Parable of the Pearl, 16 August 2015
Matthew 13:45-46
Series Overview: this summertime series will examine the various parables of Jesus recorded in thirteenth chapter of Matthew.
Big Idea: Jesus gave up everything for us.
Introduction
Today we continue our series on the parables of Jesus, timeless stories Jesus used to challenge, instruct, and provoke. Many were about the kingdom of heaven, sometimes referred to as the kingdom of God. As we are in that space between heaven and earth, between the past and the future, in the now and the not yet, we long for heaven to touch earth, for signs of God’s rule and reign breaking in amidst the rhetoric of Obama, Clinton, Bush, and Trump!
Perhaps the central theme of Jesus’ legendary teaching was the kingdom. His early message was
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17b)
Jesus taught his followers to pray
…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
Last week we looked at the first of twin parables about selling and buying.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. (Matthew 13:44)
A hidden treasure is found. This week’s parable is slightly different.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46)
The merchant is searching for something special. He’s on a quest. Nothing is lost. Nothing is hidden. He is a hunter!
How many of you are hunters?
My hunting experience is rather slim! I once shot a CD out of a tree. That’s it!
Perhaps when you hunt, you’re not exactly sure what you’re hunting for, but you’ll know it when you find it!
I do remember a different kind of hunt I undertook in 1978. I was nine years old, began following sports, and started a baseball card collection. Topps created a set of 726 cards. I would go to the store, buy a back of cards, carefully open it like a Wonka bar possibly containing a golden ticket, and admired the precious cards, hoping for a superstar like Reggie Jackson, a rookie card like Eddie Murray, or players of my favorite teams, the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies. To this day, I cherish those cards, including the rookie cards of Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker. But there’s one card in the set which I hunted for more than Pete Rose, Nolan Ryan, or even my all-time favorite player, Mike Schmidt. His name is Mike Cubbage.
Have you ever heard of Mike Cubbage? Even most baseball fans wouldn’t know he played third base for the Minnesota Twins. His card value is listed among the “commons,” today valued at less than a dollar, but I would’ve payed most any price for his card…because after tearing open dozens—maybe hundreds—of packs, I had 725 of the 726 card set and I was missing one card: Mike Cubbage.
I would’ve done just about anything for that Mike Cubbage baseball card! I didn’t have the Internet, a neighborhood hobby store, or even a large network of baseball card-collecting friends to assist me in finding this treasure. I could only buy more packs of cards, at 20 cents each, hoping to see the only face I had yet to see behind the red wax.
And then the moment came. Those glasses! The scuffed batting helmet! The baby blue Twins uniform. I held that piece of cardboard in my hand as if it were a million dollar bill! The hunt was over!
The Bible never spoke of baseball cards, but pearls were among the most valuable items on the planet.
Pearls
Pearls are a fascinating treasure. Wikipedia describes them this way:
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a clam, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes (baroque pearls) occur. The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries. Because of this, pearl has become a metaphor for something rare, fine, admirable and valuable.
Pearls are mentioned several times in the Bible. Keep in mind many in the Bible had never seen a pearl as they were rare, a sign of beauty, wealth and extravagance. Paul cautioned God-fearing women in their display.
I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, (1 Timothy 2:9)
This does not mean women should never wear pearls, but simply they are valuable.
One of the most vivid images of pearls is found in Revelation in the description of the city of New Jerusalem.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. (Revelation 21:21)
Can you imagine? Wow!
Suffice it to say, pearls are precious. They are beautiful.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46)
Selling all he had. I was reminded last Sunday of a man challenged by Jesus to sell all he had.
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:17-23)
We could stop there. The man was unwilling to sacrifice earthly treasure for heavenly treasure. He valued his wealth over the kingdom of God. This is still true today. In my experience it is the rich who think they have no need for God, while the poor recognize their lack and are often more willing to surrender what little they have for the things of God. This passage makes many of us uncomfortable, doesn’t it? We hope Jesus never asks us to sell everything…and give it to the poor. How would that work? Where would we live? What would we wear? How would we get on Facebook?
Mark continues…
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:24-31)
For what would you sell everything? A hot spouse? Your children? Eternal life? Jesus?
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46)
Merchants have money to buy goods to sell for a profit. Of course, if you sell everything for one item, your inventory becomes rather small! One interpretation of this parable is the sinner as merchant and Christ is the pearl, the sinner sells all he has to buy Christ. There’s a problem, though, because sinners don’t look for salvation. They also can’t sell all they have because salvation is not for sale, it’s a gift.
My best understanding of this parable is the merchant is Jesus. He left His home in heaven to come to earth. He died for sinners, giving up everything. He became poor.
Jesus was made sin for us. He was wounded for our transgressions. He put His white robe of righteousness around us and our sin. He makes us white as snow—white as pearls! Impurities made pure. We are HIs workmanship created in Christ Jesus. He sees us as we will be someday without spot or blemish. He sold all He had to gain the church, the Bride. When He shall appear, we shall be like Him.
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)
You are precious, friends, not because of who you are, but because of Who’s you are. Jesus gave everything—even HIs own life—for you and for me. It’s outrageous. It’s incredible. It’s amazing. It’s grace.
I have about 100,000 baseball cards collected since childhood. That sounds like a lot, and my collection is probably worth a few thousand dollars, but I would gladly sell them all to buy one card…a 1910 Honus Wagner. The rarest of all baseball cards is valued at $2.8 million.
Of course $2.8 million is nothing compared to eternal life, peace with God, reconciliation with the Creator, forgiven sins, endless hope, and unconditional love. As great as my love is for God, it pales in comparison to His love for us. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Series Overview: this summertime series will examine the various parables of Jesus recorded in thirteenth chapter of Matthew.
