“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)
The kingdom of heaven is not like a precious pearl that we seek.
It is like a merchant searching for something special.
A very precious pearl.
Strong’s Greek lexicon unpacks the word translated as “very precious” (polutimos) in this way…
The Greek adjective πολύτιμος is used to describe something that is of great value or highly esteemed. It conveys the idea of something being precious, costly, or of significant worth. In the New Testament, it is often used to describe items of material wealth or spiritual significance.
And when the pearl trader found that one pearl that he really had to have, the Greek text says he sold “all things as many as he had”.
He sold everything.
He put himself out of business.
He declared himself bankrupt.
He ceased trading.
You are not the merchant. You are the pearl.
[With acknowledgement to Fritz Kunkel, Creation Continues: A Psychological Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1973), p.162]