TEXT: Matthew 13:44

SUBJECT: Selling All with Joy

This is one of our Lord's shortest and least known parables. It opens with a man walking in a vacant field. He stubs his toe on a rock. Smarting from the hurt, he kicks at the rock only to find the rock is no rock! It's something else; something bigger. Curious, he goes down on all fours and begins to dig with his hands. What's he found? He's found a box. What's in the box? He pries off the lid and peers in: The box is full of treasure! Looking around to be sure no one has seen him, he buries the box again and covers it up with brush. Now, he runs home and puts everything he owns on the auction-block. His neighbors think he's mad, but he knows something they don't. Everything is quickly sold, and with the proceeds he buys this overpriced field. With the deed securely in hand, he returns to the secret place, digs up the treasure, and lives the rest of his life in luxury.

This is a good story, to be sure. But what's it about? A lucky man, an empty field, a buried treasure? No. It's about "the kingdom of heaven". Well, what about it? It's about the kingdom's superior value in comparison to anything and everything else. The man sold his all to have that field. And came out the winner! In the same way, you and I would be very wise to give up everything we have to obtain the kingdom and to have fellowship with its King, our Lord Jesus Christ.

In short: The richest man outside the Kingdom has nothing; the poorest man inside the Kingdom has everything. For proof, consult the Rich Man and Lazarus. Therefore, you and I ought to start "losing our lives for (Christ's) sake, that we might find (them)".

Let's go back to that man in the parable. What he did was highly unusual. Not many people would sell everything they own. What made him do it? It wasn't a contempt or a hate for what he had. Like you and I, he must have been quite attached to his things--some of them at least. No, it wasn't that at all. Then, what was it? The Lord makes it plain: "...for joy over it, he goes and sells all he has..." It was joy that animated him. There wasn't an ounce of reluctance in the man; not a split-second of hesitation. He was glad to be rid of his things! Overjoyed to see them go!

But why was he so happy to liquidate his assets? It is because he was so entranced by that hidden treasure. Wouldn't you be? A chest full of gold and jewels! That box was a thousand times more valuable than his house and farm and livestock and personal items. Consequently, it was "for joy" that he sold his all to have that treasure.

This is what I want us to ponder: the joy of the kingdom of heaven and how it affects the sacrifices we must make to obtain it.

Whatever the Kingdom of Heaven is, we can be sure of this: It revolves around Jesus Christ. And "to those who believe, He is precious" says Peter. He is valuable or dear to every believer. Why wouldn't He be?

Think of Who He is.

"Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

Hail the Incarnate Deity".

It's no wonder the Apostles were so staggered! "We were eyewitnesses of His majesty" wrote Peter. John one-upped him: "We beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth".

Think of what He does.

What He does for everyone. Every good thing anyone has comes from Christ. "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made". He communicates them out of His great goodness. If an unbeliever has a happy marriage, it is because Christ has given it to him. If a sinner recovers from illness, it is "the Lord who heals his diseases". The Atheist enjoys the sun and rain no less than the holiest saint. In this way, the Lord Jesus is "the Savior of all men".

Especially, what He does for His people. He pardons our sins. "The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins". And the power is not potential, but actual: "Son, your sins are forgiven you" He says. He brings us to God by the blood of His cross. He renews our character, Titus 2:14. He brings us to glory, John 14:2-3.

Once you begin meditating on the preciousness of Jesus Christ, the sacrifices you make for Him won't seem so sacrificial after all.

Like the man in the parable, you'll "sell all that you have"--and you'll sell it "for joy"! Or, to change the reference: You'll no longer "give grudgingly or of necessity"; you'll become what God so loves: "A cheerful giver".

A failure to meditate on Christ makes kingdom living toilsome and bitter. Think of the sacrifices we're required to make. We must surrender our popularity. Paul "was made the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things". Many must give up their families: "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters...he cannot be My disciple". "Others" must lay down their lives: "Tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection". Moses let go of "the treasures of Egypt".

These are but examples, of course. Every believer must relinquish what's more precious to him than life itself: His own will. "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me". Make no mistake about it: Self-will and the Kingdom of heaven are incompatible. If you want the latter, you must give up the former. And how painful this is! No wonder it's called a cross! And so it is...

...Until you begin meditating on the preciousness of Jesus Christ.

Then, like Paul, you'll begin saying, "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy..."

Or, like the Savior, your cross will be "endured for the joy that is set before you". Even your death will be full of joy: "...Your heart will be glad, your glory will rejoice, your flesh shall rest in hope..."

In sum: If you would serve God well, you must serve Him joyfully. If you would serve Him joyfully, you must become and remain Christ-centered in your thinking. It is only as the man thinks of the "treasure hidden in the field" that he "sells all that he has for joy". Likewise, it is only as you meditate on Christ that you'll give up your all to have Him.

Let us, therefore mediate on Him "day and night".

Let us encourage our brethren to do so too. How? By talking about Him with them. II Corinthians 1:24.

Let us give unbelievers the opportunity to enter into this joy as well. How? By describing it to them in word and by living it in their sight.

May God so enable you, for Christ's sake. Amen.