A kingdom is defined by the character of the King. The King's disposition towards his subjects reflects the character of the King. So, to understand the Kingdom of God (one of Jesus' favorite topics), we have to understand the character of the King.
C.I. Scofield says that, in the "treasure in the field" parable, we (not God) are the treasure.
Paul Zahl says that romantic love most clearly reflects the love that God has for us.
God told Hosea to marry Gomer to demonstrate God's love for His people.
Jesus is often spoken of as the Bridgegroom of His people.
For years, I thought Zahl, God and Jesus were a little crazy in likening our relationship to God to the romantic love of a man and a woman. Then, I came across Scofield's interpretation of the "treasure in the field" which, in conjunction with The Grand Budapest Hotel, has given me a much greater understanding of God's love for us.
For the past couple of years, I've told my wife that I'm shocked that I've been faithful to her for so many years. It sounds weird to say this (shouldn't my being a Christian be sufficient to keep me on the straight and narrow), but I'm shocked that I haven't wanted to have an affair, given that I struggled with lust for many years. In fact, in around 2002, one of my law partners came to me and said: "Ellis, what's happened to you? You were the most lustful person that I knew, but now you're not."
In preparing a Sunday School lesson, it finally hit me that it wasn't duty or morality that had kept me from having an affair--that had freed me from lust--it was that my lust had been replaced by the love of Christ. I was and am so enamored by His love for me that I don't have to seek that love from other women or even from my wife.
The beauty and magnitude of Christ's love has allowed me to put my love for my wife in its proper place. I'm no longer grasping so for her love that I'm strangling that love--think of a child loving a kitten to death--hugging it so much that it's life breath is squeezed out.
Christ's love has stolen my heart. How did this happen?
Christ first began working on me when I found out within a six month period that: 1)my wife wanted to divorce me; 2)my best client was possibly a crook; and 3)I had an auto-immune liver disease which would necessitate a liver transplant in about 10 years. This all happened around 13-14 years ago. Thankfully, I had been attending Paul Zahl's bible study where I was hearing that: 1)grace, not the law, is the only thing that can change our hearts; 2)that I brought nothing to God but my sin; 3)that God's love was made manifest in weakness, not strength. I had never heard these truths before. They were such a "breath of fresh air," and I was at such a low spot, that my heart became captivated by this God.
Yet, I still didn't get the bridegroom idea. Frankly, it sounds weird when applied to a man's relationship to Christ.
Then, along came Scofield's interpretation of the "treasure in the field" parable and the love of Agatha and Zero in The Grand Budapest Hotel.
The Kingdom of God is like: "a man who found a treasure in a field and sold everything he had to buy the field and therefore obtain the treasure."
I had always thought that this parable was likening the Kingdom of God to a treasure, but the parable doesn't say that. It says that the Kingdom of God is like a man who sells everything to buy the field, because that man wants the treasure. The parable is telling us the character of the man who is running the Kingdom of God--the character of the man who is the King. Who sold everything? Jesus. Would we ever really sell everything to obtain the Kingdom? No, but Jesus sold everything (on the Cross) to obtain us. If Jesus is the man in the parable, then Jesus views us as His treasure. If that's true, then we live in a kingdom where our King views His subjects as His treasures.
This is a love that goes beyond parental love. This is a love reflected by the quickening of our hearts by romantic love. Cue The Grand Budapest Hotel and the love of Zero and Agatha.
The love of Zero and Agatha is young love at its best--fresh, new, exhilarating and to its observers--intoxicating. Zero is the lobby boy at The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Agatha is a baker at Mendl's where they create the most beautiful and wonderful sweets--think Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory--except even better.
Zero and Agatha fall in love--they are all of 16 or 17. They marry, then the movie goes silent on their relationship. In fact, their love and relationship is like a "treasure hidden in a field." It's not the main relationship or even the main story of the movie. The main relationship and story is between Zero and his boss--the head concierge--Mr. Gustave H. So, the love relationship is even that more compelling, because it has to be teased out from short vignettes amongst the overall prevailing story.
At some point, we learn that Agatha has died in child birth. At the end of the movie, we learn that Zero has sold everything for love.
When Zero was a lobby boy, he had a tiny room in the hotel where he stayed--where he and Agatha stayed. We learn that Mr. Gustave H inherits many amazing properties from one of the hotel's longtime customers and that, when Mr. Gustave H dies, he leaves all of these properties to Zero. Zero, as a young man, becomes the wealthiest man in the country!
Then, the fascists take over--fascist communists. They nationalize all of Zero's properties, but they allow him to keep one. Which one does he keep? The least of the properties in terms of its value--the Grand Budapest Hotel which had become run down and lost its splendor.
Yet, Zero keeps the Grand Budapest Hotel, because it is a treasure to him. We learn why.
When Zero in his elder years continues to visit the hotel, he always stays in the tiny room that he had when he was a lobby boy--the tiny room which he and Agatha shared. Zero gave everything (sold everything) but kept the rundown hotel (the field with the treasure)--the treasure being his love for Agatha who was long since dead--dead for many a year but still captivating Zero.
This love was so beautiful that it broke my heart. It was so beautiful because Agatha and Zero were each other's treasures--just as we are God's treasures--just as my wife, Debbie, is now my treasure.
But Debbie is only my treasure, because I am Christ's treasure!
