Are you digging for buried treasure? If not, you should know that it’s waiting there for you.
But wait. Don’t reach for a shovel just yet. For this kind of digging, you need other kinds of tools: your Bible, a concordance and maybe a reliable commentary or two. And bring along your mind, heart, time and a bit of patience. You may ask, “What kind of treasure can I find with these tools?” The answer is profound. You’ll find a wealth of God’s wisdom that can only be found when you search for it as if you were digging for gold or silver buried beneath the earth’s surface.
You may have noticed that if you read Scripture simply to check it off your to-do list, you don’t gain much insight. But when you pray, when you compare one Scripture with another, when you meditate on verses, then you gain insight—then you find the golden nuggets of wisdom and truth that have been there all the time, buried beneath the surface.
In Matthew 11 and 12, Jesus had pronounced judgment on the unrepentant and especially the religious leaders who were uniting against him. But in Matthew 13, Jesus changed his approach in speaking to the crowds. He started teaching in parables—earthly stories with heavenly meanings. Only those who wanted to dig deep enough could understand what he was really saying. Others might pass Christ’s teachings off as simple stories. But these “simple stories” were eternal stories—helping generations understand spiritual principles through physical metaphors. Rural folk could grasp the kingdom of heaven by looking at a farmer working in the fields. People in business could comprehend the kingdom of heaven through stories of faithful or evil servants. All could look forward to Christ’s return via the story of a wedding and bridegroom. Simple stories—profound truth.
Jesus gladly answered his disciples’ questions about his parables and gave them the interpretations. His hidden truths are an open secret for those who are really looking. When you ask the Holy Spirit to give you ears to hear and eyes to see, God will open his treasure house and give you fresh insight into his parables. Ask him for understanding, and he’ll help you unearth buried treasure.
Reflection
- What Bible study tools or methods do you use on a daily basis?
- Which of the following would you use to describe your time with God’s Word: skimming the surface or digging for treasure?
- What new treasure has God revealed to you lately? What could you do with that new insight?
Matthew 13:13 “This is why I speak to them in parables.”
Related Readings
Psalm 78:1–4; Proverbs 1:5–7; 2:3–5; Mark 4:10–12; Romans 11:33
No comments:
Post a Comment