PARABLE

THE PARABLE OF THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it [Matt. 13:45–46].

The popular interpretation of this parable says that the sinner is the merchantman and the pearl of great price is Christ. The sinner sells all that he has that he might buy Christ. One hymn says:

I have found the pearl of greatest price.

My heart doth sing for joy.

And sing I must for Christ is mine;

Christ shall my song employ.

I cannot accept this interpretation, and I have dismissed it as unworthy of thoughtful consideration. To begin with, who is looking for goodly pearls? Are sinners looking for salvation? My Bible does not read that way, nor has that been my experience as a minister. Sinners are not looking for salvation. The merchantman cannot be the sinner because he has nothing with which to pay. To begin with, he is not seeking Christ, and if he were, how could he buy Him? The merchantman sells all that he has—how can a sinner sell all that he has when he is dead in trespasses and sins (see Eph. 2:1)? Further, the Scriptures are very clear that Christ and salvation are not for sale. Salvation is a gift—“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God so loved that He gave. And in Romans 6:23 we are told that “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The correct interpretation of this parable reveals Christ as the merchantman. He left His heavenly home and came to this earth to find a pearl of great price. He found lost sinners and died for them by shedding His precious blood. He sold all that He had to buy us and redeem us to God. Paul told this to the Corinthians: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). He redeems us to God—He bought us.

Now let’s look at the pearl for a moment. The pearl represents the church. A pearl is not a stone like the diamond. It is formed by a living organism. A grain of sand or other foreign matter intrudes itself into the shell of a small sea creature. It hurts and harms it. The response of the organism is to send out a secretion that coats over the foreign matter. That fluid builds up until a pearl is formed—not a ruby or a diamond, but a beautiful white pearl. A pearl is not like other gems. It cannot be cut to enhance its beauty. It is formed intact. The minute you cut it, you ruin it.

The pearl was never considered very valuable by the Israelites. Several verses of Scripture give us this impression. For example, in Job 28:18 pearls are classed with coral. Although the pearl was not considered valuable among the Hebrews, it was very valuable to the Gentiles. When Christ used the figure of “goodly pearls” (v. 45), I imagine that His disciples wondered why. Oriental people gave to the pearl a symbolic meaning of innocence and purity, fit only for kings and potentates.

With this information in our thinking, let’s look again at the parable.

Christ came to this earth as the merchantman. He saw man in sin, and He took man’s sin and bore it in His own body. Our sin was an intrusion upon Him—it was that foreign matter. And He was made sin for us. As someone has put it, I got into the heart of Christ by a spear wound. Christ “… was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities …” (Isa. 53:5).

Notice Christ’s response to the sinner. He puts around us His own righteousness. He covers us with His own white robe of righteousness. “… we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus …” (Eph. 2:10). Christ sees us, not as we are now but as we shall be someday, presented to Him as “… a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). Christ sold all that He had in order that He might gain the church. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

When we come to the last book of the Bible, the Book of the Revelation, we find a description of the New Jerusalem, the future home of the church. Notice the emblem on the outside of the city—the gates are made of pearls! That is no accident, friend; it is planned that way by Christ’s design. He is the merchantman “Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.¹

Never thought of this parable like this.

We have four short parables in these verses.

I. That of the treasure hid in the field. Hitherto he had compared the kingdom of heaven to small things, because its beginning was small; but, lest any should thence take occasion to think meanly of it, in this parable and the next he represents it as of great value in itself, and of great advantage to those who embrace it, and are willing to come up to its terms; it is here likened to a treasure hid in the field, which, if we will, we may make our own.

1. Jesus Christ is the true Treasure; in him there is an abundance of all that which is rich and useful, and will be a portion for us: all fulness (Col. 1:19; Jn. 1:16): treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3), of righteousness, grace, and peace; these are laid up for us in Christ; and, if we have an interest in him, it is all our own.

