Buying the Field.

We hope you had a wonderful weekend.  We were discussing yesterday how it’s great to think of Sundays as the *first* day of the week.  Then, no matter what else Monday brings, our week was already off to a great start.

Yesterday’s Gospel presented this wonderful parable: 

Jesus said to his disciples: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

And here we are, and it’s Monday, and we’re back to the “real world” (which is actually the “unreal” world…).

Yesterday’s parable can put a whole different light on Mondays, and the world in general.

Notice the last statement, “and buys that field.”

The person in the parable doesn’t just run away with the treasure.  Nor does the person return and buy just the treasure itself.  Instead, the person buys the entire field.

Now, the person in the parable was probably being shrewd – if they came back and said “we just want to the buy the treasure that’s hidden in your field,” the owner would have asked a kingly price.  Instead, the person just bought the field, knowing once they took possession of it, the treasure would be there’s as well.

All well and good.

But here’s the point – the person now owns the field.

Many of the Church Fathers see the field as representing the world.

What follows is that when we “sell all that we have” what we get in exchange isn’t “just” the kingdom of heaven, but as a bonus we get the world thrown in as well (starting to sound like a Ginsu knife commercial).

This is why, many times, St. Paul says the Christian “possess all things” (e.g. 2 Cor 6:10)

The point being, when we “sell what we have” – we let go of our wordly attachments and attach ourselves instead to Christ.  And then, the world has no purchase on us.  We can take it or leave it.  In a sense, we are masters of it.

So, whatever this Monday may bring, if we’ve offered ourselves to the Lord and placed all things in His hands (i.e. we are living in the kingdom) – then we have mastered whatever comes our way. 

Do we experience that perfectly?  No – especially not at first.  We “move into” the kingdom bit by bit.

If there is something especially weighing on you this Monday, try selling it.  How?  To who?  To the One who is always ready to take it off your hands.  “Lord, I give you this concern of mine.  I put it entirely in your hands.”  Do that with great trust - trust that no matter what else happens, Christ will guide it to a good end, even if you can’t see what that is at this time.

That is how we buy the field, one piece at a time.

A blessed week to you –

Steve and Karen