Be a Treasure Hunter! - Gospel of Thomas

Verse - Be a Treasure Hunter!

Jesus said, "The kingdom is like a man who had treasure hidden in his field, but did not know it. And when he died, he left it to his son. But the son did not know it, but took the field and sold it. And the man who had bought it plowed it and found the treasure. He began to lend money at interest to whomever he wanted."

Comment

The key to this parable lies in the last word. The unawakened are still unaware of the abundance of the Kingdom of God, like the hidden treasure in the field. Although they are richer than they suspect, they die without knowing about their inner possessions and without bringing them to light and making them money. They do not plough the field, they never turn inwards - and therefore do not recognize beneath the surface of the outer the inner man and in him the treasure, the innermost man, Christ, their divine self.

And likewise their children and descendants - until someone comes who does not let the field of life lie fallow, but cultivates it wisely: suddenly, digging ever deeper, he finds the hidden treasure and thereby attains a wealth that infinitely exceeds the value of the field, i.e. all the riches of the outer world. The parable is intended to encourage us to become treasure hunters and to raise the wealth that is laid out within us. We can do it if we reflect and, instead of rising and setting in the world, we go to the bottom of it as well as ourselves, until we come across the treasure and, awakening to ourselves, become more aware of our inner strength and true greatness.

All around us there are people who have eyes - and cannot see. Others are blind - and see. All around us there are people who have ears - and cannot hear. Others are deaf and hear. They are like Beethoven, whose deafness made him all the more sensitive to the harmonies of the inner world and more capable of reaching the highest peaks of creative humanity and artistic genius. He was deaf - but a listener, to whom music conveyed a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy and who could confess of himself:

There is nothing higher than to approach the deity more closely than other people and from here to spread the rays of the deity among the human race.