Matthew 13.44Over the last year or so on the blog I've written about how welcoming the kingdom of God is a matter of perception, a matter of seeing.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
That's not how we tend to think about the kingdom. Most of us, I'm assuming, adopt a moral framework when we talk about welcoming or entering the kingdom. Following Jesus is about becoming a better, more moral person.
But the parable of the treasure suggests the kingdom is nothing like that. The kingdom isn't morally hard, it's just hidden. The kingdom is here and available, but we cannot see it.
But if we do come to see it, our response isn't a long slog of spiritual discipline and mortification. The response is, rather, happy, easy, fast, and automatic.
It's all a matter about if you can see what is hidden right in front of you.
