The Parable of the Pearl Merchant
Matthew 13:45-46
May I help you find something today? We often hear this question from a polite customer service employee at a clothing or hardware store. They ask this because they know why we are there. We are there, usually, to find something that we feel we need to buy. We are looking for something that we can spend our hard-earned money to own for ourselves.
But let me ask this question in another way? “What are you looking for?” “What are you looking for – in life?”
In this parable about God’s kingdom, Christ tells a brief story about a man who is a merchant – a businessman. He is a businessman who specialized in buying and selling luxury goods, in particular, pearls. And that’s what he was looking for – pearls.
For centuries, pearls – along with diamonds, gold, and gemstones – have been viewed as luxury goods with a high value. Today, pearls may range from $50 to $100,000 in value.
I’m not a gem or jewelry connoisseur, so I did some research this week about pearls. What makes them so valuable? Pearls come into existence in a special way. Most gems and precious metals form over time, deep within the Earth, as a result of tremendous heat and pressure over long periods of time. Unlike them, pearls come form not within the Earth but within a living organism – salt-water clams and freshwater mussels, oysters.
When a piece of sand (or piece of food, any small, foreign particle) enters the shell of an oyster, between the shell and the inner layer of tissue that lines it, the oyster covers that small grain of sand with a special substance called nacre. Slowly, it adds thousands upon thousands of thin layers of this substance, forming what we know as a pearl. This process typically occurs over 2-7 years.
Factors which affect a pearl’s value include: (1) luster (how light reflects from its surface), (2) surface quality (absence or degree of blemishes or flaws), (3) shape (the rounder the better), (4) color (the rarer the better), and (5) size (the larger, which is rarer, the better). In general, the better a pearl reflects more of these qualities, the rarer and therefore more valuable it will be.
To put things into perspective, a pearl of value is found in approximately 1 in 10,000 oysters. The most valuable pearl in the world seems to be the la Peregrina pearl, a name which means “the pilgrim.” It’s large, about 25.5 mm long. It was discovered in the 16th century (1500s) off the coast of Panama and has been owned by Spanish royalty (including Queen Mary of England) and was also owned by the more recent, famous movie star, Elizabeth Taylor, given to her by her husband in 1969. Due to both its large size, rare qualities, and legendary ownership history, it was sold at Christie’s auction in 2011 for $11.8 million, making it worth about $15-16 million today.
Now that you know these things about pearls, you can understand their value and why some people are interested in them. That’s what the man in Christ’s parable was looking for – and when he found a pearl of exceptional, incomparable value, more valuable by far than any other, he sold everything that he had so that he could buy it.
So, let me ask you again, what are you looking for? What are you looking for in life? Are you seeking after and pursuing God’s kingdom? Or something else?
God’s kingdom calls for total devotion.
That’s what this parable teaches us. Though this parable is similar to the previous one, the one about a man who found treasure hidden in a field and sold everything he had to buy it, it’s also different. It’s different in the details of course, since one speaks about treasure hidden in a field and the other speaks about a man looking for pearls.
The key difference is that in the parable about the hidden treasure, the man who found it found it by accident. He wasn’t looking for it but sold everything he had in order to buy it after he stumbled upon it. That parable emphasizes the value of God’s kingdom.
This second parable, though it includes this emphasis, adds something else because this parable describes the man as deliberately looking and searching for something valuable. He did not find this pearl by accident but after much deliberate, intentional focus on finding it. That’s what this parable teaches us – that God’s kingdom calls for total devotion and doesn’t come to someone by accident.
Speaking of pearl merchants, we should consider the difference between a casual hobbyist and a devoted enthusiast. Both a casual hobbyist and a devoted enthusiast may be interested in the same thing, but the casual hobbyist devotes small amounts of energy and money into the hobby while the devoted enthusiast devotes much.
A casual golfer will wear everyday clothes and go golfing only on a few occasions per year, while a serious golfer may purchase an indoor, VR golf simulator, join a private club, take private lessons, travel the world to golf at high-end courses, and also travel the world to watch major golf tournaments. A casual golfer may spend a few hundred dollars or less on golfing in a year, while a serious golfer may spend thousands of dollars per year, up to five or six digits, to play golf.
