Priceless Treasure
Psalm 63:1-4
O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
Jesus, Priceless Treasure LBW 458
1 Jesus, priceless treasure, source of purest pleasure,truest friend to me: ah, how long I’ve panted,
and my heart has fainted, thirsting, Lord, for thee!
Thine I am, O spotless Lamb; I will suffer nought to hide thee, nought I ask beside thee.
2 In thine arm I rest me; foes who would molest me cannot reach me here.
Though the earth be shaking, ev’ry heart be quaking, Jesus calms my fear.
Sin and hell in conflict fell with their bitter storms assail me, Jesus will not fail me.
3 Hence, all fears and sadness, for the Lord of gladness, Jesus, enters in.
Those who love the Father, though the storms may gather, still have peace within.
Yea, whate’er I here must bear, still in thee lies purest pleasure, Jesus, priceless treasure!
Text: Johann Franck, 1618-1677; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878, alt.
Jesus told the story of a man who discovered a treasure buried in a field and then sold all he owned to buy that field and possess that treasure Jesus said finding the Kingdom was like that, you would give up everything you owned to possess it. Jesus also told the story of a rich young man who wanted to enter the Kingdom and asked him what he must do to secure entry to it. Jesus said following the Law was not enough, he also had to sell possessions; give the proceeds to the poor, take up a cross and follow him. This was more than the rich man could afford.
Jesus was not much of a motivational speaker, maybe Joel Osteen could have given him some pointers! The bad news in this: if securing the Kingdom is up to us, then everything we have, everything we are: our life, our possessions, our loves, our devotions, are not enough.
But the witness of the New Testament is not about what we have to do or pay to obtain entry into God’s Kingdom. It is about what God is willing to do and pay so that we might enter his Kingdom as a gift. And this runs counter to our American value of “do it yourself”. But this the value that Jesus proclaims. And regardless of how it is received by you or me, God gives freely as a gift of love what we cannot, and would not, give ourselves obtain the Kingdom. Only the priceless treasure of great value, Jesus himself, pays the cost of admission. And he has paid the cost for us already on the cross.
Prayer: Thank you God for your grace, for your love, and for your son, Jesus. Keep us steadfast in the faith, mindful of our debt, and grateful for your bounty. Amen.