Good morning. One of the lessons that I have shared with the children in their message moments is of ordinary looking rocks that are beautiful on the inside. Lake Superior agates often look quite dull and crusty on the outside, but when polished to expose the interior they are often extraordinary in their beauty. I have held up rocks that contain opal, crystal geodes, amethyst, agates, and many other stones that look ordinary on the outside but have great beauty hiding within. My lesson to the children is that we are all like those stones. We can be very ordinary on the outside, quite rough and without any indication of exceptional value. But on the inside, well that is another matter altogether. The polishing takes time, and it isn’t always fun to go through, but the results are well worth the time and effort. You are, inside that crusty exterior, a beautiful treasure!
In that time when Jesus walked with men, the group known as the Pharisees controlled much of daily life in Judea. What they proclaimed was taken to be true because they were better educated and better off financially than others.
The Pharisees had established an idea that was accepted by ordinary people. That idea was that if you were healthy, well off financially, and in a position of respect among the people, then you were blessed by God. If you were poor, or lame, or blind, or sick, etc. then the opposite was true: you were cursed by God. Value, just as with a plain looking rock, was determined by exterior appearances.
Then came Jesus. When John was looking for reassurance from the Messiah, Jesus told John’s disciples to return to him and say: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. Matthew 11:4-5
Jesus could always see the value, the treasure within. While the Pharisees were blinded by the exterior circumstances of people and considered the vast majority of people to be beneath their concern or consideration, Jesus saw in those persons the spirit of God at work and someone to love throughout eternity. Jesus saw the treasure within.
Jesus continues to see people in that way, praise God! Jesus looks beyond our rough exterior and sees the truth within; a person He loves so much that He would go to the cross to ensure our place at His side in eternity.
We may be a little crusty on the outside, and at times we may not feel particularly special or valuable, but praise be to God that He sees the treasure within!
Vern