Last Saturday afternoon a group from Regina Metal Detectors went to work on the grounds of St. Mary’s and unearthed a variety of treasures including a 1918 Canadian Penny, a pin, a ring, and pre-1936 silver dime!
Their discovery put in mind the parable Jesus tells in the Gospels: “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.” (Matthew 13.44). When asked what they made of this strange story, one of the crew responded, “Maybe, he thought he would find more treasure!” I thought it wasn’t a bad answer. But who is this treasurer hunter in this parable, and what or who is the treasure? Read in the context of the Gospel as a whole, we see that the character in our story is Jesus Christ. He gave up everything to redeem us and the whole of creation from the power of sin, death, and the devil. What or who is the treasure? That would be you, and that would be me, and all who have lived, walked, and have been buried in the earth before us. As the campfire song put it, “He’s got the Whole World in His Hands!”
Claude Schroeder