This same paradigm applies to nearly any hobby. Ask a pickleball player how much they spent to buy their pickleball shoes and paddle, for instance. Paddles may cost anywhere from $30 to $333 dollars. Only serious enthusiasts would pay $333 for a pickleball paddle!
There are some who pursue any hobby casually for minimal cost and effort, while there are others who pursue the same hobby for maximum cost and effort. It is only the second group which may seriously call themselves devoted. That’s what this parable is making clear. It is making clear that the kingdom of God will not make sense or be spiritually satisfying for casual participants. It only makes sense and is spiritually fulfilling for those who are totally devoted to pursuing it.
Now that we know what this parable is teaching us – that the kingdom of God calls for total devotion, not half-hearted, casual pursuit – one question remains. Who is doing the seeking here in this parable? Is it God seeking us or us seeking God? Is it God seeking his kingdom or people seeking God’s kingdom?
Well, the answer is probably both, because the purpose of this parable isn’t to answer this question but simply to point out that the kingdom of God is worth pursuing wholeheartedly. Perhaps a good way to look at this, then, is to first ask how God behaves towards his kingdom and then to ask how we should behave towards God’s kingdom.
This is how God pursues us.
From the beginning of history, God has pursued his people. After Adam and Eve rebelled against God and sinned against him, he sought after them. He looked for them in the garden to restore them back to himself.
In Ezekiel 34:11 and 34:16, God describes himself as a shepherd who is devoted to searching for his scattered sheep:
Thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.”
I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.
In Luke 19:10, Christ describes his mission as one of seeking his people:
The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
In John 4:23, Christ says that God is seeking people who will be true worshipers of him:
The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
From these statements, we see that God pursues his people with total devotion. He is not casual in building his kingdom, saving his people, and transforming us into people who worship and serve him well. He is fully invested, fully devoted, and holds nothing back. He gave everything – even his own Son – to make his kingdom possible (Jn 3:16):
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
When we read this parable (and even the one before it), we should be deeply moved to discover that we (you) are God’s treasure, we (you) are God’s priceless pearl which he is pursuing passionately at maximum expense and effort to obtain.
When Christ saves a person and places them into his kingdom forever, he does not receive them as some sort of concession or consolation prize. He doesn’t view his people as some sort of add-on and necessary extra. His people are his prize and are what he has sacrificed everything to receive. Knowing this should provide you with deep assurance, confidence, and peace. You are desired, loved, and wanted by God. You are his treasure.
This is how we should pursue God.
Seeing how God pursues us as his treasure, then, should motivate us to do the same for him and his kingdom. Seeing this should motivate us to seek God with fully devoted heads, hearts, and hands. It should motivate us to seek God in faith wholeheartedly, not as a casual hobbyist but as a passionate enthusiast. Consider how Scripture teaches us to purse after God and his kingdom, after his priorities and values:
Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7)
You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jer 29:13)
Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore! (1 Chr 16:11)
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matt 6:33)
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6)
Does this describe your attitude and behavior towards God and his kingdom? Are you a more passionate enthusiast of anything else more than God and his kingdom?
When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.” (Psa 27:8)
O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. (Psa 63:1-2)
What fills your focus when you rise in the morning, what guides your choices as you make your schedule for the day. What deepest desire drives your decisions and makes the difference when you are faced with a “fork in the road?,” in which you must choose between one thing and another. Is it a closer, deeper relationship with God and his kingdom, or something else?
According to Undre Griggs, of LifeHack.com, it’s important to evaluate and identify what motivates you in life. To figure this out, he recommends asking yourself five questions:
Does pursuing a relationship with God and pursuing the priorities of his kingdom answer these questions for you? Is that what gets you up in the morning and puts you to bed at night? Is that what brings you the most excitement and satisfaction?
Perhaps you’ve heard of a man named Justin from the early second century (100-200 AD). We commonly call him “Justin Martyr” because that’s how he died, as a martyr for the Christian faith. This man was a brilliant, very intelligent professor who had deeply explored all of the philosophical perspectives of his time. He tried Stoicism but was disappointed because this couldn’t explain to him who God was and what he was like. Then he tried Peripatetic philosophy, but this also frustrated him because his teacher was obsessed with charging large fees to teach him. Then he tried Pythagoreanism, but was dissatisfied because his teacher required him to learn music, astronomy, and geometry, which he didn’t want to do. So, eventually he embraced Platonism, but this also left him dissatisfied.
