I heard a good one on the radio this week.
Apparently this guy was trying to get coffee from a vending machine but couldn’t get the 50p coin to fit the slot. When he checked it out with the bank and then the Mint, turns out it had come from a rare batch and was actually worth hundreds of pounds!
Sometimes a thing can be worth much more than it appears. And vice versa -something that costs a lot can turn out quite useless.
The religious hierarchy in Jesus’ day didn’t put much value on Him, just saw Him as a potential trouble-maker, had Him hastily framed and executed. They put much greater store in their heritage, their capitol Jerusalem and their magnificent temple.
But within a generation their city was overrun, their temple destroyed and the nation scattered for centuries.
Current western culture doesn’t value religion much, or Jesus. We worship money, power, fame and sex and frequently live emotionally and spiritually hungry and disappointed as a result.
But Christianity continues to grow globally, and most rapidly in areas some might think unlikely. Millions of people are discovering still the truth of Matthew 13 v 44-46 that knowing Jesus is like possessing hidden ‘treasure’ or a pearl of ‘great value.’ Here is something for which we would sacrifice everything else.
I’m reminded of something Jesus said,
‘What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?’ (Mark 9 v 36)
Good question!
He teaches His followers to sit loose to material wealth and ‘seek first’ the spiritual priorities of God’s kingdom and what pleases Him, assuring us,
‘Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ (Luke 12 v 32-34)
Someone who finds Jesus, and is ‘found’ by Him, finds treasure indeed!
Apparently this guy was trying to get coffee from a vending machine but couldn’t get the 50p coin to fit the slot. When he checked it out with the bank and then the Mint, turns out it had come from a rare batch and was actually worth hundreds of pounds!
Sometimes a thing can be worth much more than it appears. And vice versa -something that costs a lot can turn out quite useless.
The religious hierarchy in Jesus’ day didn’t put much value on Him, just saw Him as a potential trouble-maker, had Him hastily framed and executed. They put much greater store in their heritage, their capitol Jerusalem and their magnificent temple.
But within a generation their city was overrun, their temple destroyed and the nation scattered for centuries.
Current western culture doesn’t value religion much, or Jesus. We worship money, power, fame and sex and frequently live emotionally and spiritually hungry and disappointed as a result.
But Christianity continues to grow globally, and most rapidly in areas some might think unlikely. Millions of people are discovering still the truth of Matthew 13 v 44-46 that knowing Jesus is like possessing hidden ‘treasure’ or a pearl of ‘great value.’ Here is something for which we would sacrifice everything else.
I’m reminded of something Jesus said,
‘What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?’ (Mark 9 v 36)
Good question!
He teaches His followers to sit loose to material wealth and ‘seek first’ the spiritual priorities of God’s kingdom and what pleases Him, assuring us,
‘Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ (Luke 12 v 32-34)
Someone who finds Jesus, and is ‘found’ by Him, finds treasure indeed!
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