2. The gospel is the field in which this treasure is hid: it is hid in the word of the gospel, both the Old-Testament and the New-Testament gospel. In gospel ordinances it is hid as the milk in the breast, the marrow in the bone, the manna in the dew, the water in the well (Isa. 12:3), the honey in the honey-comb. It is hid, not in a garden enclosed, or a spring shut up, but in a field, an open field; whoever will, let him come, and search the scriptures; let him dig in this field (Prov. 2:4); and whatever royal mines we find, they are all our own, if we take the right course.

3. It is a great thing to discover the treasure hid in this field, and the unspeakable value of it. The reason why so many slight the gospel, and will not be at the expense, and run the hazard, of entertaining it, is because they look only upon the surface of the field, and judge by that, and so see no excellency in the Christian institutes above those of the philosophers; nay, the richest mines are often in grounds that appear most barren; and therefore they will not so much as bid for the field, much less come up to the price. What is thy beloved more than another beloved? What is the Bible more than other good books? The gospel of Christ more than Plato’s philosophy, or Confucius’s morals: but those who have searched the scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life (Jn. 5:39), have discovered such a treasure in this field as makes it infinitely more valuable.

4. Those who discern this treasure in the field, and value it aright, will never be easy till they have made it their own upon any terms. He that has found this treasure, hides it, which denotes a holy jealousy, lest we come short (Heb. 4:1), looking diligently (Heb. 12:15), lest Satan come between us and it. He rejoices in it, though as yet the bargain be not made; he is glad there is such a bargain to be had, and that he is in a fair way to have an interest in Christ; that the matter is in treaty: their hearts may rejoice, who are yet but seeking the Lord, Ps. 105:3. He resolves to buy this field: they who embrace gospel offers, upon gospel terms, buy this field; they make it their own, for the sake of the unseen treasure in it. It is Christ in the gospel that we are to have an eye to; we need not go up to heaven, but Christ in the word is nigh us. And so intent he is upon it, that he sells all to buy this field: they who would have saving benefit by Christ, must be willing to part with all, that they may make it sure to themselves; must count every thing but loss, that they may win Christ, and be found in him.

II. That of the pearl of price (v. 45, 46), which is to the same purport with the former, of the treasure. The dream is thus doubled, for the thing is certain.

Note, 1. All the children of men are busy, seeking goodly pearls: one would be rich, another would be honourable, another would be learned; but the most are imposed upon, and take up with counterfeits for pearls.

2. Jesus Christ is a Pearl of great price, a Jewel of inestimable value, which will make those who have it rich, truly rich, rich toward God; in having him, we have enough to make us happy here and for ever.

3. A true Christian is a spiritual merchant, that seeks and finds this pearl of price; that does not take up with any thing short of an interest in Christ, and, as one that is resolved to be spiritually rich, trades high: He went and bought that pearl; did not only bid for it, but purchased it. What will it avail us to know Christ, if we do not know him as ours, made to us wisdom? 1 Co. 1:30.

4. Those who would have a saving interest in Christ, must be willing to part with all for him, leave all to follow him. Whatever stands in opposition to Christ, or in competition with him for our love and service, we must cheerfully quit it, though ever so dear to us. A man may buy gold too dear, but not this pearl of price.²

One morning years ago, when the first heavy dew of the season had fallen in Jacksonville, Oregon, my then three-year-old daughter, Mary Elizabeth, looked out the window and saw the wet grass. With excitement in her voice, she said, “Mommy, Mommy! God made the whole world wet!” Then her little forehead furrowed. Looking rather puzzled, she said, “But He forgot to dry it.”

I think, like Mary, we sometimes look around with a smile on our face and say, “Wow! Look what God made!”

I was reading about the screech owl, which unlike our spotted owl, resides in cities and towns on the East Coast. They’re very prolific, but little bugs and maggots can infect and devastate their entire population. To counteract the maggots and bugs, the screech owl ingeniously gathers little snakes called blind snakes and takes them to his nest. The blind snake just so happens to love maggots, larvae, and little bugs, so he lives inside the nest along with the screech owl. They dwell together symbiotically—mutually beneficial to each other.

