Selling Everything to Buy the Field
“Who is at the center of your prayers?” This was a question I started most of my talks in the Transforming Prayer track at Basileia with. I think it’s an important question to ask ourselves because we want to answer “God,” but as we analyze our prayers and our actions, we often find that something or someone else occupies the center. Given the time and place in which I live, I often find that money, comfort, and safety take center stage in my prayers, and the same is true for many of the people I’ve prayed with. While praying for these things isn’t necessarily wrong, I think putting these things at the center of our prayers reveals what we believe about God — that He’s not a good provider, the giver of peace, and all-powerful.
At InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, we’re constantly inviting students, ministry partners, and other staff to encounter Jesus in a way that increases their understanding of God and solidifies their identity in Him. One of my favorite examples of this happening at Basileia was with EC*, a student from Rutgers-Newark. EC is an incredibly intelligent and highly motivated woman who was on track to graduate early and already had an internship with the Governor of New Jersey lined up for her when she graduated! She also has a heart for seeing people have encounters with Jesus. Throughout her time in college, she studied scripture with several different students, inviting them into deeper intimacy with God. It came to a point where she was studying scripture with so many people, that she had to merge them all into a bible study because she couldn’t manage meeting with everyone separately! This past Spring, EC heard about Basileia, InterVarsity’s Spring Leadership Retreat, and decided to invite her whole small group to attend. This is what landed her in the Transforming Prayer track this year. On the second day of the track, we spoke about hearing God, and the ways that God was speaking to all of us. Listening to God turned out to be very transformative for EC that week. She heard an invitation from God to stay an additional semester at Rutgers-Newark and to give up her internship with the Governor in order to plant a witnessing community at a new corner of campus at Rutgers-Newark. EC said yes!
When EC shared this with our Transforming Prayer track, I was in awe of her decision. Her yes to Jesus meant she had to sacrifice a lot. She had to give up the prestige and opportunities that came with having an internship with the Governor. She had to give up time and money in order to continue being a student. And she also had to give up the praise and approval of other people by giving up an opportunity that was considered honorable. But EC did this because she believed that a yes to Jesus was better than a yes to the Governor. As she grew in her relationship with Jesus, EC came to know that God’s love and praise was greater than that of any person. She also knew that Jesus was the provider of all things, including opportunities and money, and could entrust her future with Him. EC “sold” what she had so that she could have Jesus because she knew Jesus was of much greater value.
One of my favorite parables in the Gospels has always been Matthew 13:44, where Jesus says, “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.” I’ve always thought of it as a beautiful illustration of people who weren’t followers of Jesus having life-transforming encounters with Him, like the disciples in Luke 5. In this passage, Jesus gives Simon some fishing tips after a difficult day at work. After following Jesus’ instructions, Simon caught so many fish that the nets began to break! He even needed help from other fishermen to bring in his catch. It was through this interaction that Simon, and a few other fishermen, saw the power and the value of Jesus. Jesus then invited Simon to fish for people, which is really weird and makes no sense. BUT SIMON DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS. The passage says he left everything, including his boat and his catch, and followed Him. Simon “sold” everything he had because he realized Jesus was more valuable than his career, or his catch.
I wonder though if this parable isn’t just about new followers of Jesus. I wonder if this passage could also be about people who have been following Jesus for years. Because we see Simon (now called Peter) have a similar interaction with Jesus 3 years after he started following Him. After Jesus died on the cross, Peter and a few other disciples went back to fishing. And it’s on a boat that Jesus met him again. Once again, Peter struggled to catch fish, Jesus gave him some tips, and Peter was unable to haul in his catch because he had caught so many fish. One of the disciples was quick to realize this was Jesus, and they all went back to shore and had breakfast with Him. After eating breakfast, Jesus told Peter that he was going to die a pretty awful death, and then invited Peter to follow Him. Even though it’s not mentioned in this passage, we see through Peter’s actions in Acts that he said yes to Jesus. In Luke 5, we saw Jesus invite Peter to “sell” his career to follow Him, and Peter says yes because he saw that Jesus was able to provide for his needs abundantly, and thus is of greater value. and in John 21, we see Jesus call Peter to “sell” his life, and Peter again and says yes because he saw Jesus, a man who ROSE FROM THE DEAD, and thus is of greater value!
Just like Peter, EC has been able to grow more and more in her understanding of God and His love for her through scripture, prayer, and her life. And as her understanding of God’s greatness and value has increased, He has called her to say yes with more and more of her life. I think God is inviting us all to live a life similar to that of Peter and EC. Saying yes to Jesus isn’t something we just do when we first follow Him but is something that we’re constantly being invited to do as we grow in intimacy with Him. And while God is calling us to do some radical things like to give up internships with governors and even our lives, what’s true is that God has made it abundantly clear that He’s worth selling everything for.
God would you open our eyes to see the truth of who you are. That you are great, mighty, and worth giving up everything for. Would you reveal to us your glory so that we can say YES to you!
*Name changed for anonymity
