By His Blood – The Merchant and the Great Pearl

On my recent trip to Thailand, Pastor Simon Wilson, a brother from the Royal Family International taught on the parables of Jesus Christ, and how we have misunderstood them. I give him credit for this insight.

Matthew 13:45 – 46  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

For years, this parable has been taught towards believers about the price we must pay to have the kingdom of God. We teach that serving God will cost you everything, and we must give it all, to possess it. Of course, we know that is not the nature of our Father neither is it the basis for the New Covenant.

The New covenant is all about what God did for us. It is not based on what we do for God. There is no price to pay on our half, as Jesus has paid it all. We simply have the role of agreeing with what Christ has done, or rejecting it.

In the parable of the merchant seeking a pearl of great price, believers have generally associated themselves with being the merchant and the Kingdom being the pearl. The problem with that interpretation is that it implies the Kingdom can be bought somehow by us giving something of ourselves. Yet we know, the Kingdom is not bought for anything, it is a free gift purchased by the Blood of Jesus that has come unto all men.

I believe the more accurate understanding of this parable, is to recognize that God is the merchant, and humanity is the pearl, and the payment was Jesus Christ who gave it all for us. Unlike the traditional way to interpret this passage, putting context to the verse truly embodies the work that Father did to ransomed us by the Blood of Jesus. This parable, when understood in context, shows the Father’s heart towards us, the great price that he paid, and our value in his sight. Now, that is exceptionally good news.

Pastor Simon Wilson talking about the Pearl of Great Price.