The Copper Scroll
Don’t store up treasures here where they can erode away or may be stolen. Store them in heaven where they will never lose their value, and are safe from thieves. ~ MATTHEW 6:19-20 (TLB)
Many of us have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, containing 900 ancient manuscripts found in 11 caves by a Bedouin (desert dweller). In 1952 in Cave 3, a rare find consisted of two stacked rolls containing a manuscript. Not on papyrus or leather, the rolls of the scroll were inscribed on thin sheets of almost pure copper. This indicated contents of extreme importance. One roll measured 7 feet long and 1 foot wide. The other was 2 feet wide. This is one of the largest metal documents ever found.
To be read, the copper scroll had to be cut into 23 metal strips to prevent it from crumbling and to preserve the original content.
The message was a complete surprise. There was no scripture, but instead it contained an ancient “treasure map.” It inventoried the temple’s treasures and the vessels associated with the temple. The scroll speaks of over 4500 talents of precious gold and silver. In today’s standards, that would be over 60 tons of treasure, beyond belief. This listed treasure probably spanned the history of Israel from Exodus to the Babylonian captivity.
But there is one problem. The landmarks that indicated where the treasure was buried are all gone. Every single landmark pointing to the treasure has long since disappeared.
Most of the instructions and descriptive addresses appear to be so vague that they are deemed useless by scholars and treasure hunters of today. But real-life Indiana Joneses are still searching for the Copper Scroll’s treasures today. The treasure of treasures still goes unfound to date.
Luke 12:21 tells us, “Every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven.”
Therefore, if you are looking for real treasure, look no further than 1 John 5:11-12: “And what is it that God has said? That He has given us eternal life, and that this life is in His Son, so whoever has the Son has life, whoever does not have His Son does not have life.” Your search is over. Not an X marks the spot, but a cross. Now that’s “real treasure.”
Father God, thank you for your Son Jesus. We thank you that Jesus is our own personal treasure and that we can spend eternity in a mansion especially prepared for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
AL ZAPPOLA