the back of the shelf behind - and this may sting a bit - behind your family.
Scripture instructs us to love our family members…but we are instructed to love Jesus more.
At the end of Luke chapter 9, we are told of a man who tells Jesus that he wants to follow him, but he must first take care of his elderly parents…
…Jesus then tells him in verse 62 (Luke 9:62) “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
These words from the savior may sound harsh…until we realize that the one who died for each and every one of us is deserving of our utmost time and attention.
…anything that comes before Christ in our lives is an idol…no matter what it is…a person, a place, a thing, a feeling, a job, a game, a reputation, a relationship, a child, a parent, a spouse…whatever it might be.
…As believers, we can never let any of these things assume the top shelf in our lives….
…clear that shelf off – there’s only room for one item up there…
Jesus Christ - the lamb of God – He deserves and demands that high position of priority…because He personally purchased eternal life for you….
…and there is absolutely nothing more important than your eternal destiny!
He took away your past, present, and future sins as He hung on the cross…
He provided a way for you to escape the condemnation of your sin…which is spiritual death for eternity in a place called hell.
He brings you into a family relationship with God the Father – the all-powerful creator and commander of the universe.
Jesus needs to stand alone on the top shelf of your life.
We also need to sell off everything else that competes with Him – including our own self-righteousness.
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said: “No man can be saved by the righteousness of Christ while he puts any trust in his own…sell it off, every rag of it.”
Spurgeon is referring to the book of Isaiah here where the prophet says “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…..” (Isaiah 64:6)
Folks, our good works – no matter how many there are…or how diligently we perform them – they will never result in us being right with God…
…Only the blood of Christ can accomplish that reality.
How many of you have ever watched “Antiques Roadshow”?
Years ago - on one particular episode - there was a lady who brought in a necklace in a box thought to be worth a few hundred dollars…
…The man carefully looked it over and gave her a valuation of around $50…the woman was a bit disappointed.
But then the man said, may I please have a closer look at the necklace you are currently wearing?
The lady gave him her “everyday” necklace…and as the appraiser was looking it over, a big smile came across his face…
…He told her that what she had been wearing was indeed a very rare piece of gold jewelry from 1840 that far exceeded the value of the other necklace…
…In fact, her “Everyday Necklace” was valued at around $2,000.
The appraiser asked her “What are you going to do with it now that you know its true value?”
The lady responded…”I’ll just keep it in storage…it’s too valuable to sell it off.”
Aren’t we sometimes like that with our own sense of self-righteousness?...
Don’t we value our own accomplishments and moral competencies to the point where we often refuse to sell them off…..?
We tend to keep these prideful thoughts and attitudes about ourselves in mental storage units rather than unloading them at the spiritual St. Vinnies…
Sell or give away anything in your life that takes your focus off the savior….
In other words, sell your stuff – not your soul…
The two men in these parables understood this.
One, a man who stumbles upon the good news of the gospel…
The other, a man who’d been searching for truth for some time…
Both came to faith from different angles…but both came to the same realization…how Jesus was vastly more important than anything else.
Both became obsessed with obtaining the treasure of salvation through Christ.
In his book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan provides a few insightful thoughts regarding what someone who is obsessed with living for Jesus looks like.
“People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly”
“People who are obsessed with Jesus are more concerned about character than comfort”
“People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another”
“People who are obsessed with Jesus are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected”
“People who are obsessed with Jesus understand that the sin of pride is always a battle”
“People who are obsessed with Jesus do not consider service a burden”
“People who are obsessed with Jesus are people full of gratitude & empty of pride”
To be obsessed with Jesus requires submission to Him, it required surrender.
On the topic of surrender, Jesus gives us some very serious words to think about a few chapters earlier in Matthew 10:38 “And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me”
He says nearly the same thing again in Matthew 16:24-25 “…If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
Folks, the savior is requiring you & I to surrender anything that could potentially come between us and Him….Anything.
Apart from the willingness to yield all he has, a person’s profession of faith is just hollow and worthless.
A famous poet once said “Beware of overconcern for money, or position, or glory. Someday you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are.”
Only after we have surrendered everything to the savior can we experience the true riches of His bountiful peace, joy, and love.
I’ll leave you this morning with my favorite lyrics from my favorite hymn:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.
Let’s Pray.