PEARL OF GREAT PRICE: MATTHEW 13:45-46

  Whereas the precious object in the Parable of the Hidden Treasure was probably a hoard of gold coins, in this story it is a perfect pearl. Pearls at the time ranked up there with gold in terms of value and desirability. N. Hillyer probably makes too big a deal over the fact that a pearl is featured in this story, but I will present his idea anyway for what it is worth. He explains that the pearl is the only precious stone formed from a living organism, and it results from an injury done to it. So it is a good picture of the church which Jesus purchased with his own blood. To confirm this idea, he points to Revelation 21:21 where the twelve gates to the heavenly city are said to be made of pearl. He concludes, “entrance into the Father's presence is only by way of the work of Jesus himself.” I don't at all disagree with his conclusion, only whether it can really be derived from this parable.

Another distinction compared to the previous parable is that the merchant was diligently seeking for the perfect pearl whereas the man in the field comes upon his treasure solely by accident. These represent two ways in which people find the kingdom. It is like the difference between the wise men seeking out Jesus and the shepherds coming across him unexpectedly. An old rabbinical saying was “One wins eternal life after a struggle of years, another finds it in one hour.”

Another difference between the two stories is that although both parties give up all they have in trade for their desired treasures, the man in the field can turn around and live comfortably off of the treasure, the merchant is left with nothing but the pearl itself, which he prizes above everything else he owns. But in both cases, there was a heavy price to pay. Unfortunately, that could be used to justify the doctrine that we somehow need to pay for our salvation. That shows the danger of reading too much into the details of the parable. Here are some comments to counter that idea:

    “There is no suggestion of purchasing salvation, but that coming under the sovereignty of God means the complete denial of self.” (H. L. Ellison)

    “paradoxically, salvation is free yet costs everything.” (F. Stagg)

    “Money will not buy salvation. It is God's free gift. We can 'buy' it only in the sense that we gain rightful possession of it. We do this by grace.” (Blomberg)

    “That the merchant 'seeks' pearls should not be construed as praise for religious efforts.” (Hill)

    “The pearl of great price in the parable can be taken to represent the church which Jesus purchased with his own blood.” (Hillyer and John Walvoord)  The New Bible Commentary says that interpretation is unlikely.

When I think about this parable, I am reminded of a good friend of mine back in New York who seemed to get wildly enthusiastic about a different hobby almost every month. Even at the time I could tell that he was looking to fill the God-shaped void in his life and I tried to nudge him in that direction. And then he went to a religious retreat and became the most enthusiastic Christian I have ever met. A mutual friend told me, “It won't last. It's just another fad that he will soon forget about.” My comment to him was, “No, at last he has found what he was searching for.” And it turned out that I was correct. He abandoned all his other pursuits entirely and decades later is still on fire for the Lord.

What is the major point to be learned from these similar stories? First I will quickly dispense with some minority opinions:

1. Dispensationalist commentators such as Barbieri explain that the hidden treasure stands for Israel while the pearl is a symbol of the church. The meaning is that both of these people of God will continue to exist side by side as God's two kingdoms. This is a pretty far-fetched interpretation that seems designed solely to justify a pre-existing theological belief.

2. Some feel that the men in each story are symbols of Christ, who sought out people for his Kingdom and gave everything for the sake of mankind. (Albright and Mann). Again, most scholars would dismiss this interpretation.

3. Albright and Mann also offer the opinion that perhaps the parables are a commentary on Jesus' address to the apostles in an earlier verse in the same chapter: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Thus, they feel that the main point of the parables was to teach them that they were now in possession of the secret of the coming kingdom.

4. Derrett says that if a man takes such joy over an earthly treasure, how much more will God treasure those who faithfully serve him. There is nothing wrong with such a sentiment and there are similar arguments from the lesser to the greater in Jesus' other parables, but there doesn't seem to be a hint of this idea in these two cases.

But that leaves one large question to be addressed: what is the main point of these two stories?

John Donahue asks the same question: “Is it the search, the joy of finding, or the willingness to risk all?” There are prominent champions for each of these views, especially the last point, which could certainly be justified by appealing to Jesus' word to the rich young man to “sell what you own and give it to the poor and follow me.” (Matthew 19:21)  But note that all of these possibilities zero in on the man in the story.

However, other authors feel that these opinions are all off base and that the main point of comparison is on the object of desire itself. As Hill says, “the kingdom is so valuable that it is worth sacrificing everything.”

The treasure and the pearl are Christ according to church fathers and Augustine. (Kistemaker)

They refer to Christ's sacrifice and/or the sacrifice demanding of those who come to the Kingdom (AB)

They refer to the “inestimable worth of the Kingdom, the need for urgency and even sacrifice to enter it. (NCBC)

Jesus is not “the treasure hunter purchasing our redemption.” (Blomberg)

Between these two parables “Jesus is reaching out to every person in his audience. He calls the spiritual seeker as well as the apathetic atheist.” (Blomberg)

Both are addressed to the disciples, not the crowd. (Hendricksen)

Look at Philippians 3:8-9a on the loss of all things for Christ.

On salvation: “We can 'buy' it only in the sense that we gain rightful possession of it.” (Hendricksen)

France: no indication of the audience, probably addressed to the crowd. Main themes: commitment to the kingdom and costly renunciation needed.

NBC: main theme is the infinite worth of the kingdom for which no sacrifice is too great (see. Matthew 16:24-27)

Possible distinction between the two parables: one person can stumble across the kingdom without seeking it while another can first search through many substitutes first. (NBC)

Dictionary of Ethics, p. 578: “The meaning of a given parable often is elusive: is the point of the parable of the pearl the search, the joy of finding, or the willingness to risk all?”

Beale and Gladd: They “demonstrate the immense worth or inauguration of the latter-day kingdom.”

International Bible Commentary: “There is no suggestion of purchasing salvation, but that coming under the sovereignty of God means the complete denial of self.” See Matthew 10:38-39; 16:25;John 12:25.

Bible Knowledge Commentary: “it seems best to understand this to be a reference to Israel, God's 'treasured possession.' One reason Jesus came into the world was to redeem Israel, so that He could be viewed as the One who sold all He had[the glories of heaven] in order to purchase the treasure.”