The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 13. This is the last in this series of messages on the Parables of Jesus Christ.

However, I want to encourage to seek out and discover the other parables that the Lord Jesus Christ taught.

Here we have been looking at ‘the Kingdom Parables’. We have discovered how the Lord spoke in this parabolic form to reveal truth to His followers, and yet He also concealed truth from those that had willfully rejected Him.

As we read this second to last parable we need to remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking to His close band of followers privately inside the house.

From the beginning of this chapter until this point He has told them about:

The Parable of the Sower - it was in this we discovered how it is the Word of God would be received and rejected. We also saw the work of the Devil on the wayside soil.

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares- This parable showed us the truth that there will always be Wheat and there will always be Tares up until the harvest which the Lord said was the end of the world. We certainly get the idea that our Adversary the Devil is at work sowing tares in the world.

Next was

The Parable of the Mustard Seed - It was here that we discovered the small beginnings of the Lord’s ministry. We also see His death, burial and resurrection as the Lord said in John 12:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

This mustard seed though grew into a mustard tree. And in this we see the fowls of the air resting in the abnormal growth of “Christendom” today.

We understood this was further emphasized by the

The Parable of the Hidden Leaven - Where we discovered the Leaven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisy, the Leaven of the Sadducees which is Doctrinal Compromise, and then finally the Leaven of Herod which is worldliness.

And last week, we looked at

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure - And in this the Disciples were made aware of the fact that His Peculiar Treasure, the nation of Israel would be set aside for a time, only to be revealed again in the last days.

Remember the Lord found the nation hidden, they were scattered and with no King, ruled by the Gentiles. And the Lord presented Himself as their King, their Messiah, and they rejected Him. We understood that they have been hidden again, set aside for a time. According to Romans chapter 11 and also Revelation chapter 7 and beyond we see that God will once again bring to light His Peculiar Treasure the nation of Israel.

There is no doubt that all of these parables that the Lord Jesus Christ gave to His disciples were needful for them to hear and understand.

But there is equally no doubt that much of this would be pretty discouraging to His followers.

When we think about the rejection spoken about in the first parable.

When we think about the deceptive work of the enemy in the second parable.

When we think about the abnormal growth spurred by the enemies of the cross, a counterfeit “Christianity” in the third parable.

When we think about the evil permeating the dough in the fourth parable.

And finally when we think about the setting aside of God’s Peculiar treasure, the nation of Israel in the fifth parable.

But here in verses 44 and 45 the Lord begins to tell them about something new. Something that was a secret to the Old Testament Saints, something that His followers would hardly fully grasp until after the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

With that understanding let us read Matthew chapter 13:44,45

Let’s Pray

What is this pearl of great price, and who exactly is the Merchant Man?

As we examine the Scriptures, we come to find out that there is only one conclusion that we can come too.

The Pearl of Great Price is the Church. And the Lord Jesus Christ was speaking of something that theses disciples would not understand fully until after the resurrection.

However, verse 51 the Lord had asked them, “Have ye understood all these things?” They answered, “Yea.”

There is no doubt that they were putting careful attention to these matters, and certainly retained them in their minds because Matthew has them recorded here for us.

But the Lord is encouraging His disciples with these words.

We must remember that Jesus Christ is speaking to His close followers who are Jews. They would understand most certainly that God has dealt exclusively with the Jews. They would understand the Mosaic economy and they would understand that Lord Jesus Christ was to rule in reign.

Remember how they asked Him in Acts chapter 1 verses 6,7 before His ascension, “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”

But then he tells them, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Notice with me first of all in our text:

I. The Merchants Quest

v45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:”

A. To Find Goodly Pearls

This merchant man is seeking goodly pearls. I am told this would be shocking to the disciples who were Jews, because Pearls were never counted as precious gems to the them.

When we look in the Old Testament we find lists of all kinds of stones but no mention of pearls being sought after or precious. The only mention I can find that has pearl listed is in Job 28:18 and even there there is much debate as to the exact meaning intended. Nonetheless, the Jews looked to other gems as being precious stones but not a Pearl.

The pearl was the gem highly prized however by the Gentiles and was often associated with their royalty.

Just by way off example, there is a recounted story in the annals of history of the rulers of Rome and Ptolemaic empires, respectively Mark Antony and Cleopatra wagering who could put on the most expensive feast. During the which it is said that Cleopatra took a pearl from her ear ring, worth an immense amount and dissolved in her vinegar wine and drunk it before Mark Antony to impress him.

You see this merchant man ‘seeking’ goodly pearls is something new being introduced to his disciples. We find this merchant man was seeking goodly pearls.

We are reminded of course of our Lords words in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

What we discover then is that this merchant man departed and arrived seeking after those, “who were in His eyes of great worth...” (John Phillips)

And what was it that the Merchant Man discovered?

B. He Discovered One Pearl of Great Price

v46 “Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

This pearl is said to be of Great Price? How great is the price of this pearl? Well I believe as we will discover this, it will help us to understand the value of the church a little bit better.

Remember this is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking, who is God in the flesh. It’s one thing to get a valuation from the world as to how much something is worth, it is an entirely different thing to get a valuation from God Himself.