One day, he met a small, elderly man who was not attractive to look at as he walked through a field by the seaside. This man approached, him, asked him some questions, and then told him about the God of the Bible. He explained to Jusin how God alone can provide true satisfaction and purpose in life and how the prophets of the Bible had much better things to say than the philosophers.
After this conversation, Justin grew curious about Jesus, so he began to read and examine the Bible carefully. In doing so, he became convinced that Jesus Christ was God and also the Savior of all people, so he believed on Jesus as his God and Savior and followed him joyfully and passionately the rest of his life, setting aside all other pursuits of other philosophies – as the pearl merchant sold all that he had – to follow Christ.
May we be like Justin and let our pursuit of God’s kingdom become the number one pursuit of our lives. And may we do so with the confidence, peace, and security of knowing that we are God’s priceless pearl, the treasure that his divine heart desires more than anything else. May we return to him the total devotion that he has shown towards us. May we seek after and pursue our relationship with God and the priorities of his kingdom with the same passionate, all-consuming enthusiasm with which Christ pursues us.
He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6)
Discussion Questions
Life101
May I help you find something today? We often hear this question from a polite customer service employee at a clothing or hardware store. They ask this because they know why we are there. We are there, usually, to find something that we feel we need to buy. We are looking for something that we can spend our hard-earned money to own for ourselves.
But let me ask this question in another way? “What are you looking for?” “What are you looking for – in life?”
In this parable about God’s kingdom, Christ tells a brief story about a man who is a merchant – a businessman. He is a businessman who specialized in buying and selling luxury goods, in particular, pearls. And that’s what he was looking for – pearls.
For centuries, pearls – along with diamonds, gold, and gemstones – have been viewed as luxury goods with a high value. Today, pearls may range from $50 to $100,000 in value.
I’m not a gem or jewelry connoisseur, so I did some research this week about pearls. What makes them so valuable? Pearls come into existence in a special way. Most gems and precious metals form over time, deep within the Earth, as a result of tremendous heat and pressure over long periods of time. Unlike them, pearls come form not within the Earth but within a living organism – salt-water clams and freshwater mussels, oysters.
When a piece of sand (or piece of food, any small, foreign particle) enters the shell of an oyster, between the shell and the inner layer of tissue that lines it, the oyster covers that small grain of sand with a special substance called nacre. Slowly, it adds thousands upon thousands of thin layers of this substance, forming what we know as a pearl. This process typically occurs over 2-7 years.
Factors which affect a pearl’s value include: (1) luster (how light reflects from its surface), (2) surface quality (absence or degree of blemishes or flaws), (3) shape (the rounder the better), (4) color (the rarer the better), and (5) size (the larger, which is rarer, the better). In general, the better a pearl reflects more of these qualities, the rarer and therefore more valuable it will be.
To put things into perspective, a pearl of value is found in approximately 1 in 10,000 oysters. The most valuable pearl in the world seems to be the la Peregrina pearl, a name which means “the pilgrim.” It’s large, about 25.5 mm long. It was discovered in the 16th century (1500s) off the coast of Panama and has been owned by Spanish royalty (including Queen Mary of England) and was also owned by the more recent, famous movie star, Elizabeth Taylor, given to her by her husband in 1969. Due to both its large size, rare qualities, and legendary ownership history, it was sold at Christie’s auction in 2011 for $11.8 million, making it worth about $15-16 million today.
Now that you know these things about pearls, you can understand their value and why some people are interested in them. That’s what the man in Christ’s parable was looking for – and when he found a pearl of exceptional, incomparable value, more valuable by far than any other, he sold everything that he had so that he could buy it.
So, let me ask you again, what are you looking for? What are you looking for in life? Are you seeking after and pursuing God’s kingdom? Or something else?
God’s kingdom calls for total devotion.
That’s what this parable teaches us. Though this parable is similar to the previous one, the one about a man who found treasure hidden in a field and sold everything he had to buy it, it’s also different. It’s different in the details of course, since one speaks about treasure hidden in a field and the other speaks about a man looking for pearls.
