I am preaching through the parables of Matthew 13, and in Matthew 13:45-46, Jesus explains the extreme value of his kingdom through a story about a pearl trader who discovers the greatest pearl. This man, who knows a lot about pearls, goes all in and sells all that he has to obtain this pearl. Jesus says this is what His Kingdom is like.
What strikes me from this parable, is what this man has in his hands at the end. All he has is the pearl. He has given up all other things for this one pearl.
The reckless abandon of this man is not here to highlight his foolishness. Doesn’t this guy know he cannot eat the pearl!? But instead, this shows that the kingdom is worth so much more than anything else we can ever own or possess.
The value of the Kingdom of God is hard to express! So I now have this image of a man standing with just one huge pearl in his hand, as an image of the value of this glorious king. Jesus is better than all else, and if He is all you have, you have a treasure!