“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Matthew 13:44 (NAB)
Jesus is basically telling us that we’re meant to have such a desire for Heaven, that we would give up all other things just to have it. The kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of God were phrases used interchangeably by Jesus, in the same conversation, and the Bible scholars say they mean the same thing. In some places of scripture, the kingdom refers to that place in another dimension, where saints, angels and the souls of the redeemed live in God’s presence.
In another scripture, Jesus said “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20-21)
Here, Jesus referred to a kingdom that is the invisible presence of God, which dwells in us by His Spirit. The Holy Spirit in us, is what keeps God at the center of our motives, thoughts and actions, in this present life.
The kingdom of Heaven can mean that other dimensional place or the Spirit working within us here and now. Either way, it’s a treasure that is buried. It’s buried because we cannot physically see it, but it leaves us so much to think about.
Jesus wants us to desire God’s Heavenly kingdom more than anything, so that our greatest desires will be for the things that money cannot buy in this world.
It’s difficult to desire a kingdom we cannot physically see, since it’s invisible. The true stories of people’s near death experiences, can open our minds to get a glimpse of that unseen kingdom.
There was a man named Howard, who once lost consciousness and collapsed. He had a near death experience (NDE), where he saw his body on the ground, surrounded by paramedics trying to resuscitate him. He watched his body as his soul was floating upward, towards a bright light that eventually led him to a brief vision of Heaven. While he was there, he had a “Life review”, and saw highlights of his whole life played back, in the form of a movie documentary.
Howard had a long career as an art professor, and was in fact, a color specialist in the field of art. After his resuscitation, he recovered but never forgot his brief vision of Heaven. He saw colors that he never saw before, which he had no name for, despite being a color expert. He heard Jesus speaking to him, and woke up with a different outlook, a new awareness of God’s presence and a desire to serve Him for the remaining time of his life.
Other people who had NDEs, had very similar experiences and though every one seemed to last for hours, it was actually only a few minutes, until they were resuscitated. Heaven is truly a dimension outside of time or space. Those who died and briefly experienced Heaven, never find adequate words to compare it to anything in this present world.
The interesting thing about NDEs is that every person expressed the same desire to stay there, and not return to their present life. In spite of their desire, they all recovered and lived out their lives with a positive difference.
Maybe that’s why Jesus described heaven as a place that someone would desire so much, that they would sell everything, in order to buy the field containing that hidden treasure. It is that precise treasure that motivates us to keep God at the center of our present lives.
Peter describes an inheritance reserved in Heaven for us, where Jesus will one day be revealed to all,
“Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.” (1 Peter 1:8)
Jesus once asked Peter three times in a row, if he loved Him, and I believe He is asking us something through His words in Matthew’s gospel about the kingdom of Heaven being a buried treasure.
He is asking us “How much do you desire the treasure in this field ?“ As we keep our desires on the things money cannot buy, our response is, “Lord, you’re the treasure that I desire above all else.”
Lord, help us to remember that your kingdom is the greatest treasure and to center all of our hopes, thoughts and motives on you and in the unseen truths that you spoke about. Amen
