Surrounded by Mountains of Treasure Psalm 125 and Matthew 13:44-52

 

Grace, mercy and peace to you, from God our Father, and our Lord, Jesus Christ, who surrounds us with mountains of treasure.

 

Our message is taken from today’s Gospel in Matthew 13, the Parable of the Hidden Treasure: 44 “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.

 

And the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price: 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

 

And Jesus’ words of New and Old Treasures: “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

 

And today’s Psalm, 125:1-2: Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.

 

If you’ve ever hiked in the mountains, and stood on the mountain top, you can’t help but stop and look around and admire the extraordinary, panoramic view… you can see for miles and miles and miles, as the old song from the 60s goes…. 

 

Looking in every direction from the mountaintop, you see the handiwork and glory of God, who made the heavens and the earth. 

 

But you can also see it in the valley in a different way. 

 

Sometimes as you travel, you’ll come upon these scenic views, where you can pull over and look at the landscape.

Scenic and mountaintop views show us the beauty we’re surrounded by.

 

Driving through the flat lands of southern Minnesota, or northern Iowa in late summertime, with tall and tasseled corn as far as you can see, we have a perspective of the abundance we’re surrounded by.

 

God has surrounded us with beauty, to feed the mind, and abundance, to feed the body.

 

The real treasure is what God surrounds us with to feed the soul.

 

Yet we fallen, mistaken creatures can be far more diligent in seeking to possess what pleases the body, rather than what blesses the soul.

 

In the mountains of the western half of our nation, years ago, gold and silver were found. And it sparked a mad rush for riches, mined from the mountains.

 

The California Gold Rush of 1849: California or Bust, was the motto some had written on their wagons or luggage as they trekked west across the brutal plains, and the deadly mountains, to get to California in hopes of striking it rich.

 

Gold fever caused people to leave their homes and family in search of the life of luxury and prestige, that a gold strike could provide.

 

Husbands and fathers left children and wives, sons left mothers and fathers, and brothers and sisters, promising to return to them rich.

 

Very few did… some never returned. 

 

Some died on the journey, some died in the mountains, in the mines, some died of illness, some from violence.

 

Some were embarrassed to return to their families broke, so they never went back, never saw their families again. 

 

Some got relatively rich but frittered it all away on fast living.

 

Most made just enough to survive… or less.

 

There’s a lesson in this for people of all times and ages. 

 

Proverbs 8:10-11 says, Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, 11 for wisdom is better than jewels. 

 

In our Gospel, the pearl of great price that Jesus is speaking of, is the Gospel, the message of Him, and all He does for our life and salvation.

 

Thanks be to God, we don’t have to go lusting after gold, or any other worldly wealth or treasure, or luxury, or desire, because no matter where we live, in the mountains or valleys or flatlands or hills, in the city or the country, God has surrounded His children with vast mountains of treasure.

 

In Genesis 11, the people tried to build and engineer a tower that reached into Heaven, a pathway to God and eternity by human effort.

 

The true tower to Heaven and pathway to God is the Gospel of His Son.

 

When we surround ourselves with the Word and Church of God, that’s when we’re surrounded with great mountains of treasure. 

 

Psalm 121 directs our eyes to the mountains, upward, where true treasures are found: I lift my eyes to the hills, the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.

 

The treasure found in the mountains, and the abundance on the plains, and in the sea, is the One who made mountain, and valley, and sea, and sky… 

… which we’ll talk about in two weeks, with our theme: Trusting the One Who Commands the Land and Sea and Sky.

 

Trust indeed.

 

Jesus says, Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you… the earthly gifts we need to support our body and life.

 

When we have little earthly treasure but abundant heavenly treasure, that’s when we have a lot…. that’s the treasure to hold on to, and increase, and share to the extreme.

 

You can give and give and give the treasure of God’s Word, and it never runs dry. As you give it away, as you share it, you have even more of it.

 

When God and His salvation and His Word and His ways, are and remain your treasure, then you’ll never be poor, then your treasures will be higher than the mountains… 

 

Then the treasures you accumulate will reach to Heaven…. 

 

Then you’ll be surrounded by riches that will lift you up, rather than bring you down, as worldly and material riches are prone to do, when we allow them to become our first love and greatest treasure, when we seek silver or gold or any earthly thing, before God and His Word and His love for the world.

 

Our psalm says, Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which  

cannot be moved, but abides forever. This was the mountain the temple was built on. 

 

The temple was destroyed by God’s enemies, and more than once. 

 

But the mountain that the temple was built on remains. 

I don’t mean the mountain of dirt and stone, although that’s still there…rather the mountain of truth and love.

 

The truth is the Word, and the Word is from God. The mountain the temple was built on is God. 

 

The temple is now the Church, not the building, the people, the people of God, and His Son, and His Spirit. 

 

Here, on this flat land, we stand on a mighty mountain, a mountain that cannot be moved, as our psalm says, a mountain of the truest treasure.  

 

Here His Word is learned, and believed, and cherished, and celebrated… 

and from this mountain of truth and love, the Good News proceeds and is shared…

 

… that many might believe and receive other-worldly treasure, great mountains of faith, and forgiveness, and love, and hope, and joy, and peace… all these wonderful treasures from Heaven to the heart.

 

Here sins are washed away, and faith is fed in these Sacraments of mercy, these treasures from above that guard and keep our souls for the treasure of life and joy everlasting.

 

And here is the treasure of the fellowship, the dear family of Christ, each one here a precious child of God, and a treasure to each other.

 

You are surrounded by mountains of treasure, more vast and magnificent, worth infinitely more than all the material treasures of the Universe.

 

May the treasures of the Kingdom of the Gospel be the treasures you seek before all others… and that you always keep and hold on to… and gladly share.

 

Finally, may the treasure of God’s peace, which passes understanding, guard your heart and mind, in Christ Jesus, our Lord, who surrounds us with mountains of heavenly treasure. Amen.