The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matt 13:45-46 (ESV)

Mysterious Treasure – Part 3

Go to  PART 1  |  PART 2

The second problem in the “Parable of the Pearl of great worth” happens by the time you get to word nine:

“Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant…”

What?!
Are you kidding me?
A merchant?

Although being a merchant, or a trader, has undoubtedly become a more respectable vocation over time, to Jesus first century Jewish audience, merchants did not have glowing reputations. Most references to them in the Bible are negative. They traded in weapons and people, took from the poor and sold to the wealthy, crossed boundaries and political lines that not many would even dare go near; they were at least socially suspect.

Revelation 18:3 says, “For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

Not an awesome group of friends for someone we would expect the Kingdom of Heaven to be likened to.

Imagine if you had never heard this parable, who would you expect Jesus to equate his Kingdom to? Maybe a Rabbi, or the widow who gave all she had? The young fellow who started a charity or the local philanthropist? A devoted mum or a hardworking father? Nope. A merchant. Someone the community could never really trust. He is a strange protagonist. It would have surprised Jesus audience to hear him use this character in the parable, much less someone who could attain to the Kingdom of God.

The pearl is an equally strange choice. In the ancient world, pearls were the most expensive jewel one could buy. They represented the epitome of wealth. There’s a story about Cleopatra, where she reportedly told Mark Antony that she could eat ten million sesterces (more than 10 million dollars) in a single meal. To do so, she took off one of her pearl earrings, dissolved it in vinegar and drank the liquid it created. Pearls were an ostentatious sign of wealth. It was reasonable to think that perhaps there was a pearl(s) amongst Herod's treasures, but would have a shepherd, or a carpenter, or a rabbi, or anyone from the general population of Nazareth owned one? Unheard of. Not many would have even seen a pearl let alone held one in their hands. It was a mysterious treasure most could only dream of… Rumours of its beauty, stories of its rarity, and the forbidden nature of its origin (a non-kosher oyster), would have made this jewel a fascinating and mysterious treasure to talk about.

So as you can see, it is a little far-fetched to assign the merchant the role of Jesus, and the pearl, the role of ourselves, or vice versa. Don't get me wrong, the allegory works. But this is not an allegory. This is a story that provoked and challenged Jesus audience. A parable. We should seek out that challenge and provocation too.

It's just like Jesus to use surprising characters and mysterious treasures to enlarge one's perspective on what the Kingdom of God could include, and who could be involved in it. There are some groups of people and some ‘treasures’ that we, today, see as suspicious and unsavoury, or on the flip side, out of reach and foolhardy to pursue. But Jesus works in the unexpected, unheard of and surprising. As Martin Sheen said, “The genius of God is to dwell where we would least likely look.”

Let Jesus' use of these unlikely characters mess around with your constructs for a moment. They do with mine. But rather than thinking of them regarding others, draw the parallel into yourself. What does Jesus use of his characters tell you about yourself?

The merchant is a seeker in search of wealth. What are you seeking? And what would you consider to be of highest value should you find it?

Go to Part 4 – Bought the Pearl of Great Value »
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