“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
My Summary & Reflection
In this story a merchant, a person who makes his living buying and selling items for profit, is searching for pearls. Presumably, this merchant is searching for pearls in order to resell them. While conducting his search, he finds one very expensive pearl. The merchant goes and sells all that he owns in order to buy that one expensive pearl.
At first glance, this parable seems similar to the Treasure in a Field parable that we discussed in week 3. However, it differs for me in one important way. The kingdom of heaven in that parable is compared with the treasure, “like unto treasure”; whereas in this parable, the kingdom is compared with the merchant, “like unto a merchant man.” In this parable, the kingdom of heaven is compared to a person who found something of great value and was willing to give up everything in order to have it. This is important because in the Treasure in a Field parable, the man who found the treasure was the one willing to give up everything, but in this story, the kingdom, as personified through the merchant, is also willing to give up everything for the one pearl.
Another interesting thing is that the pearl is described as being “of great price” or expensive and not as beautiful, or large, or luminescent, or any of the characteristics that would typically be used to distinguish this pearl from the others that the merchant examined. Instead, it simply said that the pearl was “of great price”. Apparently whatever that great price was, the merchant decided that it was not too much for him to pay. He decided that it was worth everything that he had in order to obtain it.
While reviewing this parable, I began to wonder if Jesus, in telling this parable, was foreshadowing the great price that he would pay for us. I wonder if the soul of humanity itself is represented by the expensive pearl. Jesus was willing to give up his very life, all that he had on earth, in order to save our souls.
Your Reflection
- What has / will the kingdom of heaven give for the pearl it finds?
- Do you think the pearl is worth the price that the merchant is willing to pay? Why or why not?