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Somehow, when I read this passage from Matthew’s gospel, I can’t help but think about Jed Clampett and the “Beverly Hillbillies.” Now, if you have never seen the show, here’s the premise. Jed Clampett is, as the intro song tells us, “a poor mountaineer who barely kept his family fed. Then one day, he was shooting at some food, and up from the ground came a bubblin crude—oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.”
So, here was this poor, country hillbilly from the Ozarks, out hunting one day just trying just to survive, and his missed shot strikes oil. He ends up selling his land for $25 million dollars (which is a huge amount of money for the 1960s!) and Jed and his family move to a mansion in Beverly Hills. Effectively, they move from Redneck to Riches. And then the show details the comedic mishaps of a country family who has now come into the bright lights and the big city of Beverly Hills.
I love this show because it illustrates what treasure is all about. Treasure is the kind of thing that is SO VALUABLE, that people will go through tremendous lengths and undergo tremendous costs to find it or to keep it.
Treasure is the thing that is most precious to us. Our own treasures might be a family heirloom, prized collections, special photographs and memories, a favorite clothing item or accessory, or that nest egg you’ve been building. Treasure might even be certain people—a child, a spouse, or a parent.
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