Pennies for Pearls

Is it me, or are Jesus’ words the most convoluted, radical, and challenging words ever to be spoken?  Take the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl in Matthew for example, "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. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”[1]  Does Jesus seriously expect us to sell all our possessions and follow him and this kingdom he keeps talking about?  The Christianity that I have grown to love and cherish might give that teaching lip service, but I rarely see this lived out.  If someone were to sell all they had, I think people might look at them a little strange.  Yet, isn’t that what Jesus is saying here?  I can’t help but read this and picture Jesus telling me, “Yes, I want you to sell everything, including your car, your DVD collection, even that ugly hat that no one else would even think about wearing.”  I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen that kind of Christianity lived out, let alone talked about.  So you can imagine my surprise when last summer I was asked to live out these little parables in their fullness. 

As graduation looms ever near, so does the “real world,” with all of its worries, and responsibilities, and bills, and…  I dreamed, no longed, for one last adventure, one last journey of the soul.  Where would this adventure take me?  Seattle.  Why Seattle, you ask?  Why not?  The Mecca of postmodern thought as well as grunge, Seattle offered the perfect destination for my personal jihad.  Seattle is also home to Mars Hill Graduate School (MHGS), where I have been praying about continuing my education.  So Seattle it was. 

I only had one little problem, I was penniless in Michigan.  I thought about throwing my thumb in the air, and somehow meandering out to the west coast, but my friends advised against it.  After much prayer and advice, I started contacting churches in the greater Seattle area, inquiring if they were in need for a summer intern.  Within a few days, I had heard back from Rich, one of the pastors at Vineyard Community Church (VCC), just north of Seattle.  He informed me that many students from MHGS, both past and current, attend VCC, and that the church would be honored to have me spend time with them.  I spent the next few weeks walking on air, as I watched this dream become reality before my eyes.  It actually looked like I was going to get the opportunity to spend a month in Seattle. 

Then I opened my wallet…and nothing.  Reality can be crushing, suffocating really.  I felt the air escape from my dream faster than the Hanson brothers’ stint on the top 40 pop charts.  Not having any way to get out to Seattle, I gave up and started looking for work here in Lansing.  After a couple of weeks with no prospects on work, I felt a stir in my heart again for Seattle.  With questions looming over me, I fell to my knees and waited on God for direction.  I felt God ask me whether I truly believed he called me to Seattle, and, if I believed, why I wasn’t getting myself ready to leave.  I started to see the foolishness of flooding Lansing with job applications, when I was going to spend at least a month of the summer in the Emerald City.  Yet, I still had no idea how I was going to get the funds needed for this haunting fantasia. 

Rearticulating my desire to my friends spawned the idea of a yard sale.  With my proposed arrival date only two weeks away, I began the tedious task of collecting and pricing items for this supposed yard sale.  By collecting items, I mean dragging boxes of my own valuables from storage.  Without giving it a second thought, I willingly displayed all of my possessions, along with a few generous donations, on my friends’ front lawn.  Day after day for two weeks, I excitedly baked in the early summer heat, waiting for people to come and buy my belongings.  Watching all I once held so precious get eaten up by a pack of wolves, I sat amazed as my funds grew from $0 to $400 almost overnight. 

It was during one of those afternoon baking jamborees that the words of Jesus in Matthew 13 took on a whole new light.  No longer were they foreign; no, they were active and extremely applicable as literally everything I owned either had price stickers on it or were already sold the previous days.  It was then that I realized that yes, Jesus was being literal.  Jesus calls us to willingly part with all that this world has, in exchange for The Emerald City. 

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[1] Matt 13:44 – 46 NIV