Who taught the screech owl to go after that particular snake and drop it in the tree trunk in which he is building his nest? I know owls are wise, but they’re not that smart! Such understanding was programmed into the owl by an ingenious Master Maker, a Creator.

Consider also the Alaskan blackfish.

The Alaskan blackfish, which lives in ponds and streams that freeze over every winter, has the amazing ability to freeze right along with the pond or stream for up to forty-five minutes. Then he thaws out and continues with his life. These fish have been given the ability to go with the flow in a remarkable way!

Finally, consider the spider.

The spider spins a web made of a sticky substance that traps insects and bugs for his dinner. Why isn’t the spider caught in his own web? Ingeniously built into his little spider feet are tiny oil glands that secrete a minuscule amount of oil, allowing him to move over his own web without being caught.

I watch the spider, I see the owl, and I hear about the blackfish, and I marvel and say, “Oh, Lord, You are a master Creator!” But sometimes I look around, and like Mary Elizabeth, my brow begins to furrow as I say, “God, You made this world—but did You forget to dry it?”

“Why did Hurricane Hugo slam through the Caribbean, causing death and misery for countless thousands? Why are there volcanoes that erupt and wipe out entire villages in the Polynesian Islands? Why are thousands of babies born addicted to crack cocaine each year alone? If You are a God who is so ingenious and powerful, why do these things happen?”

People look around and see tragedy, war, rape, disease, difficulty, and say, “If there is a God who made this world, then how come He doesn’t dry it? Why doesn’t He take better care of it? Why are these things allowed to happen?” To find the answer, you need to go back to the beginning—back to the Book of Genesis. Here we read of a man who literally had the Spirit of God breathed into him, a man who was never polluted by sin, a man born without a sin nature. He was, in a sense, a champion for you and me. His name was Adam.

God gave Adam the authority, the opportunity, and the responsibility to oversee, tend, and rule this planet. But Satan came to Adam to tempt him, and Adam submitted to Satan when he ate of the forbidden fruit. The Bible says to whom you submit, of him you become the servant. When Adam submitted to Satan, he became the servant of Satan and handed to him the title deed, the authority, and the dominion of this planet. Thus, the ownership of the world changed hands—from God to man to Satan.

Why are there rape and hatred? Why is there starvation in Ethiopia? Why is there AIDS? It’s the enemy who has caused the problems, pollution, and plagues that descend upon us.

When Jesus stilled the storm in Luke’s Gospel, He said, “Be still,” or literally, “Be muzzled,” which is the same phrase He used whenever He encountered demonic activity. Therefore, I suggest to you the implication is clearly that many of these storms that bring about devastation and destruction are not “Acts of God,” as insurance companies refer to them, but acts of Satan. God gets a bad rap and gets blamed for what the Enemy does.

Will the title deed to earth remain in the devil’s grasp forever? Revelation 5 gives us the answer…

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. Revelation 5:1

Now, what is this book, or literally scroll? Jeremiah 32 identifies it as a title deed to a piece of property. The scroll sealed with seven seals is the title deed to planet earth.

Why is it written on the outside as well as the inside? In Old Testament times, if you lost your property due to hardship or bankruptcy, the deed would be scrolled and sealed with seven seals. On the outside would be written all of your financial obligations. You would have to meet them within seven years in order to regain your property. If those qualifications were met, the person who took possession of your property was required by law to return it to you. Such a transaction took place in the temple, where the qualifications on the outside of the scroll were read before the people. In heaven, the ultimate temple, there is a scroll sealed seven times. It is the title deed to the earth, which was given to Adam, who in turn, passed it on to Satan.

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? Revelation 5:2

In other words, “Who can meet the requirements? Who is worthy to take back the title deed of earth from Satan?”

