Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Ephesians 3:8
For more than 200 years, searchers have been trying to find the treasure – if there is a treasure – buried on Oak Island, in Mahone Bay off the south coast of Nova Scotia. So far, there has been little of value found, beyond a few scattered coins and trinkets. Surprisingly, the searchers are not certain exactly what they are looking for. One speculation is that the treasure is the bounty of 17th century pirate Captain Kidd. Another guess suggests it is the cargo of a gold-bearing storm-damaged Spanish galleon of the 16th century. Some think it is possible the treasure is the actual Ark of the Covenant, or the vanished jewels of the French queen Marie Antoinette, or money that was smuggled out of the French Fort Louisbourg before the fort fell to the British, or perhaps booty from the British sacking of Havana in 1762. Someone even thinks it was merely the site of a tar kiln used for repairing British naval vessels in the 1700s. So, what lies buried there? Searchers admit they don’t know, despite two centuries of effort, millions of dollars in expenditures, and the deaths of at least six people. The Oak Island treasure is unsearchable because it cannot (as yet) be found. How very different are the unsearchable riches of Christ!
It is surely true that no one has ever been able to catalogue or measure the extent and value of the riches of Christ. But that is not because they are hidden, like Oak Island’s treasure. They are not hidden by any veil of mystery; in fact these riches are open and available to all who seek them. They are available in unlimited quantities to the poorest saint, their wonders and beauty can be appreciated by the simplest Christian. No, the riches of Christ are unsearchable only because they are beyond human capacity to find their extent. As one preacher once declared, ‘No far-seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of God’s shoreless supply’.
Chief among the unsearchable riches of Christ are the riches of His character. All of His bitter foes and sceptics have been forced to admit like Pilate, ‘I find no fault in this Man’ – Luke 23:4. All of His disciples and followers alike have been drawn to worship in astonishment and delight at His infinite perfection. Just as unsearchable are the riches of His truth and His love, topics that will continue to unfold in glorious measure throughout eternity. And for us, we find delight, as we will forever, in the unsearchable riches of His blessings to us.
In our text, Paul speaks in deep appreciation at the grace given to him to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. And today, we deeply appreciate the grace to us to consider those same unsearchable riches. -Jim MacIntosh