An antiques dealer is making...
Illustration
Object:
An antiques dealer is making the rounds of the garage sales, looking for merchandise.
He's hoping to find some costume jewelry, something he can display in his shop and sell
for a few bucks. It's late morning, and he's about to call it a day, when he sees some
tables out on yet another front lawn. On impulse, he pulls his car to the curb, gets out, and
walks over to look. He sees it immediately, gleaming translucently back at him: a huge
pearl pendant on a chain, the largest he's ever seen. He picks it up, looking it over with
his practiced eye. It's unquestionably genuine -- and it has got to be worth tens of
thousands of dollars. Casually, he asks the owner how much she wants for it.
The owner obviously knows she's got something of value, but she doesn't know how much. "A hundred dollars," she says. "And not a penny less."
The dealer reaches into his pocket. Twenty dollars is all he has left. He thanks the woman, walks casually back to his car, and races to the ATM. He returns to the garage sale a few minutes later, just as the homeowner is folding up her tables. There's cold worry in the pit of his stomach, and his heart is racing. "Please, let the pearl still be there," he mutters to himself. It is there. He buys it and returns home rejoicing.
The kingdom of heaven, Jesus is saying, is already present in our world -- hiding in plain sight, but in such a way that not everyone can see it.
The owner obviously knows she's got something of value, but she doesn't know how much. "A hundred dollars," she says. "And not a penny less."
The dealer reaches into his pocket. Twenty dollars is all he has left. He thanks the woman, walks casually back to his car, and races to the ATM. He returns to the garage sale a few minutes later, just as the homeowner is folding up her tables. There's cold worry in the pit of his stomach, and his heart is racing. "Please, let the pearl still be there," he mutters to himself. It is there. He buys it and returns home rejoicing.
The kingdom of heaven, Jesus is saying, is already present in our world -- hiding in plain sight, but in such a way that not everyone can see it.
