July 26, 2026
The Joy of the Find
Give credit to Gerhard Lohfink German Scholar-Show book
(the scholarly details are HIS)
You have probably noticed
We have been hearing a lot of parables
2 weeks ago…the Sower and the Seed
Last week…the wheat and the Weeds
And then we have 5 more today!
But in the Bible the heading reads “A day of parables”
Rapid-fire!
This definition of a parable from the Biblical Scholar CH Dodd has stood the test of time:
“A metaphor or a simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt of its precise application to tease it into active thought.”
So the job this morning is to “get teased into active thought”…active reflection.
Each of today’s parables deserves a homily of its own
So I am going to focus on the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price which scholars call “an obvious double parable”
Why? Because read together they give a fuller picture…1+1=greater than 2;)
They are incredibly short…
It isn’t as if Jesus doesn’t know how to weave a good tale…
(think Good Samaritan or the Prodigal Son)
Each parable is ONE sentence. No word is wasted. It’s deliberate.
There are details in common and details in contrast
Two people…each comes upon something extremely valuable and precious
Each one gives up everything
The first is a day-laborer who must work in a field that is not his own.
(Though he will end up buying it.)
The other…we might call a wholesale merchant.
The Greek word emporos is used (root of the word emperor) which indicates that he’s not just your average merchant…but a kind of a big-wig, he has connections!
The day-laborer literally STUMBLES over the treasure…pure chance!
But the merchant has made it his life’s work to search for costly pearls!
In the TREASURE parable we are in the country…with the PEARL we are in the city.
This all suggest…per Gerhard…and it sounds like Jesus:
That the KOG is open to the rich and the poor…
Those looking for a day’s work and those with secure careers with future pensions!
By naming the extremes, we can add “and everyone in between1”
SO…EVERYONE
And the KOG can be found in different ways.
Suddenly, Unexpectedly, by accident
OR
After a life-long search
AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN!
Most often, related to these parables…I have heard about how precious the KOG is
And how it is hidden…but in plain sight
Or how the only response is giving up everything…your whole life
And, for me anyway, I leave beating my breast…
It’s not that easy for me to see!
And I haven’t given up everything!
I really need to DO something about this!
Just not very fruitful
I think Gerhard’s insights lead to something more fruitful
How so?
The introduction is key
In each parable it DOES NOT say
“The KOG is like a hidden treasure PERIOD.”
Or “a gigantic pearl PERIOD.”
The KOG is like…the whole…ONE sentence…story!
The KOG is a happening!
The KOG has happened
is happening
and will happen
The WHOLE EVENT is equated with the KOG!
From the lucky find
Through
The selling of everything
To the huge deals they both make in the end
BUT IT IS THE JOY OF THE FIND THAT STARTS EVERYTHING IN MOTION
AND HERE IS WHERE I AM TEASED INTO ACTIVE REFLECTION!
The joy of the find
What experience do I have of “the joy of the find”
An experience of the presence of God that takes over me?
An astonishing experience of not being alone
An experience that reminds me that God is relentlessly begging to accompany me through this life.
Times of obvious joy come to mind
The birth of a new baby.
The exchange of promises on a wedding day
I think of accompanying my dad as he approached his death
And just this week
An old friend I talk to maybe once a year
called me Monday in great distress over a daughter,
who, for years has struggled with addiction.
She was asking for prayer
Then I checked in with her on Thursday
and she shared what I would name as a “joy of the find” experience.”
She has for many years been a committed ALANON person.
(Does everyone know what ALANON is? Briefly describe))
She attends meetings several times a week.
And in the midst of these folks
…her community…these friends who have been accompanying her for years…
she found great peace.
She felt profoundly NOT ALONE
She experienced the KOG/the joy of the find
(Reminds me of the saying: “Joy is not the absence of suffering but the presence of God”)
What trips me up? What makes this so hard?
I can ignore
I can become caught up in distractions
I can whine and complain
But even then…
from time to time
I, like my friend, experience the “joy of the find”
Over and over again
Because, my friends,
the Good News is that God is relentless!
God relentlessly desires to accompany us through this life!
Being seized by the KOG and overcome by the “joy of the find”
Is not something far off…something coming in the future
The KOG is happening!
It is here
Today
Now I have a week on you
In this business of
“being teased into active thought/reflection”
(SLOW DOWN)
SO…
What has it been like for you to experience the “joy of the find”?
Try to draw out those remembrances
Which I think helps train us to be open to new ones
And maybe all of us will have a few more “joy of the find” experiences this week!
May it be so!
