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Matthew 13:45-46
This parable is similar to that of the parable Jesus told in Matthew 13:44 in that great treasure is to be found in the kingdom of heaven. In this parable, Jesus uses beautiful pearls as the treasure, and a “merchant” as the one who has been seeking the beautiful pearls. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 13:46 (NKJV), “who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
The importance here, once again, is the value placed on the pearl, which represents the kingdom of heaven. The merchant did two things in this parable: (1) He was seeking the pearl – the kingdom of heaven. (2) He left all he had to gain the pearl – his life was changed forever due to the importance of the pearl in his life.
This is an example of the importance that the kingdom of heaven should have in our lives.
Once again, as greed and selfishness could try to take over the focus of this parable, we must understand that the purpose of this parable is to show the importance that the kingdom of heaven should have in our lives. As the man found the pearl of great price, it became his primary focus on life, as the kingdom of heaven should have on our lives. I want to make it clear once again that the parable is a representation to help us understand what Jesus is teaching through it. Jesus uses our desires for earthly things, things that we can relate to in the sinful nature’s desires of this world, to help us see and relate that desire to the desire for the kingdom of heaven. It is not pearls or gold or money or fame or power or anything else in this world that we should put first in our lives, but that we can use our earthly desires for these things to relate to the proper way in which we should be seeking God’s will for our lives – to see the importance of why God sent His One and only Son to save the world from sin (John 3:16-17) so that we may be set free from it. Jesus declares in John 8:34-36 (NIV), “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Jesus came not just to save us from sin but to teach us about why He came to save us from sin. Jesus paid our price for sin in the death that He died on the cross, being sinless and not deserving of death, which is the penalty for sin. In that He died sinless is the overpowering action that destroyed sin – it couldn’t handle the sinless One who went to sin to conquer it for His greatest creation which was created to fellowship and worship Him. It was to break the barrier that separated us from God that would bring us back to a right standing with Him for true fellowship with our Creator God Almighty that Jesus came to accomplish. He is our Savior – our Savior indeed!
Dear LORD,
You sent Your One and only Son to rescue us from the chains of Satan – the chains of sin. And You sent Your One and only Son to be our eternal Savior and to teach us about why we need to open our hearts to the salvation that only He provides for us. You sent Your One and only Son to teach us about Your great kingdom of heaven and about how important it is to seek with all our heart, mind, and strength as Jesus teaches us in Matthew 22:37-40. Please help us to understand this important Bible lesson so that we will repent and turn from the sinful ways of this world and to a new, most important life in Christ Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, amen.