“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Matthew 13:45-46 (NET2)

In the parable, the pearl of great value was found by the merchant searching for fine pearls. Why he was searching for fine pearls? This is not explicitly stated. Perhaps he wanted fine pearls for himself. Perhaps he wanted to sell them. Perhaps he had a customer who wanted fine pearls.

Now, did he find what he was looking for? Perhaps the answer is an unqualified ‘Yes’; he found exactly what he was looking for. Perhaps the answer is a qualified ‘Yes’; he found a fine pearl, but it was particularly fine and indeed expensive. The answer may also be a qualified ‘No’; there was certainly some overlap between what he was seeking and what he found, but what he found was not fine pearls, but something else, a single very precious pearl.

Whether the merchant found exactly what he was looking for or something better, he seems to have stopped searching when he found the precious pearl. After finding the pearl, the merchant, that seeker of fine pearls, desired to buy it. Yet, he did not buy the pearl immediately. Instead, he first “went out and sold everything he had”. Apparently, the merchant did not have enough money with him to buy the pearl immediately and it seems that he did not have enough money at home either.

Now, the fact that the merchant went out and sold everything he had arguably tells us something about the value of the pearl and the desire of the merchant to have it. The pearl was so costly that he went out and sold everything he had in order that he (might) have enough to buy it. Conversely, the merchant desired to have it so much that he was willing to sell everything he had to have it. He desired to have it more than anything he had, indeed, more than everything he had.

We must not miss the fact that the merchant did in fact sell everything he had and did in fact buy the pearl. He did not weakly allege that he would go and sell everything only to go back and sell nothing. He did not leave the pearl of great value and quickly forget about it nor did he return to his possessions and lose his desire for it. No, he went out and sold everything he had and returned to buy the pearl of great value.

But what then is the pearl of great value? Arguably, the pearl in the story is the kingdom of heaven, or perhaps more precisely, a place in the kingdom of heaven. The Matthean Jesus arguably indicates, roughly, that (a place in) the kingdom of heaven is very valuable and that it can be obtained at a high price, a price nevertheless worth paying.