But aren't you just highlighting the problem? Was Jesus really just saying, you can't have what I offer until after you die?

He doesn't seem to me to be saying that at all. Time after time he told people to look and they would find. If Jesus himself was the answer, then why would his immediate listeners need to look for what was already right there in front of them?

The message you quote as given in Romans is quite different. Paul isn't saying the treasure is something to seek for. He's laying it out plainly. Here it is, here's how to get it.

Britni