Finding the Real Treasure

Matthew 13:44-46

There was a man who had a particular interest in visiting famous Christian cathedrals. He arrived to Rome and visited St. Peter’s cathedral. He was amazed by the structure of the building. Just outside the church, he found a phone, a golden phone. He read that it was a direct line to God and each minute cost $10,000.

In his trip to the US, he found the Crystal Cathedral. Just outside the structure, he saw a similar phone with a direct line to God. The price was also $10,000 a minute.

He also gave a visit to Armenia because he wanted to see the ancient Cathedral of Echmiadzin. After exploring the church, he found the phone with a direct line to God; however, the cost of each minute was only 40 cents. With great surprise, he asked the person in charge why it was so cheap. The answer was, “The other phones call long distance; in Hayasdan the call is local.”

You know this is just a joke. You also know that at any home, at any location, or in any heart, a phone call to God is local. It even is a collect or free call!

In the coming Sundays, I will explore with you the topic of the economy of the church. Is there such a thing called church economy?

Yes, the word economy comes from the Greek Oikos, Oikonomia, which means household management. Another word is Stewardship of the house, in this case our lives. What do I mean by our lives?

Stewardship Sunday sermons are not meant to ask for money. Aren’t you tired hearing that we need your money?

Well, here is the news. God does not need your money. Stewardship Sundays are Sundays that direct our attention to the fact that we need to be aware of how we are running our lives. Who is in control of your life? How do you manage your house, your family, your business, your Church? Where is your priority?

USA Today magazine asked this question to thousands of Americans. “What are the goals of your lives?”

Of those between the ages 18-25, 81% answered: “to get richer is the most important goal. (Sharon Jayson, USA Today, 1-10-2007)

Scripture is not against working, making money, or even becoming rich. Scripture warns us to not “worship” money. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10)

“…pierced themselves with many griefs…” I have seen how the love of money destroys families, destroys lives, makes people greedy; people lose their minds and became obsessed with material things. Some become ready to sell their souls and even their loved ones… It causes so much pain and grief. I thought money is supposed to bring joy.

Today’s passage is a very short one. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (44)

We need to understand the situation in those days. Through the centuries, Palestine was conquered by different armies. Because of this danger, the locals wanted to hide their treasures. You need to understand there were no banks at the time. Therefore, people would hide their treasures in the fields, in the ground, or wherever. Often they had difficulty in finding their treasure later on. People died and the secret of the treasure died with them. So, it was possible to find lost or forgotten treasure in the land.

In today’s passage, the man who found it, covered it and did everything to buy that land. In those days when people heard this parable from Jesus, they understood it very well. Some of them even experienced it. The point of the story is not to encourage everyone to go and start digging up their backyard! I think we will miss the point. The point of the story is:

You find the treasure, an unexpected one

You do everything possible to buy the land to get the treasure

You do it with Joy.

The person SURRENDERS everything to get the real treasure.

We will continue in English.