by David Gibson<\/p>\n
The parable is only one verse long, but what a lesson is packed in those few words!<\/p>\n
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field<\/em>” (Matthew 13:44).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Unlike the treasure-finder in Jesus’ parable, the Rich Young Ruler came upon a treasure he was unwilling to sell all to obtain.<\/p>\n
What a contrast!<\/h2>\n
One sold, one kept; one was happy, the other sad. Why the difference? One man focused on what he would gain, the other on what he would lose.<\/p>\n
Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler, “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven<\/em>” (Luke 18:22). What did the young man hear Jesus say? Certainly, he heard, “Sell all<\/em>,” but did he also hear, “and you will have treasure in heaven<\/em>“? He heard cost<\/strong>, but did he hear compensation<\/strong>?<\/p>\n
And we?<\/h2>\n
The clearer we see the prize we gain, the less we care about cost. “For whoever would save his life will lose it<\/em>,” Jesus said, “but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it<\/em>” (Matthew 16:25).<\/p>\n
In view of all this, we could rephrase the old saying, “Finders, keepers; losers, weepers.” It should say, “Losers, finders; keepers, weepers.”<\/p>\n
So, whatever it costs, it’s worth it!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by David Gibson The parable is only one verse long, but what a lesson is packed in those few words! “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[448,1866],"class_list":["post-91329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-church","tag-value"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":93195,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/rich-young-ruler\/","url_meta":{"origin":91329,"position":0},"title":"Rich Young Ruler","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Hugh DeLong I find it interesting to see the list of commandments that Jesus quoted to the rich young ruler in Mark 10:19: \"You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2461,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/since-jesus-said-to-keep-the-commandments-shouldnt-we-keep-the-sabbath\/","url_meta":{"origin":91329,"position":1},"title":"Since Jesus said to keep the commandments, shouldn’t we keep the Sabbath?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 5, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Christ was asked in the Bible, \"Lord, what must I do to enter the kingdom of Heaven?\" Christ replied, \"keep the commandments\" and named a few of them. Since keeping the Sabbath was one of them, shouldn't we keep the Sabbath today? Answer: You are referring to the question\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38131,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-jesus-cite-only-six-of-the-ten-commandments-to-the-young-ruler\/","url_meta":{"origin":91329,"position":2},"title":"Why did Jesus cite only six of the Ten Commandments to the young ruler?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I visit your site often to look up topics and articles. There is very good information cited in them. I have a question, you might be able to answer.\u00a0In Matthew 19:18-19, why did Jesus only cite six of the ten commandments to the rich young ruler and not all?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89786,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/truth-and-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":91329,"position":3},"title":"Truth and Love","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Truth and love are not at odds. Both are needed simultaneously. Truth without love can be unkind, cold, and heartless. Love without truth will be arbitrary, compromising reality, and without standards. However, together, united, truth and love will be purposeful, compassionate, and committed to what is best\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":70110,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-progressive-repentance-scriptural\/","url_meta":{"origin":91329,"position":4},"title":"Is Progressive Repentance Scriptural?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Osamagbe Lesley Egharevba via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol 4. No. 4, October-December 2024 During my preaching work in Ghana in July and August 2024, I heard the term \"Progressive Repentance\" for the first time. This is the idea that an alien sinner may not repent of his sins by ending\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91194,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-i-incorrectly-teach-the-parable-of-the-yeast\/","url_meta":{"origin":91329,"position":5},"title":"Did I incorrectly teach the parable of the yeast?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good day, brother Jeffrey. I led a study during our Mid-Week Service about the Parable of the Yeast. 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