The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Matthew 13:44 (ESV)

 

Jesus tells us the Kingdom is like treasure hidden in the field that cannot be found unless we look for it. In the parable, when the man discovered the treasure, he immediately recognised its worth and rejoiced over it. He sold everything he has to buy the field in order to obtain the treasure. The field represents the entire world. When Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice to save the world, He gave everything He had for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2) that we would be His forever (Ephesians 1:13-14).

The high price Jesus paid makes us incredibly valuable.

The Apostle Paul puts it succinctly in Ephesians 5:25: "Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it." We are redeemed to be a people for His own possession (1 Peter 2:9).

Take note that the parable describes the treasure as hidden in the field. It exists but is not readily seen or noticed. In most modern cities, church buildings can be found on every corner of every street; yet there is a certain hidden presence of the church, that is the community of believers, in the world. This hiddenness goes back to the long biblical tradition of God hiding His chosen prophets because it gives them a prophetic cutting-edge in transforming lives and communities.

Our hiddenness is not about exclusivity from people, but about the exclusivity of purpose. Our hiddenness is not just showing the world that we are different but making a difference in the world. Our hiddenness acts as a counterculture to our society's prevalent values and beliefs.

Don't be different just to be different — even when we are challenged or pressured to flow and function like everyone else. Rather, we are different to be better. We have not been left to our own devices to make a significant impact in our world. God has already unleashed the presence and power of His Kingdom in our world. We simply need to recognise where God is at work so that we might meet the needs of our city with profound understanding and goodness, pointing to Christ rather than ourselves.