17th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026
Matthew does not say that a man found a treasure and coldly calculated his profit. He does not mention that he sought advice, that he consulted others about his decision, or that he considered the matter through carefully. He writes something different, something which, in the original, is both painful and thrilling out of sheer joy, he went and sold everything. Joy came first. Sale came second. The decision was driven by joy, not by calculation. And that is the heart of this parable.
Ask yourself one question: When was the last time you did something out of joy? Not out of fear of judgement. Not because I have to. Not because of pressure. Just like that – out of sheer joy?
Solomon could have asked God for anything. Wealth – a sensible choice. A long life – who wouldn’t want that? The downfall of one’s enemies. And he asked for a listening heart, a heart capable of distinguishing between good and evil. And God says plainly: it pleased the Lord. God was pleased.It is clear that Solomon’s request touched on something genuine, something without pretence.
Why? Because Solomon did not ask for himself. He asked so that he might serve. And that selflessness brought joy to God. You can see a certain pattern here. Where a person reaches beyond themselves – towards another person, towards God – joy arises. Joy that cannot be bought with an app, created on TikTok or gained through a certain number of likes. A man found a treasure. Jesus does not say that he was looking for it. He simply found it. He walked, worked, lived, and suddenly came across something that changed everything. And that joy wasn’t just an emotional high that fades after a week. It was so genuine and so profound that it transformed his whole life. He sold everything. Literally everything. Absolutely everything. Can you imagine that sort of joy? The sort where you say, ‘Right, when it comes to this, nothing else matters’?
Many of us see Christianity mainly as a set of prohibitions, obligations and things we’re not allowed to do. As something you do to earn points, just to be left in peace. But today, Jesus is talking about something completely different. He is talking about a joy that is so real that, in its presence, other things lose their appeal. You might say, ‘But I don’t feel that joy.’ I understand. And I won’t pretend it’s easy.
Just one question: are you looking for it? Are you giving yourself a chance to find it? This joy does not simply fall from the sky onto someone who merely consumes – music, TV series, experiences, sensations. It arises when you give something of yourself. When you help someone not because you have to, but because you want to. When you pray not out of obligation, but out of longing. When you give up something small for the sake of something truly important. The merchant in the parable was looking for pearls. He was actively searching. He was on the move. And that is why he found them.
Solomon was young. He says so himself: ‘I am very young; I lack experience.’ God did not say to him, ‘Come back when you’ve grown up.’ He took him seriously right there and then. He regarded his request as a mature one, because it was genuine. God takes you seriously. Right now. Not in ten years’ time, not once you’ve ‘got your life sorted’. Right now. And He asks you the same question He asked Solomon: What do you desire? What do you ask for? If you’re not sure, perhaps it’s worth starting with this one thing: asking to be able to desire the right things. To discover joy – that deep joy that makes you willing to let go of everything else without a second thought. This is the Kingdom of Heaven. Not a list of prohibitions. Not a religious duty. A treasure hidden in a field, upon finding which a person joyfully gives up everything they have. Not because they are forced to. But with joy.
Start looking. It is closer than you think.