Everything (2)

Matthew 13:44

...in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The question is; what is everything...

This is a tough question for us today. Clearly in this parable Jesus is talking about all of the man's possessions and "stuff"... very reminiscent of His conversation with the rich young ruler. But as He continues with the young ruler He seems to "raise the bar", so to speak, to include family, friends and lands (Mark 10:17-31). Everything. When I think about my "everything" I can't stop with stuff (it's all shadows and dust anyway isn't it). No, everything means much more than that... it means the patter of four sets of beautiful feet... little voices that call for "daddy" in the night... hugs, kisses and indistinguishable pictures "just for me". Everything means 13 years of marriage... over 20 years of relationship with the love of my life (and my best friend on earth)... tears, struggles, joys and life. No, everything is huge - worth more than gold, land or MacBook - which only makes the act of laying it down that much more special.

AND what would you be willing to sell everything for?

Now this is an especially tough question for us today. In this parable we see a man sell everything he has (filled with joy) for the treasure he discovers in the field... and Jesus says that this is what the Kingdom of God is like. When I read words like this it challenges me to my very human core. Oh how hard it is to let go of what I have... of what is "mine"... "my own, my precious." To sell it all for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom come (His movement & His purposes on earth)... seems like such a huge sacrifice. And yet, we sell them all the time for everything else around us. We sell our children for our jobs. We sell our marriages for our cravings. We sell our callings for our ambitions... our gifts for fame. And then we lay them all down before the gods of money, fame and power. But for Jesus... that seems like such a leap of faith (or is it trust)... let alone to do it because of shear joy.

Which makes me wonder... where does that kind of joy come from?

Everything (3)