Scripture: Mark 8:35, Matthew 13:44-45
When I was little, there was a catchphrase one would quickly call out if some treasure, like a shiny marble or lost baseball, were found without an owner present.
“Finders keepers…Losers weepers!”
Until a recent Google search, I never realized my childhood shout-out was an old Roman proverb, going back to the playwright Plautus before the time of Christ.
Might Jesus as a boy have heard a Roman legionnaire exclaim?
Jesus told parables of finding a buried treasure in a field and the pearl of great price, but, unlike in the old Roman proverb, the finder must give up all they have to possess the joy of the treasure.
Thus, once again, Jesus turns the ways and wisdom of the world upside down on its head.
As a young man, I studied Latin to become a professor or an archeologist in a faraway country.
God’s call diverted my love of classics to proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.
“Losing” my career dream led to “finding” the treasures of 40 years of ordained ministry which included teaching in the seminary and pastoring in the local church.
A losing weeper became a finding keeper – and so can you.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, by your gracious mercy, may we experience the paradox of your wisdom, that only in losing ourselves do we become the finders and keepers of your most genuine treasures, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
William Nash Wade, Strasburg, VA
A daily Lenten devotional reprinted with permission from The Society of St. Andrew to inspire help sharing nourishing food with neighbors in need.
Every $1 donated provides more than 40 servings to those in greatest need. A donation of $47 for the 47 days in Lent provides more than 1,880 servings.
What a way to celebrate the resurrection of hope and lift the cup of salvation for our hungry neighbors!
First Reflections 