“The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price”- Gospel of Matthew 13: 45-46.
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
A merchant of fine pearls is seeking beautiful specimens with the one hope of making a handsome profit. He has a well-trained eye to identify any possible flaws in a particular pearl. Once a rare specimen is found, he is careful not to reveal too much enthusiasm in his voice or body language: he would be casual in his approach to the seller. Certainly to do otherwise, would instantly increase the pearl’s value to the seller. Therefore, he nonchalantly inquired of its price.
The seller is no novice: He too is a hardened specialist and believes in a certain value for his prized acquisition. The fact that he actually has the pearl for sale suggests that his competence in appreciation of beauty is not to the same degree as the astute trader. The seller hopefully names a price and is amazed that the trader didn’t haggle.
Too late, the seller realizes his price was too low: the trader would have paid more despite his cool demeanor. However the price was set and accepted: the deal was over. The trader would have secured his purchase with a hefty deposit promising to pay the balance within the legal time limit. The trader left rejoicing in his windfall, not even perplexed that in order to honor the remaining purchase agreement, he would have to sell every valuable asset he had. He knew that this exquisite pearl would bring such a handsome return that his future would dramatically change. No longer would he have to rely on his own resources to make ends meet. He could live like a king for the rest of his life! When he found the right buyer it would be like being born again and living the life of royalty.
This parable is about the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the both the “Hidden Treasure” and the “Pearl of Great Price.” Both parables not only speak of Jesus, but both are all about the kingdom of God. What is a kingdom? A kingdom is an area over which a king rules.
Let me explain: Every person on earth belongs to two worlds simultaneously: a natural world and a spiritual world. (1 Corinthians 15:40) The natural world is made up of things we can see, hear, touch, taste and smell. The natural world is visible. But at the same time, every person also lives in a spiritual world that is invisible.
The invisible world has far more influence over us than we realize. The invisible world is itself divided into two opposing camps: one is called the Kingdom of God and the other is called the Kingdom of Satan. If we are not a resident of the first kingdom, then we are automatically residents of the second kingdom. Jesus said: “He who is not with Me is against Me.” (Matthew 12:30) Obviously, there is no dual residency possible. In the natural world a person can have dual citizenship, but not so in the spiritual world.
God’s Kingdom consists of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, angels of God and every Christian because they have the Holy Spirit residing in them. However, every person at birth is automatically born into the second kingdom. Even if both of your parents were Christians, that would not cause you to be born into God’s kingdom. You like everyone else, were born into Satan’s kingdom because way back in time, our common forefather, Adam, passed his sin nature through the human gene pool, into every generation since creation. Jesus is the only One who has the authority to transfer a person from Satan’s kingdom to God’s kingdom.
Jesus said in John 3.3 “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” You can only be born once naturally. The Bible negates any notion of reincarnation. Hebrews 9:27says: “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Also in Psalm 78:39, talking about unbelievers, we read: “God remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again.” It suits Satan’s purposes for people to believe that after death you will be reincarnated! The Bible teaches that physically we are born once. Also we need to be spiritually re-born. In fact if we are not born-again spiritually, we cannot enter heaven.
Satan’s kingdom consists of: Satan who is the devil, his wicked angels called demons and every person who has not called on the name of Jesus Christ, meaning, every person who is not yet a Christian. 1 John 3:8 says: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
Satan and his demons have only one agenda and that is to destroy everything that God has created. This includes the earth itself and its people – their relationships, their health, their prosperity, their aspirations, their children, their belief systems, everything, including their eternal destiny! That’s why it is so important to change your spiritual kingdom before this present life is over. After death it will be too late.
People wrongly blame God for negative things in their life but God only brings good things. He may not give us everything we want, but neither does any good parent. He has to look after our well being and some things are just not good for us. Satan and our own wrong choices are the cause of heartache and sickness in this present world. Satan wants everyone to remain in his kingdom until physical death. Then he knows that they will end up in the Lake of Fire with him one day and God will be devastated about that.
Most people are oblivious to the spiritual battle that constantly rages between these two kingdoms. The battle between good and evil is very real. Because of their ignorance, evil is claiming ground at an escalating rate. Many things in the world today are becoming extremely dark and frightening and the Bible predicts that it will become far worse in the coming years. Then Jesus Christ will visibly return as Judge and King!
Why does this precious pearl represent the Lord Jesus Christ? This pearl was hidden in an ordinary oyster shell: there was nothing beautiful in its natural outer form that would suggest its inner beauty. The Bible says that there was nothing beautiful about the Savior. “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” Isaiah (53:2b NIV translation.)
Jesus left heaven and was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit of God and born to a virgin as an ordinary baby boy. Jesus, the King of Glory, was born in an animal stable to humble parents and lived a simple life, devoid of the luxuries we today take for granted. Yet, according to the Bible, He is the Creator of the universe! “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:3)
Even though Jesus was actually God, hidden in human flesh, He lived on earth and died on the cross as a man. Like a spirit-filled Christian today His miracles were brought about by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Unlike us, He was fully surrendered every waking moment to the Father’s will and so the Holy Spirit had total rule in His life.
Jesus is the Son of God and also the Son of Man. He came to earth to identify with us and to satisfy God’s anger against sin on our behalf, so that we would not have to suffer the penalty of sin ourselves when we die. He was fully human for thirty three years. He successfully completed His mission on earth and returned to the Father. He now sits at the right hand of God interceding for us. He represents us in heaven because He knows firsthand what it is like to be a human and how hard life can be on earth. That is why the Father has handed all authority to His Son to judge mankind at the final judgment.
He experienced every trial and temptation that we do! He suffered hunger, pain, tiredness, disappointment, grief, anger, rejection, humiliation, physical, mental and emotional abuse and stress. He was constantly misunderstood by His accusers, by the religious leaders and even by His own followers. When He was injured, He bled just like us. But His blood poured out on the cross for us, is the most precious thing on earth!
Yet, He never justified or defended Himself, but always chose to forgive His enemies even when He hung on that brutal cross. As hard as it was for Him to endure the pain, He considered an eternal relationship with us humans more precious than His own life.
His desire to please His Father urged Him on, even though He could have, at any time, called for the angels of God to rescue Him. He said to his disciples: “My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father. (John 10:17-18.)
This parable and the parable of the Hidden Treasure both stress the incomparable value of Jesus and His kingdom. The most common interpretation of both parables is that a person should be willing to part with everything they own in order to possess Jesus, the “exquisite pearl of infinite price.” However, it has been suggested by some theologians, that another interpretation of both parables could be that Jesus is the purchaser who gave His all, in order to gain us. This seems to be plausible when we read that Paul the Apostle urges the pastors to watch over their flock and to be good shepherds of: the church of God, which He (God) bought with His own blood. (See Acts 20:28)
As you can see, I have brought out a lot of things in this teaching and I pray that God will give you even more revelation. God bless you.
