Every now and then, I enjoy watching the Antique Roadshow on TV. On it, there are world class appraisers that tell you how much your antiques are worth. Countless times people come in with something they’ve found and they’re so excited to find out how priceless their artifact is. They just know that it’s going to make them rich!
The appraiser tells them the history of the artifact and begins to point out subtle and even unnoticeable aspects of the antique to the untrained eye. The appraiser, then, has to give the sad news that the thing they thought was of immense value, is really a fake, a counterfeit, or genuine but just not worth what they thought it was. You can always see their faces drop.
Then, someone else comes on. They have found something that they think might be worth a little something, but want to know more. They have a lot of questions. To the untrained eye, the piece doesn’t look like much. Most have passed by them feeling sorry because they know it can’t be of any worth.
However, the appraiser gasps.
He looks closely at the piece.
You are curious as you watch and wait.
The appraiser tells them the piece is worth an immense amount of money. Something you and they thought was ordinary, is of extraordinary value. It’s so valuable, it will change the course of their life.
That is, in a very imperfect way of saying it, the role of the Holy Spirit- He is there to help us discern the value of what we desire. Many of the earthly things that we treasure and assign a tremendous amount of value to are really of no ultimate value. Yet, the Holy Spirit takes us outside of Jerusalem, to a place many thought of as a trash heap, a place so worthless that the worst criminals were crucified there. Almost everyone passing by is looking at a man hanging on the cross and screaming at a man that they’ve deemed worthless.
In contrast, the Holy Spirit, the perfect appraiser of what is truly valuable, says, “do you see that Man hanging on the cross?
That is valuable.
That is priceless.
He is supreme.
He is preeminent.
He is your treasure.”
Our hearts are changed, reoriented, redirected towards what is truly valuable.
“Where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21)
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