A Treasure Revealed

What do you think a person should do with a treasure of such great value that it cannot be measured? Should he keep its find a secret? Should he keep his excitement under wraps so that no one else will discover what he has found? Just what should that person do? What would you do? What would I do?

Matthew 13 (NIV)
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
44"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.
45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

When asked who the 49ers are, most people today think of the NFL football team, the San Francisco 49ers. But just where did they get their name? The original 49ers were the 19th century California Gold Rush miners.
“The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, California. News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.
These early gold-seekers, called "forty-niners," traveled to California by sailing boat and in covered wagons across the continent, often facing substantial hardships on the trip. While most of the newly-arrived were Americans, the Gold Rush attracted tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia and Asia. At first, the prospectors retrieved the gold from streams and riverbeds using simple techniques, such as panning. More sophisticated methods of gold recovery were later developed that were adopted around the world. Gold, worth billions of today's dollars, was recovered, which led to great wealth for a few. However, many returned home with little more than they started with.” (From Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia)

When I think about these 49ers, I don’t think about huge 200-300 pound men like those found on a professional football team, but I do picture a small statured man who had left everything behind to search for gold. This old “49er” is on a burro, filthy from digging in the ground, clothes tattered and face unshaven, hurrying to the office of the ore assayer with his bag of gold nuggets, hoping above all hope to discover that he has struck it rich. Riding through town, he is hollering at the top of his lungs: “Gold! Gold!” He is so excited that he can’t keep his secret a secret!

Two thousand years ago, a couple of other men known as Peter and John were like the old “49er” … they had found a treasure, a pearl of great price! These two men also had left everything behind and were willing to die rather than stop telling about this exciting new hope for the future. I just for the life of me can’t imagine that their adrenalin was anything but off the charts, not because of fear but because of an unexpected opportunity to share their good news. Acts 4 tells about Peter’s and John’s encounter with the Sanhedrin. As you read this account, read also between the lines and imagine too their excitement as they share this message of hope with those who had taken the innocent life of Jesus.
Acts 4 (NIV)
1The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4But many who heard the message believed and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
5The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. 7They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11He is ”‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
13When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16"What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."
18Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Now, let us imagine that we … like the 49ers with their gold, or the man having found a hidden treasure, or the man who found a pearl of inestimable value, or even Peter and John who found the treasure of eternal life in Jesus … too have found something so exciting that we must not, we cannot help but shout out our joy.

When one finds that Jesus is all that He claims to be: very God, eternal Savior, Lord of all … the One who transcended the glory of heaven to become a man, perfect in every way, who died an undeserved death on a cruel cross and paid the penalty for our failure to meet the requirement of God. He willingly paid the price of death for our disgusting sin, so that we would not have pay the penalty on our own, separated from God for eternity! Having won out over sin, He became the “First-Born” from the dead in His victorious resurrection promising to all who would follow Him that same victory. Can you imagine not selling all that you have to purchase this “pearl of great price”, this promise of life? It is only then, when ready to sell all that we have to purchase this great treasure that we find that the treasure in Jesus is “Free!” Sell all, No! Sell out, Yes! Peter and John were sold out, not because they had walked with Jesus, but because Jesus had totally consumed their lives! Their every thought was about Him and, because they were sold out, thousands upon thousands … yes, even millions have come to know Jesus in that same way as Lord and Savior, even as Friend!
Matthew 5 (NIV)
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

This is the exciting truth, the “light” if you will, that cannot be covered … the treasure that cannot be hidden … the gold that will make you rich beyond imagination … not with wealth that the world seeks, but with the wealth found in a relationship with the loving creator of all the universe. If your life and mine is consumed by the Lord Jesus, the good news cannot be quenched … it cannot be silenced! God has promised that through our faithful proclamation of His word, many will come to salvation.

May this be our prayer, “Lord Jesus, please consume my life. I have given it to You and You have saved me. True! But, now, Lord, create in me a clean heart … consume me … fill me … remake me into the unstoppable force that cannot be silenced. May all who see me know that You are a loving, saving God. Then, and only then, will I be at peace with who You created me to be.” Amen!