Discovery and Delight 6.15.2023

     Study is by its nature an act of discovery. We set out guided by an internal belief that unknown riches exist both in scripture and the world around us. To delight in this process requires removing all labels from the quest. If we decide that we are conservative then “progressive” ideas will elude, confuse, or antagonize us. If we decide we are “progressive” we will take offense at “conservative” conceptions. Better to allow the perennial resources of the Church to guide us. The Bible, sound theology, historical insight. 

    This essay was originally entitled Delight. As I did other exegetical work today and was reflecting on the content and title, I had set for myself when I planned my blog for June, I realized that much of the delight in studying to preach comes from the process of discovery. It is hard to understand what delights in scripture unless and until we come to grips with the process of discovery. 

    I have been professionally studying scripture for 42 years. It is Seldom that the work of preparation does not yield a new discovery or present a unique perspective from which to view an old one. This entire process is a sheer delight. Not only for nourishing the spirit of the searcher (in this case me) but also, more importantly, for the impact it has on the process of preaching and teaching. I want to be delighted in my study in hopes that others will find delight in the Word of God. We might contrast this response with that of duty. I am obligated to preach Christ. Were this process to become drudgery rather than delight eventually the curiosity that drives discovery would itself be extinguished. Maybe this best explains the phenomena of pastor theologians who become burned out and unable to preach. 

    Matthew 13 is one of the great chapters in all of Scripture. It is a primer on the teaching methods of Jesus. He describes the Kingdom through acts of sowing and searching. The Kingdom is described as something which is hidden and small. The Kingdom is a pearl of inestimable price--so valuable that the wise sell everything they have for a chance to attain it. At the end of the chapter when confronted with the creativity of Jesus He asks the disciples “Do you get it?” They of course say “yes.” What else could they say? They couldn’t claim inattention or boredom. His teaching was creative and engaging. He was recasting their understanding of the kingdom into what He elsewhere called “new wineskins.” They understood the referents of His metaphors, what they needed to do was rethink the Kingdom. 

    In this rethinking, there was a process of discovery that led to delight. Now, despite their affirmation here, and later declamations of understanding and commitment, they were just embarking on that voyage of discovery. They would continue the journey through conversation with Jesus right up to His ascension. Then they would continue, not only searching out the truth but in proclaiming it they would experience the delight of sharing the revealed truth with others. 

    The parable at the end of Matthew 13 has intrigued me for many years. In a sense, it has driven my exegesis for thirty years. Here is the last bit of Matthew 13.

“Matthew 13:51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” Matthew 13:52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”” (Matthew 13:51–52 ESV)

The Kingdom material in Matthew 13 rightly grips our attention. Yet for you and me, exegetes who are “scribes being trained for the kingdom of heaven”, this speaks clearly and eloquently to our work of delight in discovery. We have treasure. Intellectual capital. We have the tools of piety and scholarship at our disposal. We are gifted, called, educated, and equipped to preach and teach. We are given time to study. We are afforded the opportunity to grow in our spiritual discernment and scholarly discipline. In the year 2023, we are those scribes. We are called to equip the saints for service and provide leadership from the sacred desk. 

    What a joy, privilege, and challenge! It is not always easy. I’ve been doing a series from the Wisdom literature. Five weeks for Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. It seemed like a great idea in October when I planned the series. I even stockpiled some preliminary study, outlining, and preparation. Yet the challenges of preparing the series have been manifest. As hard as it might be to master any one of these books for a series of sermons, giving a week for each of them individually is a bit of a stretch. Is it worth it? Yes, it is. I have learned things about each of these books (discovery) as I have gone through a truncated study of them. And I have been delighted with the outcome. I’ve fretted over the final sermons (does anyone really want to hear about Job?). Yet each has worked. Much of that effectiveness is because the preacher (me) has lived the process. 

    Every week we go into our storerooms. Scribes every one of us, searching the shelves for old things and new things. Or, if you prefer a different metaphor, we drop our bucket into the endless depths of the well of scripture and fashion from our studies a satisfying drink from God’s Word. Our weekly work reminds us that the discovery is worth it. Not for our delight alone, but for God’s people who are nourished by our discoveries, and for the delight of He who called us into this terrifying but marvelous task.