The key difference is that in the parable about the hidden treasure, the man who found it found it by accident. He wasn’t looking for it but sold everything he had in order to buy it after he stumbled upon it. That parable emphasizes the value of God’s kingdom.
This second parable, though it includes this emphasis, adds something else because this parable describes the man as deliberately looking and searching for something valuable. He did not find this pearl by accident but after much deliberate, intentional focus on finding it. That’s what this parable teaches us – that God’s kingdom calls for total devotion and doesn’t come to someone by accident.
Speaking of pearl merchants, we should consider the difference between a casual hobbyist and a devoted enthusiast. Both a casual hobbyist and a devoted enthusiast may be interested in the same thing, but the casual hobbyist devotes small amounts of energy and money into the hobby while the devoted enthusiast devotes much.
- A casual golfer, for instance, might purchase a used or inexpensive set of golf clubs for $200 or less, while a serious golfer may spend thousands of dollars on his clubs.
- A casual golfer might spent anywhere from $10 to $50 per golf outing at a public course, while a serious golfer may spend hundreds of dollars per round of golf at a private course.
A casual golfer will wear everyday clothes and go golfing only on a few occasions per year, while a serious golfer may purchase an indoor, VR golf simulator, join a private club, take private lessons, travel the world to golf at high-end courses, and also travel the world to watch major golf tournaments. A casual golfer may spend a few hundred dollars or less on golfing in a year, while a serious golfer may spend thousands of dollars per year, up to five or six digits, to play golf.
This same paradigm applies to nearly any hobby. Ask a pickleball player how much they spent to buy their pickleball shoes and paddle, for instance. Paddles may cost anywhere from $30 to $333 dollars. Only serious enthusiasts would pay $333 for a pickleball paddle!
There are some who pursue any hobby casually for minimal cost and effort, while there are others who pursue the same hobby for maximum cost and effort. It is only the second group which may seriously call themselves devoted. That’s what this parable is making clear. It is making clear that the kingdom of God will not make sense or be spiritually satisfying for casual participants. It only makes sense and is spiritually fulfilling for those who are totally devoted to pursuing it.
Now that we know what this parable is teaching us – that the kingdom of God calls for total devotion, not half-hearted, casual pursuit – one question remains. Who is doing the seeking here in this parable? Is it God seeking us or us seeking God? Is it God seeking his kingdom or people seeking God’s kingdom?
Well, the answer is probably both, because the purpose of this parable isn’t to answer this question but simply to point out that the kingdom of God is worth pursuing wholeheartedly. Perhaps a good way to look at this, then, is to first ask how God behaves towards his kingdom and then to ask how we should behave towards God’s kingdom.
This is how God pursues us.
From the beginning of history, God has pursued his people. After Adam and Eve rebelled against God and sinned against him, he sought after them. He looked for them in the garden to restore them back to himself.
In Ezekiel 34:11 and 34:16, God describes himself as a shepherd who is devoted to searching for his scattered sheep:
Thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.”
I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.
In Luke 19:10, Christ describes his mission as one of seeking his people:
The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
In John 4:23, Christ says that God is seeking people who will be true worshipers of him:
The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
From these statements, we see that God pursues his people with total devotion. He is not casual in building his kingdom, saving his people, and transforming us into people who worship and serve him well. He is fully invested, fully devoted, and holds nothing back. He gave everything – even his own Son – to make his kingdom possible (Jn 3:16):
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
When we read this parable (and even the one before it), we should be deeply moved to discover that we (you) are God’s treasure, we (you) are God’s priceless pearl which he is pursuing passionately at maximum expense and effort to obtain.
When Christ saves a person and places them into his kingdom forever, he does not receive them as some sort of concession or consolation prize. He doesn’t view his people as some sort of add-on and necessary extra. His people are his prize and are what he has sacrificed everything to receive. Knowing this should provide you with deep assurance, confidence, and peace. You are desired, loved, and wanted by God. You are his treasure.
This is how we should pursue God.
Seeing how God pursues us as his treasure, then, should motivate us to do the same for him and his kingdom. Seeing this should motivate us to seek God with fully devoted heads, hearts, and hands. It should motivate us to seek God in faith wholeheartedly, not as a casual hobbyist but as a passionate enthusiast. Consider how Scripture teaches us to purse after God and his kingdom, after his priorities and values:
Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7)
You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jer 29:13)
Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore! (1 Chr 16:11)
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matt 6:33)
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6)
Does this describe your attitude and behavior towards God and his kingdom? Are you a more passionate enthusiast of anything else more than God and his kingdom?
