The Christmas Treasure in the Field
“The Kingdom of God is like Treasure hidden in a Field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that Field.” Matthew 13:44
1 How do you start an anthem,
Simple poem for a King,
When every word is borrowed
From the One who made all things?
2 For like a child who buys a gift
For Dad and Mommy-dear,
He spends his Parents’ money
On their present, it’s quite clear.
3 And so this year, I contemplate
The words that fill my mind,
And offer back to Him who gives
Them Rhythm and their Rhyme.
4 In days long past, the Savior told
The story of a man,
Who plodded through a pasture
Trudging by, without a plan.
5 When the Pilgrim caught a sparkle
Of a gem that gleamed aground,
He stopped to re-examine
What on earth his eyes had found.
6 And bending to the glimmer,
Half-buried in the Field,
The glint of shiny brill’ance
Seized his notice, and he kneeled.
7 The glitter was a foretaste
Of a Treasure trove of wealth,
Cracking wide the coffer’s cover —
Instant economic health!
8 Reburying the strongbox,
Hurtling home in quite a rush,
Adding up his varied assets,
Liquidating stocks and trusts.
9 Then running to the Realtor,
He paid the “asking price,”
Costing everything he’d treasured,
To purchase Paradise.
10 Bounding back, the gleeful owner,
Of the field, and all within,
Unearthed the box of Treasure,
To examine it again.
11 And within the wooden carton,
Lay the Treasure of the earth,
And he hugged his prized possession
Like he’d had a second birth.
12 It was better than he’d hoped for,
Everything inside the chest,
That his heart had ever longed for,
As he gazed upon God’s Best.
13 And now my friendly reader,
Why did Jesus tell this lore,
Of a man who found a treasure,
Selling all, to own much more?
14 It’s because the box discovered
In the field contained a thing,
That’s more valuable than silver,
Gold or diamonds, bogus ‘bling.’
15 The chest contained a treasure
Of a Person — who’s the Prize —
Nestled warmly in the manger,
Baby King, in bright disguise.
16 Yes, Jesus is the Treasure
In the Field we each walk through,
And I wonder if you see it,
And I’m hoping that you do.
17 The jewel unearthed in Bethlehem,
Within the manger lay,
He is the Only Treasure,
Will you sell your all, today?
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:11-12
This Christmas, we know that in possessing nothing, we own Everything. Jesus is everything our heart has ever longed for. False-saviors abound, promising comfort, security, and approval. They are vacant of veracity. Only Jesus, the Treasure in the Field, is true wealth. I hope today you realize that, in Jesus, you have greater wealth than the heads of Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon … combined!
Happy Birthday, Savior. All Yours.