Here are some parables of Jesus recorded in Matthew 13
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
44 “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.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.
46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
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Notice that what Jesus is teaching here has to do with something of ultimate value. It is about seeking and finding what is worthy — above everything else — of our constant attention.
I suggest that to discover the kingdom of God is to happen upon the specific, intense, and loving interest God has in you and all that concerns you. Jesus is saying that such a discovery is worth more than everything you’ve valued up to that point.
And notice that what these seekers found radically changed them –– they sold all they had to acquire what they found.
To discover the specific interest God has in you doesn’t necessarily mean things change much in your routine activities, but rather a whole new world begins to open up to your vision that — while starting small — eventually becomes your all-consuming interest. You give up everything to possess it. And it develops within you right in the heart of your daily routines and duties. It grows bigger than all your physical desires and even bigger than death itself. It is a kingdom — the purposes of God — expressed in you and through you and it remains forever.