Big Idea: Jesus gave up everything for us.
Introduction
Today we continue our series on the parables of Jesus, timeless stories Jesus used to challenge, instruct, and provoke. Many were about the kingdom of heaven, sometimes referred to as the kingdom of God. As we are in that space between heaven and earth, between the past and the future, in the now and the not yet, we long for heaven to touch earth, for signs of God’s rule and reign breaking in amidst the rhetoric of Obama, Clinton, Bush, and Trump!
Perhaps the central theme of Jesus’ legendary teaching was the kingdom. His early message was
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17b)
Jesus taught his followers to pray
…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
Last week we looked at the first of twin parables about selling and buying.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. (Matthew 13:44)
A hidden treasure is found. This week’s parable is slightly different.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46)
The merchant is searching for something special. He’s on a quest. Nothing is lost. Nothing is hidden. He is a hunter!
How many of you are hunters?
- deer
- fish
- bargains
- shoes
My hunting experience is rather slim! I once shot a CD out of a tree. That’s it!
Perhaps when you hunt, you’re not exactly sure what you’re hunting for, but you’ll know it when you find it!
I do remember a different kind of hunt I undertook in 1978. I was nine years old, began following sports, and started a baseball card collection. Topps created a set of 726 cards. I would go to the store, buy a back of cards, carefully open it like a Wonka bar possibly containing a golden ticket, and admired the precious cards, hoping for a superstar like Reggie Jackson, a rookie card like Eddie Murray, or players of my favorite teams, the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies. To this day, I cherish those cards, including the rookie cards of Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker. But there’s one card in the set which I hunted for more than Pete Rose, Nolan Ryan, or even my all-time favorite player, Mike Schmidt. His name is Mike Cubbage.
Have you ever heard of Mike Cubbage? Even most baseball fans wouldn’t know he played third base for the Minnesota Twins. His card value is listed among the “commons,” today valued at less than a dollar, but I would’ve payed most any price for his card…because after tearing open dozens—maybe hundreds—of packs, I had 725 of the 726 card set and I was missing one card: Mike Cubbage.
I would’ve done just about anything for that Mike Cubbage baseball card! I didn’t have the Internet, a neighborhood hobby store, or even a large network of baseball card-collecting friends to assist me in finding this treasure. I could only buy more packs of cards, at 20 cents each, hoping to see the only face I had yet to see behind the red wax.
And then the moment came. Those glasses! The scuffed batting helmet! The baby blue Twins uniform. I held that piece of cardboard in my hand as if it were a million dollar bill! The hunt was over!
The Bible never spoke of baseball cards, but pearls were among the most valuable items on the planet.
Pearls
Pearls are a fascinating treasure. Wikipedia describes them this way:
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a clam, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes (baroque pearls) occur. The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries. Because of this, pearl has become a metaphor for something rare, fine, admirable and valuable.
Pearls are mentioned several times in the Bible. Keep in mind many in the Bible had never seen a pearl as they were rare, a sign of beauty, wealth and extravagance. Paul cautioned God-fearing women in their display.
I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, (1 Timothy 2:9)
This does not mean women should never wear pearls, but simply they are valuable.
One of the most vivid images of pearls is found in Revelation in the description of the city of New Jerusalem.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. (Revelation 21:21)
Can you imagine? Wow!
Suffice it to say, pearls are precious. They are beautiful.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46)
Selling all he had. I was reminded last Sunday of a man challenged by Jesus to sell all he had.
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:17-23)
We could stop there. The man was unwilling to sacrifice earthly treasure for heavenly treasure. He valued his wealth over the kingdom of God. This is still true today. In my experience it is the rich who think they have no need for God, while the poor recognize their lack and are often more willing to surrender what little they have for the things of God. This passage makes many of us uncomfortable, doesn’t it? We hope Jesus never asks us to sell everything…and give it to the poor. How would that work? Where would we live? What would we wear? How would we get on Facebook?
Mark continues…
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:24-31)
For what would you sell everything? A hot spouse? Your children? Eternal life? Jesus?
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46)
Merchants have money to buy goods to sell for a profit. Of course, if you sell everything for one item, your inventory becomes rather small! One interpretation of this parable is the sinner as merchant and Christ is the pearl, the sinner sells all he has to buy Christ. There’s a problem, though, because sinners don’t look for salvation. They also can’t sell all they have because salvation is not for sale, it’s a gift.
My best understanding of this parable is the merchant is Jesus. He left His home in heaven to come to earth. He died for sinners, giving up everything. He became poor.
Jesus was made sin for us. He was wounded for our transgressions. He put His white robe of righteousness around us and our sin. He makes us white as snow—white as pearls! Impurities made pure. We are HIs workmanship created in Christ Jesus. He sees us as we will be someday without spot or blemish. He sold all He had to gain the church, the Bride. When He shall appear, we shall be like Him.
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)
You are precious, friends, not because of who you are, but because of Who’s you are. Jesus gave everything—even HIs own life—for you and for me. It’s outrageous. It’s incredible. It’s amazing. It’s grace.
I have about 100,000 baseball cards collected since childhood. That sounds like a lot, and my collection is probably worth a few thousand dollars, but I would gladly sell them all to buy one card…a 1910 Honus Wagner. The rarest of all baseball cards is valued at $2.8 million.
Of course $2.8 million is nothing compared to eternal life, peace with God, reconciliation with the Creator, forgiven sins, endless hope, and unconditional love. As great as my love is for God, it pales in comparison to His love for us. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.