A Good Trade

A Good Trade

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

Matthew 13:44-46

They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull.

Psalm 106:20

We all make trades all the time. We trade money for things like groceries. We trade time for a paycheck or watching TV. We trade energy for a tennis match or a service project. Every kid who has ever traded baseball cards knows that a good trade is defined by getting something back that is as valuable or more valuable than what was traded away, while a bad trade is getting something less valuable than what was traded away.

Jesus told us a story about two people who made trades—very expensive trades. He told about a man who discovered a hidden treasure in a field, and a pearl merchant who found a pearl of great value. They both traded everything they owned to have the treasure and the pearl. Jesus was saying that he is a treasure, a valuable pearl, and that it’s worth trading everything you own so you can have him.

The psalm writers understand this concept when they say, “I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked” (Psalm 84:10). The psalm writers see it as a good trade to give up the stuff of this world for a relationship with God. Paul was also willing to make what he saw as a good trade. He writes, “Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him” (Philippians 3:8-9). Anything and everything you give up or give away to enjoy Jesus more will be a wise trade.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What’s the most significant thing you’ve traded? Was it a good trade or a bad trade?

What kinds of things do we need to trade away to have Jesus?

What have you traded so far for Jesus? Would you say it has been a good trade?