The parables of the treasure in a field and the pearl of great value, told by Jesus in Matthew 13, present someone who found something they saw to be of such tremendous worth that they took bold action to obtain it. As Dr. C.H. Dodd proposes, "inasmuch as the Kingdom of God was conceived by those whom Jesus addressed as the great object of hope and prayer, they did not need to be assured of its value." (page 86)

Was this a rash decision? was this a foolish action? Dr. Dodd suggests otherwise. As he suggests, "with the fundamental principle in mind that Jesus saw in His own ministry the coming of the Kingdom of God, we may state the argument thus: You agree that the Kingdom of God is the highest good; it is within your power to possess it here and now, if, like the treasure-finder and the pearl-merchant, you will throw caution to the winds: 'Follow me!'" (The Parables of the Kingdom, C.H. Dodd, Revised Edition, 1961, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, page 87.)

One morning as we were hiking in the sun-drenched Sonoran Desert, Michal and I paused and opened our copy of The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh (2012) and found this reading for the first time:

"If we are mindful, if we can touch the wonders of life deeply, then the Pure Land, the Kingdom of God, is available to us. The fact is that the Pure Land is always available. The question remains: are we available to the Pure Land? ....My definition of the Pure Land of the Buddha, the Kingdom of God, is the place where there are plenty of opportunities for you to learn to be understanding and to be compassionate." (pages 77-78 and page 80)

We found these insights to be of tremendous worth. We felt ourselves to be standing on holy ground. And then we read a little further and found this: "The wonders of life are...right in the present moment, inside of us and around us. Our brain is a wonder. Our eyes are a wonder. Our heart is a wonder. Every cell of our body is a wonder. And around us, everything is a wonder. All these things belong to the Kingdom of God, to the Pure Land of the Buddha."(page 81)

More tomorrow!!

Previous entries in this week's series, "Hot Summer Reading: The Parables We Need Right Now!!!" can be found by clicking on the Earlier Reflections link at the top of this page.