The Pearl
Matthew 13
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
This verse has been on my mind a good bit lately. As I begin this writing I’m reminded of a song lyric: “I've looked at clouds from both sides now,” because I see the parable from two points of view.
“Jesus Christ is a Pearl of great price...” So wrote Matthew Henry†, the great and somewhat forgotten Bible expositor circa 1700. Jesus certainly IS a pearl of great price to those who have been given eyes to see Him as such. But to others Jesus “hath no form nor comeliness; and when [they] shall see him, there is no beauty that [they] should desire him.” To we who LOVE Jesus and are growing in our intimate knowledge of Him, He is THE Pearl of great price and we gladly “sell all we have to purchase” Him!
But what of this other point of view?
What did Jesus see from heaven? What did the Father have in mind by sending Jesus? Jesus did pay a price to purchase us back from satan’s domain!!! The Father sent His Son, His ONLY begotten, unique Son, the Son of His Deity ! So it is almost “natural” in the Spirit to see that the church is the pearl of great price that God purchased. The Father “went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” I’m not sure that the parable totally fits the ideas I’m writing, but certainly the broken body and blood of Jesus was the greatest ransom price ever given for anything!
But what was it paid for? A wretch like me? Like you? Like us? Jesus didn’t pay for pearls... he paid for sinners, for dirty, stinking, unclean, rebellious, defiant, obnoxious LOST sinners... lawbreakers who were habituated to lust, idolatry and pride. So how it is that God saw anything in me to be worthy of the price of His Son? In fact, since Jesus is the Pearl of great price, and why did God cast this PEARL before a swine like me? Didn’t he know I would drive nails in His Hands and Feet?
I can only conclude that you and I and every man and woman were considered worthy☨
at least to hear the Gospel of Christ! For the Gospel of Christ is the Life, death and resurrection, the ascension and second coming of Jesus! He is coming back for us! But is He coming back for us who are “dirty, stinking, unclean rebellious, defiant, obnoxious LOST sinners... lawbreakers habituated to lust, idolatry and pride?” No, He is coming back for the Pearl the church is becoming through faith by Grace!
I have heard many people say that they have felt themselves to be insignificant specks of dust in a vast universe made by The Almighty. I identify with that. When Abraham had faithfully taken Isaac up the mountain and after God had stopped him from sacrificing the child God said to him:
Genesis 22:16-18
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Now this gets very precious. In todays world natural pearls are very rare. So we cultivate pearls. We take a living oyster and we open it enough to put a grain of sand into it, and we let it close. Then the oyster does what an oyster does with a grain of sand, it makes a pearl out of it. Natural pearls are formed the same way, a grain of sand somehow gets in the oyster and a pearl is made.
Now Jesus was called without “form nor comeliness; and when [they] shall see him, there is no beauty that [they] should desire him.” Behold: the oyster!
The Apostle Paul wrote: 8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Verse 10 is a stand out verse to me, here is The AMPLIFIED Bible’s translation:
10 [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.
Am I wrong or is it clear that God is using the church to teach the angels! And I think also to rebuke the fallen angels! How is this to be done? It is to be done with a church forgiven, blessed and obedient!
The purpose of the body of Christ in our day is very important, and one calling of the church is that she demonstrate the LOVE of God, the Character of God, and the Way of God to those yet outside the gates of the Kingdom! It is a part of the “eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord!” How does God do this? How does He show that He so loved the world?
God takes insignificant specks of sand like you and me, He opens Jesus Himself, the unattractive, uncomely Godman Jesus, and He places us, specks of sand, into Jesus! And we ARE IN Christ. And there we are, all the members of His Body in the earth, living now inside this Godman Jesus. And as we remain in Him, we are in our faith graciously coated in His presence with a beauty we could never find or accomplish on our own. We are somehow seated with Him in heavenly places and He rubs His very esssence and Holiness all over us until we are beautiful pearls.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Without being taken in to His Son, God is unable to make a new creature.
It takes time to make the pearl. That which God plans is called “the fellowship of the mystery,” Ephesians 3:9
But we are taken in by the beautiful Savior and Messiah, literally purchased and taken by Him. Jesus IS the pearl of GREAT price, the greatest price ever paid for anything. And having bought us back from that which defiles, that which would destroy what God created us to be, God the Father, Son and Spirit make us the pearls of His Kingdom. In fact They make us one great pearl like unto His Son to be to be His Eternal Bride and Wife!
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
How much time will it take for God to make us into a pearl? I fear much of that depends on how passionate we will be to become a pearl, for the pearl God makes will be like Jesus. And in this life as like Him we will suffer what He suffered. But we can also do as He did, and even greater works than He did! Not better works, greater works!
A husband and wife are made for intimacy. So God makes us His Bride for intimacy. Let us be swept away by His beauty and His strength! Let us be enraptured by His Love and Holiness! There is nothing that can compare with Him! We have a some time seen Him and an ugly oyster, but after He saved us we begin to see Him as Heaven’s master and King! And we begin to see Him as our Heavenly Bridegroom! Beautiful! And we are beautiful more than we know now by the Blood of the Lamb! Oh Hallelu Yah! Dearest and ONLY God, the Glory is Thine all of It, and we are made glorious and beautiful for Thee. What a privilege! What an honor!
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☨ If you are hearing the gospel of Christ, it is no accident. God is speaking it to you, even if you are hearing it from a human mouth or reading it of a human author, and without doubt for accuracy if you are reading it in the Holy Bible, if you are hearing it God considers you worthy. You were worth the death of His Son Jesus, you were worth the greatest price ever paid for anything! The Father has given you His Son so that you by believing shall be saved! Made into a pearl with all His other pearls and joined into the Redeemed people of His eternal Kingdom!
John 1:12 ... as many as received him, to them gave he power (authority) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Receive Jesus and then exercise the God given authority to become a son or daughter of God! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you are already one who has received Jesus the Son of God, the Savior and The Lord of all, is there something yet to be done for Jesus and for God? If we are still breathing there must be, otherwise if our work were done we would be home with God in heaven!
As God’s people and persons, we must ask are we, am I, really readying ourselves, myself to be MARRIED TO JESUS THE MESSIAH? We must place this and this alone on our “bucket list.” Becoming His wife does require something of us. My wife, if I were married, would be a good thing and the favor (grace, gift) of God to me, for me. And that is the scripture! I would expect things of her, and she would expect things of me. But God give us a Husband who promises and gives us more than we ever can receive or give to our human spouses. God gives us Jesus, and gives us the authority to become like Him. God give us a perfect Spouse, we can and should expect nothing from Him which will harm us, for He never does anything which harms us! Even our necessary chastening is never harm, but always for our good! In light of this, what dies God expect of me, of you? We can expect only good from Him, and what else but good does He want from us?
Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
I think the safest counsel we can receive is this: Get to know God well enough so that when you hear His voice you will do what He asks you to do. Get to know His Holy Character so well that you will act in accord with His heart and mind in all situations.
Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls,
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
23 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.
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† From Matthew Henry’s Commentary II. That of the pearl of price (v. 45, v. 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
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
