A man finds treasure and sells all that he has in order to buy that field. Selling all that one has in order to obtain it is not a burden, but a gain. He acted as such “for the joy it gives him.” Such joy was not just a fleeting emotion for it was a driving force of Christian detachment and self-giving that propelled him forward.
The world’s advice on such an act would be to weigh the cost and then reluctantly surrender yours goods with the hope that it will pay off later. Through such a disposition of mind the sting of loss would be felt. The Gospel is not asking us to make an agonizing sacrifice, but is giving an invitation to obtain something that actually fulfills.
As Saint Augustine writes, “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Each of us has a spiritual hunger that we spend our life attempting to satisfy. Our attention is placed upon status, money, comfort, achievements, and control. This is like the man in the parable who dug in the field attempting to find that which would eventually fulfill.
Upon stumbling upon the treasure his restlessness ceased. He came to recognize that this was what he was made for. When the man found the Kingdom of God (the treasure) his soul came to recognize its true home. His restless heart finally came to find its rest which allowed him to sale all that he owned in order to obtain it “for the joy it gives him.”
As Saint Paul states to the Philippians, “Whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Here he was not pointing towards a tragic loss due to what he was called to give up, but the realization that these things were holding him back.
Wealth, career, reputation, and control are not bad in themselves. The problem arises when we look to them to find our identity, treating them as if they are the true treasure for which our heart longs. By surrendering unhealthy dispositions we are allowing God to be the true treasure of our life.
It is so easy to see the demand of sacrifice, forgiveness, detachment, and living counter culturally solely through the lens of what we are being forced to give up. Faith transcends mere rules to satisfy another, for through embracing the faith to its fullest, we are truly set free in our pursuit of that which brings rest unto our restless hearts.
Let us be propelled forth like this man by “the joy it gives.” The man found the treasure first and then proceeded to obtain it. Likewise, we must find that treasure through prayer, adoration, and scripture. Through such an encounter we will behold God’s goodness and move towards such goodness by conforming our life unto it. This opens the way to small detachments where we fast in minor ways in order to not be controlled by the world, but to live for the Lord our God. Do we desire to live for Him and if so what are we being called upon to surrender “for the joy it gives?”
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