Matthew 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
These days, every time you open a newspaper or surf the Web, you get the feeling that everyone but you is tapping into some vast money machine. Much chatter fills the air concerning the “secret of wealth.” This fascination with money, like the fascination with food and romance seems to be part of the human condition. So Jesus, in his wisdom, speaks to us using financial imagery just as he speaks to us through food (in the sacrament of the Eucharist) and romance (in the sacrament of marriage). However, he turns the idea of riches on its head. Rather than recommending ingenious strategies for “mastering the secrets of heavenly riches” Jesus tells us the kingdom is like treasure “hidden in a field”. Hidden in a field? That doesn’t seem like an especially good place to hide things. Yes. And that’s the point. The kingdom is hidden in plain view. Children can see it right off the bat because they are not clever, merely teachable. Clever and prideful people, in contrast, can’t see it because no clever and prideful person would ever hide a treasure in a field. To “cover it up” and conceal it from such people, all we need do is say, “There are unlimited riches here in plain view for the taking!” The world refuses to believe us and refuses to even look. For to do so would require selling the only thing it has: cleverness and pride. If we sell these two worthless items in our inventory, the limitless treasure of heaven is ours for the taking.
