Jesus spoke many other parables, the study of which leads to a rich understanding of His secret kingdom. We will close with a short one. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from the joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.” (Mt 13:44). Jesus presents the kingdom of heaven as something of great value and our positive response to His offer brings tremendous joy to both us and the king. In fact, the treasure of citizenship in His kingdom is so valuable that we “sell all that we have” to join in.
What does it mean to “sell all that we have?” It means to consider the cost of joining the kingdom of God. But I thought the entrance was free? Not exactly. There are actually two costs required to join God’s kingdom. Cost number one was the debt of our sin. On more than one occasion, Jesus referred to our sin as a debt too large to repay. But Christ paid the debt for us with His death, burial, and resurrection. That cost is paid and is completely free to you and I. It is pure gift.
The second cost, however, does land on our shoulders. It is the cost of decision. The cost is an “all in” decision to join the kingdom through our trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our deliverance, our salvation. It is the decision to accept God’s gift and to proclaim, “I’m in.”
The treasure of the kingdom is of immense value. It is hidden in the sense of Jesus kingdom being a secret kingdom. And though it comes with a cost, an “all in” decision, its value far outstrips the cost. “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ.” (Phil 3:7-8).