We met him on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the capitol of Canada. He was not an elected member, full of importance. He was not a tourist, with a camera and maps. He was not a gardener, to make the grounds look pretty. His eyes were fixed on the ground, with just one purpose in his mind - treasure hunting.
His equipment was a metal detector, a dull knife and a shoulder bag. We watched him as he patiently and carefully covered each foot of ground. The sound of the metal detector’s beep set him digging quickly into the sod, turning up an old bottle cap, a rusty nail, a pin, but nothing worth a second look. It was just junk for his bag, but he kept on hunting and hoping.
Patience, I thought. That’s what a treasure hunter needs. I wouldn’t be bothered with his kind of treasure hunting. Would you? But I might be interested in another kind of treasure hunting. It all depends on what treasure you have in mind, and how sure you are of finding it. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field” (Matthew 13:4444Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. (Matthew 13:44)). This is one of God’s parables, telling us that the Lord Jesus Himself is the treasure hunter and the field is the world.
Jesus did not come full of importance, or to just look around, or with plans of improvement. He knew exactly what the treasure was - He came to seek and to save lost sinners! “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)). There is no doubt that I was a lost sinner. And isn’t it wonderful that we can be His treasure?
If the treasure hunter in Ottawa had turned up a diamond ring, would it have been his own for keeps? I don’t know. It was not his property on which he was searching. But I know that the Lord Jesus, who came to seek the lost, had to do more than just find us in the world. The world was His property because He had made it, but Satan had taken it over, and now it must be bought back, at great cost. In the Bible story, the treasure hunter was so full of joy when he found the treasure that he sold everything he had and bought the field.
Did he really? Did Jesus give up everything in order to have His treasure? Think of Him, the King of glory, nailed to a cross. He had no crown but thorns, no place on earth for His wounded feet, no water for His thirst - He died as a criminal. Yes, He gave up everything He had. But when He died He won the victory over sin and Satan, and by His precious blood, He bought the field.
But you notice in the Bible story that the man who found the treasure hid it. The Lord Jesus is still not showing to the world that we are His treasure. We who belong to Him are mostly common people and many of us are very poor. But we know that our Lord and Saviour will come at a future time and show the world that we who have been saved from our sins are His treasure. Who is more joyful about this wonderful future, Jesus, or His treasured people? Jesus, of course! “They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels” (Malachi 3:1717And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. (Malachi 3:17)).
ML-11/24/1996