Notice it doesn’t say, “Who is willing?” Many men have been willing to try to take control of the world—Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Hitler. They were all willing to take control, believing they could bring the world into a new level of glory or grandeur. The angel is not asking, “Who is willing?” The angel asks, “Who is worthy?”

And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open the book, neither to look thereon. Revelation 5:3, 4

John wept at the thought of the world indefinitely in the hand and control and dominion of the Enemy so much so that the Greek word translated “wept” means “sobbing in agony.”

You mean poverty will continue, hunger will abound, disease will persist, and hate will be perpetuated? There will be wars, anxiety, tension, trauma, death, disease, and destruction—forever? John wept because no one was found worthy to wrest the scroll from the hand of the Enemy. As you read the papers, the editorials, and the news magazines today, no doubt your heart breaks as well. This can’t go on. Hurt, pain, sorrow, and evil can’t go on forever.

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. Revelation 5:5–7

Jesus comes forward, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, saying, “I will redeem the scroll,” and the rest of Chapter 5 is a glorious outpouring of praise, adoration, and thanksgiving that someone was able to take the title deed of the planet. Worthy is the Lamb. He alone is worthy.

How did He do it? Look back at Matthew 13, where Jesus gives a one-verse parable that explains the redemptive process.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Matthew 13:44

In Jesus’ day, if a man had wealth, he would bury it in a field to keep it safe from thieves. The man in this parable stumbled across one such treasure chest and realized, “Wow! Someone has left his treasure here.” With joy, he bought the field in order to get the treasure. He gave everything he had because he knew within the field lay a treasure of great value.

• What is the field?

In a previous parable, Jesus identified the field as the world.

• Who is the Man?

Jesus Christ.

Think with me for a moment.

• The first Adam sold us out.

Jesus Christ, the last Adam, bought us back.

• The first Adam ate of a forbidden tree and handed humanity to the enemy.

The last Adam hung on a tree to redeem humanity from the enemy.

• Through the first Adam, the ground was cursed.

For our sake, the last Adam became a curse.

• Sin, through the first Adam, produced thorns.

God, through the last Adam, buried those thorns in His own brow.

Why? So He could, with His own pure blood, appear before the Father in the temple of heaven and declare, “I am worthy to take the scroll.”

You see, the price for the redemption of the world was not a million dollars, not ten billion dollars, not a zillion dollars. It was death.

Why did Jesus want the world? He certainly doesn’t need this planet, which in many places has been polluted beyond repair. He didn’t want another planet just to camp out on. There are a million planets He has created and a billion more He could speak into existence.

• What did He want?

He bought the planet for the treasure.

• What was the treasure?

You.

Jesus came, gave everything He had, and was slaughtered like a lamb in order that He might pay the price for the title deed to this earth. Because He wanted this planet? No. Because He wanted you. You are His treasure. You are the treasure He purchased with His own blood.

When the Enemy whispers in your ear that you’re not worth anything, please understand this: Jesus, walking through this world, saw you and was so excited about you and so in love with you that He sold everything to buy this whole world in order to take you—the treasure—out of it.

Maybe you’re saying, “That might be true theologically, but I couldn’t be much of a treasure to Him. I’m always messing up, missing the mark, and blowing it. I’m just an irritation to Him.”

Look at the next verse.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Matthew 13:45, 46

• Who is the One who sold all He had to purchase the pearl?

Jesus.

• Who is the pearl?

You are.

A pearl begins as nothing more than an irritating speck of sand in the shell of an oyster. The oyster coats this troublesome speck with layer upon layer of a crystalline substance called nacre, which hardens and becomes the actual pearl. Interestingly, the more irritating the grain of sand, the more beautiful the pearl.

You are the pearl of great price. When you asked the Lord to come into your life, you became robed with His righteousness and surrounded by His goodness. Although you might feel as though you’re terribly irritating, you are actually a trophy of His glory. You are a gem of His grace. And all of the cosmos looks at you and says,

“Wow! Glory be to the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb. Hallelujah to the Lamb, who took that little speck of sand and made it a pearl of great price!”

