Wednesday in the 17th Week of Ordinary Time, July 31, 2024

Matthew 13, 44-46

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. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

These little similitudes the Lord uses can be understood as a human being who finds him, or the Lord finding the human, his lost sheep.  In the first case, someone finds the treasure or the pearls, recognizes their worth as surpassing anything that he already owns, and then essentially trades what he has in order to possess the treasure or pearls.  That is, the person finds the Lord Jesus, becomes enamored of him and his teachings, realizes that what he has impedes him from possessing the Lord entirely, and gives that up “out of joy” for his sake.  We notice that the person “finds” or comes upon the treasure.  He may not have been looking for it but still he finds it.  It is hidden, so that others do not recognize it.  This treasure is the Son of God, who joins himself to a human nature so as to be like us in all things but sin.  Many people saw him during his lifetime or have learned about him afterwards who did not understand his value, who did not take him seriously, who were too busy to give him much time.  These “crowded” against him as though on a narrow street but kept going their own way, paying him little notice (Mark 5, 30-31).  But a humble person, with eyes cast to the ground like the repentant tax collector (cf. Luke 18, 13), notices him, and recognizes his voice the way a sheep recognizes its herder’s voice (John 10, 27).  This voice is very different from all the others.  

But to fully possess the Lord, a person needs to repent, do penance, and turn away from evil habits and companions.  He takes Jesus as his Master and obeys his will from now on, aligning his own will with that of the Lord.  This treasure, these pearls, provide him with all that a person could want: they give him rest from his troubles, peace to his soul, purpose for his life, good companions, the knowledge that he is loved absolutely by the One who made him, and the promise of eternal life in the world to come: “The Lord is my Shepherd, and I want for nothing.  He has set me in a place of pasture.  He has led me to refreshing waters.  He has restored my soul. He has led me on the paths of justice, for his own name’s sake . . . and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23, 1-3, 6).

We can also understand these similes as the Lord looking for us.  Particularly in the simile of the merchant searching for pearls we see that the Lord is on his hands and knees looking through the whole of humanity, getting himself muddy on the shore of this world in order to find someone who will return his love.  Through how many lots of oysters has he looked before, though in vain!  But he finally finds one who will love him, and he promptly gives himself up to him.  So many people know of the Lord and even count themselves as among his followers, but only follow when it suits them or does not conflict with their interests and schedules.  In the end, they will be cast aside while the true follower is held in the hand of Almighty God, who counts himself rich for possessing him.