The Pearl of Great Price

 As Jesus walked on earth, He ministered to large numbers of both the common man and His disciples. Jesus ministered in a variety of settings, enduring the elements. He fed His sheep both in Spirit and with tangible food. The Parables stretch over the first three chapters of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. There are a total of thirty Parables contained in the Bible. Some have challenged man and brought major divisions within the Body of Christ. This began during the time of Jesus on earth! Many of the Parables are very famous and can be remembered easily.  While others are somewhat less significant and the average person is not aware of their existence.

The Pearl of Great Price is one of the least well-known. It is short, and can be easily bypassed or glossed over. It is contained within the sixth Parable that Jesus spoke to His disciples. It is only two verses long and can be located in Matthew 13: 45-46. It is also the middle of three Parables that I call the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ series as it relates to discovering the Kingdom. These three Parables were addressed only to His disciples.

Some people I have spoken to lately struggle with just what is the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven in my mind is what you choose to make of the circumstances and life you lead. We in our fallen state have to live sometimes with two feet in two different worlds – the spiritual and natural.

This can be a tough situation depending on where you are with your walk with Jesus. A question is presented in this Parable that should be asked to everyone that follows the Lord. What pearls are you seeking? Matthew 13:22 reminds us not to let the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word. Pearls in this context are a collection of seeking the Kingdom in all areas or going to large extensive searches to secure the best that can be found in the Kingdom. 

What do you seek when  looking for your pearls? From my own experience I seek after the finest that the Lord has. Do you seek the highest quality of Godliness in your life? 

There is an old time saying I used to use ―’Sold out to Jesus’. Ask yourself this question: are you willing, after finding the Pearl the Lord has for you, to put everything into obtaining your pearl? Are you willing to sell everything for it? The answer I believe lies in the fact that if we can get to the point of total abandonment and trust in the Lord only then will we experience true relief from anxiety and experience God’s blessings in our lives. Matthew 6: 25-34.

Through this beautiful parable, Jesus sheds light on what we as believers must seek in our everyday lives. He wants you to lead a stress-free life! The threads between the two passages of scripture of Matthew 6 and the Parable here are amazing.

Matthew 13: 23- And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings

forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

First published by David Chenoweth in 3-in-1 The Voice 2010