Big Idea: The value you place on something is shown by what you are willing to give up for it.
Two very similar stories making one distinct point.
Recap: Two men
One blue-collar, one white-collar
One with relatively little, the other with quite a lot
One wasn’t looking for treasure, the other obsessed with it
One stumbled upon treasure, the other went searching for it
One poor and common, the other rich and educated
Both of them encounter something of such value that it makes everything else in their lives look worthless by comparison. … Jesus says this is what discovering the Kingdom of God is like; this is what understanding the Gospel is like.
Three applications from these two parables:
The Gospel is hidden.
The glory of Jesus was hidden in an earthly body
The power of the Gospel is hidden in its simplicity
The beauty of the Gospel is hidden in ordinary believers
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade helps illustrate these points. When they finally reach the Holy Grail, they must choose the right cup. The greedy partner chooses the most ornate one and drinks from it. He then ages and dies because “he chose poorly.” Then Indiana chooses a plain cup because it’s “the cup of a carpenter” and Jesus was a carpenter. The plain cup did not look glorious but it held the glory of Christ and water that gives life. It’s not the packaging that matters; what matters is what’s inside the package.The Gospel brings greater joy. … God doesn’t want us to serve just out of sense of duty but because we want to. We should find joy in Jesus and that joy should drive us to serve.
The Gospel requires leaving it all. … Both men gave up everything for the treasures they found and that is what Jesus asks of us too. How much are we willing to give up for Jesus?