The Bible says, that it is one Pearl of Great Price.

What is fascinating is that the Lord Jesus Christ chose to illustrate His bride the church, by this earthly example of a Pearl.

A pearl of course is made of dirt, an irritant that arrives inside the habitation of a lowly oyster. The substance itself of a pearl is nothing more than Calcium Carbonate the same substance we find in ordinary chalk.

And yet in all of man’s ingenuity today, he cannot produce a real pearl. They can produce a fake pearl, by inserting a smooth bead of mother of pearl into an oyster, and oddly enough the ‘fake’ pearl is hardly distinguishable from the real pearl but it is fake nonetheless, it is a counterfeit.

The merchant was looking for real pearls not fakes. Not counterfeits. He was seeking out His church.

We are reminded of the Lord’s comment to Peter, when he stated this, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” in Matthew 16:18

The pearl of great price is no human invention. The church is the Lord’s.

We find that this pearl is formed from common lowly material. You and I do not have to look far to realize and see what it is that God has done with us. It is his work that confounds the wise of this world.

I Corinthians 1:23-25 “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

I Corinthians 1:26-27 “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;’’

We understand secondly that A pearl is the product of Suffering and Death.

The oyster produces the substance, “mother of pearl.” It is the very life blood of the oyster. This secretion is what provides for the formation of the pearl in reaction to the dirt particle irritant. It is the oyster’s life blood that being given for the formation of the pearl. This suffering is experienced as the oyster secretes the very essence that forms the pearl. In the end, the pearl is taken from oyster’s tomb, harvested only after the death of the oyster. This describes aptly for us this pearl of great price.

We understand further that the pearl is formed over a long period of time. Three to five years it takes for an oyster to produce a pearl. As we begin to look at this we understand that the Lord Jesus Christ has been building His church. Now some 2000 years later the church is still being built. Think of the untold millions that have gone on before us. Blood-bought Saints of God, that have given their lives to the Savior. Millions upon millions that we have never met, yet are connected to as being part of the family of God. Carefully carrying out His work on this earth, a Help Meet for the Savior.

We understand lastly, that a pearl is beautiful to behold. Not the dirt irritant by itself, but what is made. The Lord Jesus Christ is perfecting us, the Bible says in Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

One of the sure indicators of a fake pearl by the way, is how much it shines when exposed to light. Compared to a real pearl a fake pearl has a cloudy dull shine. But a real pearl has a true, bright and brilliant luster.

So we have seen the Merchant’s quest, to find goodly pearls, and the He found one Pearl of Great Price, but notice secondly,

II. The Merchant’s Purchase

Upon finding this Pearl of Great Price, the question remains, how much is the Merchant willing to pay for it?

The Bible says in verse 46, “Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

The Merchant man is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

We discover by our text that He came seeking goodly pearls. We discover further that He found one Pearl of Great Price.

The Bible tells us that He then,

A. Determined the Pearl’s Value

The value of something is based on what one is willing to pay for it.

What was the merchant willing to pay for this Pearl of great price?

The Bible says, that “He went and sold all that He had...”

Acts 20:28 tells us this, 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

The value of this Pearl of great price is of such a great value we cannot grasp it. When we discover that this Pearl was purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ, we have no way to put a value to it.

We are reminded similarly of the verse that states in Matthew 16:26, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

B. Bought the Pearl of Great Price

If you have ever walked into an expensive Jewelry store you would understand, that it is one thing to see and behold the most expensive items that are there, but it is an entirely different thing to pull out your wallet and pay the price.

The Lord Jesus Christ purchased us.

The Bible tells us that we are a purchased possession. I Corinthians 6:19,20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

In Ephesians 1:14, the Bible tells us that the Lord is coming back for us,  “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

If we were to take something that did not belong to us, we would call that stealing. And so it is, when we seize back from the Lord our own lives in selfishness or despitefully use His church. We become thieves of the highest order.

So, by way of application, “What shall we then say to these things”

We should not underestimate how important the local church is to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember the Lord sought out goodly pearls. Remember He found this pearl of Great Price, and remember He bought us with His own blood,

This ought to place a priority on us; (1) coming to the House of the Lord

If i truly understand what this means and the importance and meaning that God has placed upon His church, the body of Christ, then I would understand that us coming together and are functioning as a local church is very important.

(2) We ought to be investing our lives, labouring through the local New Testament church.

What we do in the walls and outside the walls of this local New Testament Church, functioning as the Body of Christ should not be secondary, it should be of primary importance.

(3) We should realize that God has placed great value upon us, and so as we realize this, we must understand rightly that because of our Lord and Savior, we are a child of God, of Great Value not because of us but because of Him.

We ought to Love the Lord Jesus Christ, growing in our love for Him even more.

There ought to be a desire in our hearts, as Christians to be more of what the Lord desires me to be.

There ought to be a growth in our love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dr. Sexton said this commenting on this verse by way of illustration, “When my wife and I got married I said I loved her, and I did love her. I was just a kid, but I loved her with all the capacity I had. She said she loved me....But after all these years, I know in my heart that because of the way the Lord has worked in my life, I have a greater capacity to love her. I still say the same thing, but God has changed my capacity as I have grown in Him. “