by David Phelps

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa

March, 2020


Several weeks ago, during a taping of the PBS television show, Antiques Roadshow, a man identified only as “David” brought in an old Rolex Oyster Cosmograph watch he had bought for $345.97 in 1975 while he was in the US Air Force. He had ordered the watch from the Base Exchange with the intention of wearing it while scuba diving. But when the watch arrived, he decided it was “too nice” to expose it to saltwater and so instead he kept it without wearing it. Later, it sat in a safety deposit box for nearly 40 years. The man not only kept the watch but also the box, brochures, receipts, and warranty papers. The watch was a collector’s item in part because the late actor Paul Newman had worn a similar model in the 1969 film Winning. When the man presented the watch for appraisal, he was informed that it was worth $400,000. As he heard the news, the man collapsed onto the floor. But it was worth even more, $500,000-700,000. He had discovered its true worth.

Once, after Jesus had been teaching the crowd, telling them parables (Matt. 13:1-33), his disciples asked him to explain what the parables meant (vs. 36). After he explained (vs. 37-43), he told his disciples more parables, including the parable of the hidden treasure (vs. 44). In the parable, a man discovers a hidden treasure in a field, sells all he owns, and buys the field where the treasure is. At the risk of being overly literal, the treasure was probably there for some time before the man discovered it. It was only after he discovered the treasure that he recognized that there was more to consider than simply the value of the field itself, sufficient to justify selling all he owned. Until then, to him, it was just another field, probably like many others.

Jesus says the parable is intended to describe “the kingdom of heaven.” He seems to be saying we should be willing to pay any price to enter it, any price to obtain it. Fortunately for us, Jesus himself paid the price for our entry (1 Cor. 6:19-20) but there is still a cost to us.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’” (Matt. 6:21 NIV). Our hearts, our emphasis, will be on whatever we value, and we will do whatever we can to gain it; our lives will revolve around it, whatever it might be. Later, he told the crowd, “‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.’” (Matt. 16:24b-25 NIV). These words caused some to fall away. But true discipleship means accepting our share of the cost as well.

In Matthew’s gospel, the next major event after Jesus tells the disciples the parable is the Transfiguration, when the disciples Peter, James, and John receive a glimpse of Jesus’ true nature (Matt. 17:1-2). They must have suspected all along that Jesus was no ordinary man, not even just an extraordinary teacher, but this would have been a defining moment when they could no longer deny what they had suspected. They heard a voice from the sky say, “‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” (vs. 5b NIV). They saw revealed the “treasure” God had sent to redeem humanity.

In an incredible turnabout, the “hidden treasure” has purchased us. Like the man in the parable, God has given all God had in order to buy us. This demonstrates the value God places on us, not because of any worth we might possess but because of the depth of God’s love (Isa. 43:4; Matt. 10:29-31). Jesus showed that God values us by dying on the cross. As we enter the season of Lent, we remember anew the price God paid for us.

The man who found the hidden treasure hid it again so no one else could have it. But our conduct throughout Lent and throughout every day of our lives should reflect the value God places on each of us, and the extent of our response. Daily, may we continue to both discover and reveal the “hidden treasure” of Christ.


“‘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.
“‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.’” (Matt. 13:44-46 NIV.)


Copyright © 2020 by David Phelps