The Wisdom to Recognize the Treasure

If someone offered you three wishes, what would you ask for? Many of us might ask for wealth, a long life, or freedom from hardship. Yet when God tells King Solomon that he may ask for whatever he desires, Solomon asks for none of these things. He asks instead for wisdom: an understanding heart capable of discerning right from wrong and governing God’s people justly.

Solomon recognizes that wisdom is worth more than the temporary things we so often desire. Few of us will ever be wealthy, and even fewer will be royalty. Yet all of us need the wisdom Solomon sought. We may not govern a kingdom, but we must govern our own lives. In a sense, we are all governing our own microkingdom. Every day, we must decide what deserves our attention, what we should pursue, and what we are willing to sacrifice.

These decisions matter because we have been called according to God’s purpose, and God’s purpose does not always align with our natural priorities. Saint Paul tells us that we are called to be conformed to the image of the Son. Jesus did not cling to his equality with God, but emptied himself. He did not insist upon his own way, but became obedient. If we are to share in his inheritance as adopted sons and daughters of God, then we must also learn his obedience.

This requires the wisdom to recognize what is truly valuable.

Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. The man who discovers it joyfully sells everything he has to buy that field. It is also like a merchant searching for fine pearls who, upon finding one pearl of great price, sells everything else to possess it.

The point is not that the Kingdom can be purchased. Rather, once we recognize its value, everything else appears in its proper place. The treasures of this world can be stolen, destroyed, or lost. Wealth disappears. Comfort cannot protect us from every sorrow. Even a long earthly life must eventually come to an end. The Kingdom of God alone endures forever.

Yet Jesus also compares the Kingdom to a net that gathers fish of every kind. At the end, the good are separated from the bad. We cannot assume that merely being caught in the net is enough. We must allow God’s grace to transform us, ordering our lives toward the treasure we claim to desire.

We should therefore ask God for the wisdom Solomon sought: the wisdom to distinguish what merely appears valuable from what truly is valuable. As the psalmist says, the law of the Lord is more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Focus your heart upon the love of God and neighbor. Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and the pearl of great price.  Everything else upon which we set our hearts will eventually fail us. For where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also.