God loves you, gang. Paul said He demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

When did Jesus die for us?

Not when we were going to church; not when we were reading the Word; not when we were praying. He looked at us when we were nothing more than an irritation and said, “I love you, and I’ll give all I have to redeem you, My treasure.”

There’s one thing that will ruin a pearl. It’s perspiration.

So, too, one thing will ruin your beauty in the Lord. Perspiring, sweating, or trying to prove you are worthy of His blessing. Trying to prove “it’s my spirituality, my energy, my togetherness that makes me so wonderful.” No, the pearl is destroyed, eaten away, decayed by sweat.

What you need is not to sweat it out, but just let it out. Release praise, thanksgiving, appreciation, and adoration, saying, “Thank You, Lord, for seeing me as a pearl. I’m not going to try to earn it, nor add to it. I don’t even understand it. But I am forever grateful.”

Be a pearl for His glory.

In Jesus’ Name.³

13:33–35. Kingdom of heaven is the spiritual form of the kingdom in the church. Leaven is a lump of old dough in a state of fermentation, which makes the bread dough rise. It is virtually always used as a symbol of evil (cf. Matt. 16:6–12; Mark 8:15; Gal. 5:9). Three measures of meal, a common baking quantity (cf. Gen. 18:6), equivalent to one-and-a-half gallons (Gr. saton; Heb. seah). The leaven is not just false profession of unsaved church members but false doctrine that they will attempt to bring into the church.

13:45, 46. The merchant man is Christ, who comes to purchase, through His atonement, sinners who shall become goodly pearls. The one pearl of great price is the church for whom Christ gave His life, that is, all that he had. If the pearl is Christ or the kingdom, for whom a man must give all in order to obtain, then no one has ever yet given all that he has for Christ. While we receive Him as *Savior, we also progressively continue surrendering areas of ourselves to Him as we come to know better His will for our lives.⁴

1 McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Gospels (Matthew 1-13) (electronic ed., Vol. 34, pp. 194–196). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

2 Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (pp. 1681–1682). Peabody: Hendrickson.

The pearl of great price (vv. 45–46). A well-known Gospel song perpetuates the interpretation that this pearl is Jesus Christ and His salvation. But the same objections apply to this interpretation as applied to the previous parable. The sinner does not find Christ; Christ finds the sinner. No sinner is able to pay for salvation, even though he sells all that he has.

The pearl represents the church. The Bible makes a distinction between Jews, Gentiles, and the church (1 Cor. 10:32). Today, the church, the body of Christ, is composed of believing Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:11ff). Unlike most other gems, the pearl is a unity—it cannot be carved like a diamond or emerald. The church is a unity (Eph. 4:4–6), even though the professing church on earth is divided. Like a pearl, the church is the product of suffering. Christ died for the church (Eph. 5:25) and His suffering on the cross made possible her birth.

A pearl grows gradually, and the church grows gradually as the Spirit convicts and converts sinners. No one can see the making of the pearl, for it is hidden in the shell of the oyster under the waters. No one can see the growth of His church in the world. The church is among the nations today (waters in the Bible represent nations, Dan. 7:1–3; Rev. 13:1; 17:15) and one day will be revealed in its beauty.

So, in spite of Satan’s subtle working in this world, Christ is forming His church. He sold all that He had to purchase His church, and nothing Satan can do will cause Him to fail. There is but one church, a pearl of great price, though there are many local churches. Not everyone who is a member of a local church belongs to the one church, the body of Christ. It is only through repentance and faith in Christ that we become a part of His church. Of course, all true believers ought to identify with a local assembly where they can worship and serve.

3 Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (pp. 103–108). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

4 King James Version study Bible . (1997). (electronic ed., Mt 13:33–45). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.