Editor’s Note: The following article uses a fictional analogy.
Long ago, in a land far away, there was a prince who wandered among his kingdom, a kingdom full of organized, industrious and splendorous cities. One day, he stumbled upon an underdeveloped, messy and ruckus town. Amazed by what he saw, he stopped and stayed for the day.
As he walked among the crowded streets of the city and its people, he realized that their circumstances had to do with their egotistical beliefs and lack of leadership. He humbly told them who he was and asked them if he could stay. He saw with hopeful eyes the need to reconcile their chaos with the harmony that comprised the rest of the kingdom.
He sent word to his father, the king, and advised him of his intentions. His father accepted his decision. He renounced everything — the throne, his court life — for his need to transform the lost city.
After three years of teaching the ways of the kingdom through tales and compassion, the prince managed to be a light among the chaos that made the city. He gave them hope, and the town flourished into the most beautiful city in the entire kingdom. After the king learned about what his son had done with the lost city, he realized the prince was the only person up to the task of ruling the kingdom. The king called for the prince, who was now known as the lord of the lost city, and appointed him to the crown and the seat at the throne.
I have always been enthralled with stories, words and tales, and I have realized that the best storyteller of all time was Jesus. One of the best stories He ever told was the parable of the hidden treasure.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44 (NKJV)
Another one was the parable of the pearl of great price.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45,46 (NKJV)
I have always read and understood those parables from my human point of view, how it was intended when Jesus told them. Now, let’s look at these parables from a different perspective. Imagine Jesus roaming the universe and stumbling across our planet — broken, in sin and destroyed, but to Him, the most wonderful thing, a precious treasure. He sees in us great value. He goes to the Father and tells him: “Father, I have found a hidden treasure, which I believe is worth a lot. I want it. I will give everything I have and am for it.”
Jesus is that merchant who picked up our dirty rock while traversing the Milky Way. He saw through the chaos that encompassed it and considered it of great value. And He says to the owner of the universe: “I have found a broken but precious jewel that I would like to buy. I am willing to give everything. I will pay whatever the cost is. Everything.”
Jesus traded the adoration of the heavenly creatures, His sovereignty, His divinity, for death on a cross because He considered us to be of great value.
The story tells us that the Lord of the lost city earned the throne he had once renounced for the only city in his kingdom that needed help. His father crowned Him as His successor, as the true and only King. He rules from the once lost city, now the capital of the kingdom.
