Matt. 13:45,46 • The Pearl of Great Price

A. Background & Comments:

• on this final Sunday of August, we bring to a conclusion a series of sermons that have been focusing on the parables of Jesus Christ, as they are presented in Matthew Ch. 13:1-52. In these times together we have seen:

• The Parable of the Sower (vs. 3-9; 18-23)

- we receive the Word of God in different ways!

• The Parable of the Weeds (vs. 24-30; 36-43)

- a day of judgment awaits imposters of the faith.

• The Parable of the Mustard Seed (vs. 31,32)

- we have potential to possess greater faith & hope.

• The Parable of the Yeast (vs. 33)

- the Kingdom invades every part of life

• The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (vs. 44)

- the Kingdom of God is of inestimable value

• as we have said before, these teachings are especially valuable because Jesus Christ is teaching “Kingdom” principles. Each parable starts with the words, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…”, indicating that there is an entity & behavior – for the individual Christian – to strive toward of greater value than ourselves.

• in a practical sense, these parables are “light” to many of the issues in our lives. Quite often our struggles in life are tied to:

• how we do or do not respond to the Word of God;
• not accepting the eventual judgment of God on behavior;
• underestimating the potential/value of Christ’s kingdom;

B. Main Thought:

• The passage we consider today speaks to the value of Christ’s kingdom versus the value of the earthly experience of the “tangible”.

We begin to think like Christ when we understand that…

I. (vs. 45) The Pearl of Great Price: Obtained Through Searching

“ Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ”

A. I imagine Jesus pausing after this sentence for effect! When Jesus Christ depicts this story he is declaring truth, particularly the truth of the value of his kingdom in the lives of his followers relative to anything else in life. The relationship, character & implications of this sentence are two-fold:

• “the merchant” – a man busy with life; familiar with searching for the best deal for his business; one who is aware of value;
• “fine pearls” – this is a relative statement: there are variable & relative values to the things we seek;

B. One of the constant themes through both these parables, as well as the gospels as a whole is the role of the individual being a seeker or pursuer of truth. This passage is a picture of humanity: people busy with life, seeking greater values & truth.

• if we will truly be who we need to be – no matter the time & season of life we are in – seeking God through prayer, scripture reading, service to others without expectation, etc. isthe bottom line of being a “seeker”.

II. (vs. 46) The Pearl of Great Price: Sets Direction for Life

“ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

A. The merchant mentioned in verse 45, once he had found & recognized a pearl of immense value, went away to rid himself of every inferior resource in life, in order to buy the greatest resource. He saw & experienced the real thing, the greatest valued pearl he could ever lay his eyes on.

• what a poignant moment for us! Jesus Christ’s kingdom is worth more than everything else we can lay our hands on, combined together! It is a picture of the relative value that fulfilling Kingdom life is compared to seeking life’s “pearls”. Why? Upon salvation we gain what we cannot lose!

• C.T. Studd: “If Jesus Christ be God and died from me, no

• sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him”.

• Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain

• what he cannot lose”.

B. The core truth of the matter is this: we tend, whether by choice or by neglect, to not value the things of the Kingdom as highly as we value, jobs, houses, cars, vacations, etc. This reality often shows itself in how we relate to our children, especially around times of transitions. Is what they do in life as important as their salvation or obedience to Christ?

• I ask these questions gently: Who or what is setting the direction for your life? Does your life revolve around Kingdom values & priorities or is it the other way around?

Implications

Consider the story, words & life of David Livingstone…

David Livingstone of Africa graduated as a medical doctor from Edinburgh University, but he was determined to do something for God. He wanted to work in some place in the world where there was great need, so he went to Africa. We know from his story that he opened up new roads into what was called ‘the dark continent’. He said these words, I’m quoting: ‘I am willing to go anywhere provided it be forward’ – so he did, he went forward to Africa. Livingstone said early in his missionary career: ‘I will place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in its relation to the kingdom of God. Anything I have will be given according as giving or keeping it shall most promote the Kingdom of my Saviour’. He began his work that ultimately extended 32 years in total, entirely dedicated to the continent of Africa. The first 12 years or so were in missionary travels, and the remainder of those 32 years, were unveiling the unknown interior of Africa where his geographical discoveries placed him at the pinnacle of exploration and achievement. On his last trip to Scotland, the University of Edinburgh conferred an honorary degree upon him. In Scottish universities, whenever there was a recipient of an honorary degree there was a custom that the recipient was basically fair sport, fair game, for the rest of the student body as he received his award. The recipient would have to run the gauntlet of all the raucous remarks. They would taunt them and shout, ridiculing them, sometimes with very lurid remarks and criticisms – simply because the person receiving the honorary doctorate had not worked to earn the degree.

So, in the day that David Livingstone was about to receive this honorary award, many wondered what the reaction of the student body would be. Do you know what the students did that day? They stood silent in an ovation of respect to this man. There, I want you to picture it in your mind’s eye, Livingstone stood, one arm hanging at his side – his shoulder had been torn by a lion in the forests of Africa. There he stood, his skin like leather because the sun had completely destroyed it. With the students standing in silence, Livingstone was heard to say these words: ‘Shall I tell you what supported me through all these years of exile among a people whose language I could not understand, and whose attitude toward me was always uncertain and often hostile? It was this: ‘Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world’. ‘People talk of sacrifice that I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice, which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice, which brings its own best reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word ‘sacrifice’ in such a view and with such a thought! It was emphatically no sacrifice say rather ‘It was a privilege’. Anxiety, sickness, suffering or danger now and then, with the foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause and cause the spirit to savor and the soul to sink – but let this only be for a moment! All these are nothing when compared with the glory, which shall hereafter be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice! Of this we ought not to talk when we remember the great sacrifice, which He made who left His Father’s throne on high to give Himself for us’.

Silence hung that day in the air in the McEwan Hall in Edinburgh University. To this day Livingstone’s name is still revered among a great many inhabitants across the vast reaches of the African interior. Succeeding generations acknowledge him as a legendary figure who dedicated his life to Africa and her people – that’s why, when he died, his heart was buried in Africa, though his body is buried in Westminster Abbey.