Pastor Tom Johnson, July 27, 2014
“The Kingdom of
Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of
great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
People don’t
make pearls; mollusks do. Clams, mussels, and oysters are the suppliers and
factory workers that produce this rare jewel. It begins when their shells are
invaded by a grain of sand or a parasite. The creature is greatly disturbed by
this—just like we are when we get a rock in our shoe. But unlike us,
clams, mussels, and oysters cannot take their shoes off and shake the intruder
out. Instead, they coat the irritant with calcium carbonate—a smooth substance
called nacre. After months and
years of layer after layer of this shiny substance is formed. The substance is
a series of microscopic crystals that reflect and refract light giving this gem
a rare and beautiful appearance. Some pearls are
more highly valued because of their perfect spherical shape, their luster,
unique color, lack of imperfection, and greater size.
People who work in the industry develop an eye and appreciation for the rarity and beauty of pearls. But the only way to make a living buying and selling pearls is to buy low and sell high. There needs to be a profit. A person cannot keep their business running for very long if they only earn what their product cost them—or even worse, it costs them more to bring their commodity to market than what they can sell it for. It makes complete sense for a person to be in the pearl business if they can find enough pearls themselves. The only expense is time and energy. Or, a person can buy pearls from those who find them and sell them at market and faraway places which save time and energy of transporting their pearls from place to place.
The merchant in our parable seems to be one of those distributers of fine jewels. But he is not your average businessman. For him, finding pearls is a passion. He is on a quest to discover the most beautiful pearls ever produced. One day he sees the pearl that he has spent his life and career looking for. Before the pearl is sold to someone else, he immediately sells all his possessions to buy this extremely rare pearl of unsurpassed beauty. And that is where the story ends. The merchant walks off into the sunset lovingly holding and gazing at his jewel. He has no clothes to change into, no house to go home to, no food, no drink, no money, and no pearls to sell—well, he does have one pearl. But he will not part with it. He spent his life looking for it. It is worth the nakedness, the hunger, the thirst, and the cold because he has found something of unparalleled exquisite beauty and precious worth.
It is a foolish love. It is a passion that has cost him everything. It’s all because he above all people recognized the uniqueness of this gem. Of all people, he had the eyes to see just how much beauty could be found in one jewel. There is a universal drive within all of us to possess things of value. Some of us value a musical instrument of unsurpassed sound and clarity, some a glass of rare aged wine, others an exquisitely crafted boat, car, or sports equipment. This parable is a call for us to be like this buyer and seller of pearls. Jesus is challenging us to be on our own quest and journey to discover the rare and precious beauty of the love of God revealed through the gift of the pearl in his Son. “The grass withers, the flower fades but the Word of our God will stand forever” (Isa 40:8). “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.” God is calling us to find our first love—a foolish love—a love that surpasses all other loves for the pearl of the Gospel. All other things fade. All beauty fades by comparison. All other worth melts away. As Paul writes to the Philippians (3:8), “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” God first. Other people second. And ourselves last. This is the great command to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbors as we would want to be loved. This is to lose ourselves in the love of God revealed to us though Jesus.
Jesus is also like the merchant on a quest. He came not for the righteous but for the unrighteous—to redeem—to purchase sinful humanity—who for the joy set before him despised the shame and went to the cross—sacrificing all that he had—no clothes to change into, no house to go home to, no food, no drink, no money, and no pearls to sell. He gives all that he has and all that he is so that he can hold one thing of beauty, dignity, and worth in his hand—you and me.
The pearl of
great price is the third jewel from the sun—the blue, green, white, and brown
sphere we call planet earth. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten Son.” God gives the greatest treasure for the pearl of his creation. As Moses said
long ago, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; he has chosen you to
be his people, his treasured possession” (Deut 7:6). As Peter said, “But
you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own
possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9). We are the pearl of great value
that reflects and refracts the light of Christ. He belongs to us and we belong
to him forever.
People who work in the industry develop an eye and appreciation for the rarity and beauty of pearls. But the only way to make a living buying and selling pearls is to buy low and sell high. There needs to be a profit. A person cannot keep their business running for very long if they only earn what their product cost them—or even worse, it costs them more to bring their commodity to market than what they can sell it for. It makes complete sense for a person to be in the pearl business if they can find enough pearls themselves. The only expense is time and energy. Or, a person can buy pearls from those who find them and sell them at market and faraway places which save time and energy of transporting their pearls from place to place.
The merchant in our parable seems to be one of those distributers of fine jewels. But he is not your average businessman. For him, finding pearls is a passion. He is on a quest to discover the most beautiful pearls ever produced. One day he sees the pearl that he has spent his life and career looking for. Before the pearl is sold to someone else, he immediately sells all his possessions to buy this extremely rare pearl of unsurpassed beauty. And that is where the story ends. The merchant walks off into the sunset lovingly holding and gazing at his jewel. He has no clothes to change into, no house to go home to, no food, no drink, no money, and no pearls to sell—well, he does have one pearl. But he will not part with it. He spent his life looking for it. It is worth the nakedness, the hunger, the thirst, and the cold because he has found something of unparalleled exquisite beauty and precious worth.
It is a foolish love. It is a passion that has cost him everything. It’s all because he above all people recognized the uniqueness of this gem. Of all people, he had the eyes to see just how much beauty could be found in one jewel. There is a universal drive within all of us to possess things of value. Some of us value a musical instrument of unsurpassed sound and clarity, some a glass of rare aged wine, others an exquisitely crafted boat, car, or sports equipment. This parable is a call for us to be like this buyer and seller of pearls. Jesus is challenging us to be on our own quest and journey to discover the rare and precious beauty of the love of God revealed through the gift of the pearl in his Son. “The grass withers, the flower fades but the Word of our God will stand forever” (Isa 40:8). “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.” God is calling us to find our first love—a foolish love—a love that surpasses all other loves for the pearl of the Gospel. All other things fade. All beauty fades by comparison. All other worth melts away. As Paul writes to the Philippians (3:8), “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” God first. Other people second. And ourselves last. This is the great command to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbors as we would want to be loved. This is to lose ourselves in the love of God revealed to us though Jesus.
Jesus is also like the merchant on a quest. He came not for the righteous but for the unrighteous—to redeem—to purchase sinful humanity—who for the joy set before him despised the shame and went to the cross—sacrificing all that he had—no clothes to change into, no house to go home to, no food, no drink, no money, and no pearls to sell. He gives all that he has and all that he is so that he can hold one thing of beauty, dignity, and worth in his hand—you and me.
The pearl of
great price is the third jewel from the sun—the blue, green, white, and brown
sphere we call planet earth. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten Son.” God gives the greatest treasure for the pearl of his creation. As Moses said
long ago, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; he has chosen you to
be his people, his treasured possession” (Deut 7:6). As Peter said, “But
you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own
possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9). We are the pearl of great value
that reflects and refracts the light of Christ. He belongs to us and we belong
to him forever.
This is such a powerful and beautiful illustration of the God who so paassionately loves the creation of his own word - the cosmos we call home in the 3rd dimension.
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