USA Today had an interesting story several months ago about a woman in France who took an old painting to an auction house to determine its worth. Previously, she had the painting in her kitchen hanging over a hotplate. But somebody was visiting her home and urged her to have it appraised.
The old painting depicted Jesus being mocked before his crucifixion. The painting was simply titled, “Christ mocked.”
Well, it turns out that it was painted in the year 1280 by the Italian painter Cimabue, a forefather of the Italian Renaissance.
And so the painting that had previously hung above a hotplate in her home actually sold at auction for 26.8 million dollars. This is the most that’s ever been paid for a pre-1500 artwork. What a treasure! (USA Today, 9/24/19)
Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field.” (Matthew 13:44)
We need to remember today that the kingdom of God is like a treasure. An undiscovered treasure.
Have you made that great discovery today? As we begin a new year, let’s open our eyes and look for it. It might just be right in front of us. In fact, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)