In the gospel reading for today (Matthew 3:44-53) Jesus tells three parables. The hidden treasure is about investing everything in a field known to contain treasure, the pearl is about selling everything to invest in the one priceless jewel while the net is about catching everything and then sorting out what is needed from what must be discarded. It is likely that if you have been a regular church attender over the years, you will have heard sermons on these parables.
The concept of focusing on what matters, being prepared to invest in it and leave behind what is unimportant or a distraction is something we apply in many parts of life. After the three parables had been told, Jesus asked his hearers if they understood. If you were asked that question today could you answer in the affirmative? Yes, probably you get the principle but what about applying it?
At the beginning of my career, in a different century, I was fortunate to be managing the farm surrounding the (now famous) Sutton Hoo archaeological site on the bank of the Deben opposite Woodbridge. Treasure had been found there years before but in the very early 1980s, Professor Martin Calver was to lead a team that would re-visit the site with great care and excited focus. It was thought unlikely that there would be another rich hoard of treasure but the hope remained that other knowledge lay buried beneath the mounds and surrounding sandy fields.
The story of that exercise is told at the site now and is well documented on-line. Simplistically, the first half of the century yielded a find of treasure, the second half, significant knowledge. Which is the more important? There are the gold and the jewels to admire but there are glimpses of a distant past that contribute to a picture of life several centuries ago – all because dedicated archaeologists were prepared to invest time, others invested cash and skilled operators were up for peering, brushing and sifting the soil in the corner of a Suffolk field.
When I was in my early twenties I admired and was bemused by the single minded enthusiasm and focus of the dig team; I still look back on them with great respect. I wish I had that ability for focus and single minded dedication to one thing.
How about you, have you bought the pearl? Have you found the field where the treasure is? Are you still sifting the contents of the net?
A prayer
When my life is rather crowded, Spirit, help me see what is of value and focus on it. When the things I value seem unaffordable, Father, remind me again that Jesus’s gift of eternal life is free to me. Jesus, when I wonder if there is more treasure, help be settle in the knowledge that life with you is the gift that keeps on giving. Thank you. Amen.