Treasure Hunting
For nearly a decade cable television’s History Channel has broadcast a reality program called The Curse of Oak Island. The show follows the efforts of Rick and Marty Lagina, originally from Michigan, who search for hidden treasure on a small island off the shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The thought that lost treasure might be on Oak Island is not a just a far-fetched idea dreamed up by these two brothers to create an interesting plot for a TV show. Apparently, the idea captivated the brothers ever since they read a Readers Digest article about it in their youth.
Legends about buried treasure on or near Oak Island date back centuries. Stories range from the concealment of Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant by medieval knights, to Captain Kidd hiding pirate plunder worth millions on the island in the late 17th century. One story claimed that Marie Antoinette’s royal chambermaid buried the queen’s jewels on the island during the French Revolution when she fled with the treasure to the New World.
The treasure hunters on the television show are not the first to explore Oak Island for hidden riches. Explorers and salvage teams have pursued the legendary treasure for two hundred years. Some very famous people have invested in treasure hunting expeditions to Oak Island. Included among these is William Astor, the heir to a family fortune after his father died on the Titanic. President Franklin Roosevelt reportedly had an interest in the Oak Island legend that was passed down in family lore from his sailor grandfather, Warren Delano Jr. Arctic explorer, Admiral Byrd did not explore Oak Island personally, but invested in others who did. Hollywood icons Errol Flynn and John Wayne invested money in Oak Island treasure digs, hoping for a rich return.
The television show has endured with loyal viewers tuning in each episode hoping that a great find will at last be unearthed as the digging goes on in areas named, “The Swamp,” “The Money Pit,” or “Nolan’s Cross.” Now there are rumors that after all the time and effort put into this endeavor the Canadian government may intervene to shut it down because of some pottery shards dug up related to Native Americans. Then again, this may just be another cliffhanger, creating suspense, and ensuring that viewers tune in again for the next episode.
After all the time and effort expended by so many, it could very well be that no treasure has been located on Oak Island because there is no treasure to find. Perhaps that is the curse of Oak Island. The Oak Island treasure hunters may be like Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon who in the early 16th century explored the Florida everglades in search of the legendary Fountain of Youth. Of course, he never found it because it never existed.
There are many people today who are seeking eagerly for something they will not find. For example, I once met such a lady on an airplane to Rome, Italy. She was making a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican City hoping to find eternal life. She believed that if she made this trip, and venerated certain statues and artifacts while there, she would receive special grace or credit with God that would give her access to heaven. However, the Bible makes plain that eternal life cannot come from pilgrimages, sacraments, religious observances, or morality. Such things have no more value than broken fragments of old pottery. The prophet Isaiah wrote of such seeking when he said that in the sight of God “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” (Is. 64:6)
Everlasting life is real, but it you can only find it by faith in Jesus Christ. Those who repent of their sin, and trust in Christ alone, who died for the sins of the world and rose again, will discover treasure in heaven that fades not away.
David A. Oliver is the pastor of Ashley Baptist Church in Belding, MI.