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What's the difference between the man who finds the treasure in the field, who goes and sells all he has and buys that field, or the pearl merchant who, when he finds one pearl of great worth, goes and sells all he has and buys it, and the Messiah's countrymen whom this Pearl of greatest worth, Jesus Christ, finds, yes, whom this Treasure Trove comes and reveals Himself to--whom they don't even have to hunt for and in whose presence they are, seemingly, as astonished as the treasure hunter and pearl merchant are at their good fortune--but at whom they take offense and whom they reject?
It can't only be their familiarity with Jesus and the disdain which fulfills the old adage, "the familiarity that breeds contempt". We're not told about the man who finds the treasure, but it's conceivable that he was a seasoned treasure hunter who was as familiar with the ins and outs of treasure hunting and treasures as Jesus' countrymen were with him and didn't just stumble on the treasure out of the blue. And as for the pearl merchant, clearly he was familiar with pearls and their relative worth--apparently more so than Jesus' countrymen with Jesus.
In spite of his supposed familiarity with treasures and treasure hunting, the treasure hunter does not incredulously ask, "Where did such a spectacular treasure come from?" This is a rather ordinary, unspectacular field. Yet, the treasure hunter does not walk away from the treasure just because he found it in the least likely of places.
In other words, he does not look the gift horse in the mouth and despise and reject the gift simply because the gift horse is of such humble origins and so ordinary looking. Rather, he knows a good thing when he sees one. He knows that the most spectacular of treasures are often found in the most unlikely of places. And he doesn't hesitate for one moment. He doesn't flinch from unbelief. He may gape in wide-eyed wonder, but he thanks his good fortune and goes right out and sells all he owns to buy that unspectacular field with the spectacular treasure.
The merchant of fine pearls is more audacious still. Obviously, he has owned many exquisite pearls, since that's his business. Yet when he finds just one, just the right one--and apparently it's the most valuable pearl he's ever seen, the one he's been hunting for all his life, the one pearl worth more than all his other pearls, indeed, all he owns, combined--he knows it immediately.
He doesn't second guess himself or the pearl he fancies, or his on-the-spot decision. He doesn't weigh his options and come up short and miss the bargain of a lifetime. In fact, he doesn't stall or bargain for a better deal at all, and so lose his chance. He weighs in and makes his bid and pays the price. He doesn't look the gift horse in the mouth. He doesn't snub the gift horse or the gift. He knows a good deal when he finds one. He doesn't procrastinate. He knows that he who hesitates at such moments is lost. As Jesus says, he who, taking hold of the plough, looks back, isn't worthy of the kingdom.
So, a treasure hunter or a pearl hunter who holds back isn't worthy of the treasure, certainly not the pearl of great worth. Judy and I have a cat, a fine cat, a pure white cat, whose name is Pearl. I call him my pearl of great worth. He's worth that much to me! So how come Jesus' countrymen didn't recognize His worth? They seemingly were as amazed at His words and His wisdom and His mighty deeds as were the treasure hunter and pearl dealer at their respective finds of a lifetime.
Instead of exclaiming, "What a deal!" marveling at their great good fortune, how is it that they asked, skeptically, "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this [good stuff]?"
How come they didn't know a good thing when they saw one, especially when this Good One revealed Himself to them? They didn't even have to go hunting for Him! How come they looked this Gift Horse in the mouth and spurned and refused His gifts?
We can turn this parable on end, you know, and see Jesus, the treasured only Son of His Father, as the Treasure Hunter who not only treasures us bankrupt beggars but gives His all to purchase us. He, the Pearl of greatest worth, sacrifices Himself to possess us worthless bits of debris. He's our Pearl Oyster who turns us into pearls by rubbing us the right way, not our pearl fisherman or merchant who exploits us.
Jesus tells us how come some know a good deal, especially when it comes their way and they don't have to go out of their way to find it, when others do not, even when it hits them square in the face, even when the good deal is Jesus. "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."
Yet He's our Prophet and we honor Him as such. He's made us not simply His own countrymen but His very household. We're His field and He's the Hidden Treasure in our midst who spent Himself to redeem us poor beggars. What a beggars' banquet His table turns out to be when He turns the tables in our favor and sets a place of honor for us!
He's the Pearl of priceless worth who has won us and joined us to Himself, and hasn't merely strung us along as just another string of pearls--fake ones at that. What a deal! We know a good thing when we see one. We welcome this gift-laden Gift Horse and gladly accept all His gifts, even if it means our being rode hard and put up wet, if only we can be saddled with Him!
To pick up on the third example in Jesus' parable, He's the Old Salt and master Fisher of Men and we're caught in His dragnet. He'll haul us on board, harvest us and stow us safely in His hold, His precious cargo, chicken-of-the-sea!
Come to the Bethlehem stable this Advent. Come with rough and ready shepherds whether you're ready or not, whether or not you're in your ready-wear. And here I'm going to mix up Bible chronology and err on the side of pious tradition. Come with the wise men in their ready-wear, ready for the greatest Gift you'll ever get.
There under the hay, amid the sounds and smells of livestock, find the greatest Treasure the world will ever see. You've already attained this Treasure, with the application of a little water and the big addition of God's name in Holy Baptism, if you've been baptized. If you have, you didn't have to give anything to get this Treasure hidden in your flesh. That's why He's a Gift, the greatest Gift.
He's the Pearl of greatest worth--worth everything God has to give, worth more than we could ever pay, indeed, priceless inasmuch as He paid the greatest price, His all, to redeem us, sold in sin, for God. And that's the point. We paid nothing to acquire this precious Pearl. He paid it all.
Come to the stable this Advent, then, and be prepared on Christmas to open this Gift lovingly gift-wrapped by our heavenly Father in the humble wrapping of our human nature. And be ready to be open to Him and to be enriched by all His gifts. Only don't bury this Treasure Trove like your usual treasure hunter does. Spread the wealth around. Share Him with others. That's the spirit!
That's the Spirit of Christmas, of Gift-getting and giving. Though you gave nothing to get Him, be ready to give your all for Him and to Him and, through Him, to all. That, too, is the Spirit of Christmas. Catch the Spirit. And, having caught Him--or, rather, having been caught by Him--Happy Advent! Merry Christmas! And Happy New Year!
- Pastor Erickson