Hidden In the Dirt

The other day I was down by the barn (on our ridge top farm, you are either up by the house or down by the barn, there is no flat land), trying to locate a buried pipe. As I slammed my spud bar (for those of you unfamiliar with farm life, a spud bar is a very heavy tool, about eight feet long that is used to dig holes by breaking through the hard dirt) into the ground I heard a “thunk” instead of a “thud” that usually signifies more dirt. What had I hit below the ground? The pipe? I didn’t think so, it wasn’t a metallic sound of hitting a metal pipe. So I preceded to enlarge the hole and surprise! There, buried under the dirt was a concrete pad! All the years I have walked over it and never knew it was there!
“Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which when a man has found it, he hides it, and for the joy of it goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. “
(Matthew 13:44)
Now I am not saying that the kingdom of Heaven is like a concrete pad under the dirt, but that things can remain hidden right under our very eyes! We don’t know what is there unless we dig for it.
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus tells us that the kingdom of Heaven is like treasure buried in a field? First, He tells us that the kingdom of Heaven is a treasure that is worth so much that the man who found it re-buried it! Have you ever dug something up (say a concrete pad)? Would you want to re-bury it?
Second, He tells us it was hidden. The man had to find it. Go look for it. Search for it.
And then when he found it, it was so valuable he hid it again.
Third, the man sold all he had and bought the field. The treasure was that great. He gave up all for it.
The kingdom of Heaven isn’t really hidden from view. The map to the buried treasure is not written in a strange code that only the owner can interpret and you don’t have to find the old oak tree with the bent branch facing north to find x which marks the spot.
No, God has not hidden the kingdom of Heaven from you. The map is plain for all to read and study. What is hidden is the deep spiritual message that God gives us when we find the kingdom of Heaven.
This kingdom is worth all that we have, in fact, God does not ask for just a little investment, there is no “it won’t hurt at all” ads here. God says, you give me all you have, my treasure is worth this much.
It will take me a lot of digging to uncover that concrete pad, and as I walk through my life, I hope to continue digging into the kingdom of Heaven to uncover its treasures.
What will you do?
Until next time on My Front Porch.