Significant treasures

Jesus told two parables about the kingdom of God using a picture of a purchase.

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys the field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it."
Matthew 13:44-45

The thing that was common to both parables is that the man sold all that he had to buy something he treasured.

In the first parable, the one who sold the land did not know how valuable it was; the owner of the field did not know that there was a treasure hidden in it. The emphasis is that others do not know how valuable the kingdom of heaven is. They would sell it for far less than it is worth.

In the second parable, the one who bought the pearl was convinced that the pearl was worth the price. He bought and sold pearls; he knew that this one was of great value. He was willing to pay a great price because he believed it was worth even more. The emphasis is that a man needs to make this choice; he needs to choose to do something that will cost him everything. We cannot purchase this one thing, and still hold on to everything else.

What is also common to both parables is that others did not fully understand how much what they had was worth. The kingdom of God is of great value, but only some know the full value.

The kingdom of God is a significant treasure. In the midst of a world of insignificance, the kingdom of God is the one thing that is worth the price we pay. It is the one thing that does not end up in a landfill.

Its selling price is fixed; it has always been for sale for the same price. It has always cost all that we have.