When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.” (Psa 27:8)
O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. (Psa 63:1-2)
What fills your focus when you rise in the morning, what guides your choices as you make your schedule for the day. What deepest desire drives your decisions and makes the difference when you are faced with a “fork in the road?,” in which you must choose between one thing and another. Is it a closer, deeper relationship with God and his kingdom, or something else?
According to Undre Griggs, of LifeHack.com, it’s important to evaluate and identify what motivates you in life. To figure this out, he recommends asking yourself five questions:
- You would pursue [fill in the blank] even if doing so paid you nothing.
- [Fill in the blank] is always on your mind.
- You get lost in learning about [fill in the blank].
- Experiences of [fill in the blank] are among the most filling experiences in your life.
- You would [fill in the blank] even if no one knew or was making you do it.
Does pursuing a relationship with God and pursuing the priorities of his kingdom answer these questions for you? Is that what gets you up in the morning and puts you to bed at night? Is that what brings you the most excitement and satisfaction?
Perhaps you’ve heard of a man named Justin from the early second century (100-200 AD). We commonly call him “Justin Martyr” because that’s how he died, as a martyr for the Christian faith. This man was a brilliant, very intelligent professor who had deeply explored all of the philosophical perspectives of his time. He tried Stoicism but was disappointed because this couldn’t explain to him who God was and what he was like. Then he tried Peripatetic philosophy, but this also frustrated him because his teacher was obsessed with charging large fees to teach him. Then he tried Pythagoreanism, but was dissatisfied because his teacher required him to learn music, astronomy, and geometry, which he didn’t want to do. So, eventually he embraced Platonism, but this also left him dissatisfied.
One day, he met a small, elderly man who was not attractive to look at as he walked through a field by the seaside. This man approached, him, asked him some questions, and then told him about the God of the Bible. He explained to Jusin how God alone can provide true satisfaction and purpose in life and how the prophets of the Bible had much better things to say than the philosophers.
After this conversation, Justin grew curious about Jesus, so he began to read and examine the Bible carefully. In doing so, he became convinced that Jesus Christ was God and also the Savior of all people, so he believed on Jesus as his God and Savior and followed him joyfully and passionately the rest of his life, setting aside all other pursuits of other philosophies – as the pearl merchant sold all that he had – to follow Christ.
May we be like Justin and let our pursuit of God’s kingdom become the number one pursuit of our lives. And may we do so with the confidence, peace, and security of knowing that we are God’s priceless pearl, the treasure that his divine heart desires more than anything else. May we return to him the total devotion that he has shown towards us. May we seek after and pursue our relationship with God and the priorities of his kingdom with the same passionate, all-consuming enthusiasm with which Christ pursues us.
He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6)
Discussion Questions
Life101
- What about pearls that make them so desirable?
- How might things change if we desired God and His Kingdom in the same ways?
- How does God pursue us?
- What does this teach us about how we should seek God and His kingdom?
- Pastor Thomas emphasized the important distinction between a causal hobbyist and a passionate enthusiast. What are some non-religious things that you are passionate about?
- What makes you passionate about it as opposed to other things?
- What are some good ways to determine what makes us most passionate?
- What do people who are passionate about God’s kingdom do? What are some actionable steps we could take to live out our passion for our God’s kingdom?
- How can we become more passionate about God’s kingdom?
- What about pearls that make them so desirable?
- How might things change if we desired God and His Kingdom in the same ways?
- The merchant in the parable deliberately seeks pearls. Who in real life does the merchant represent? Is it God seeking us, or is it we seeking God?
- How does God pursue us?
- What does this teach us about how we should seek God and His kingdom?
- Pastor Thomas emphasized the important distinction between a causal hobbyist and a passionate enthusiast. What are some non-religious things that you are passionate about?
- What makes you passionate about it as opposed to other things?
- What are some good ways to determine what makes us most passionate?
- What do people who are passionate about God’s kingdom do? What are some actionable steps we could take to live out our passion for our God’s kingdom?
- How can we become more passionate about God’s kingdom?
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