22. The Kingdom Parables – The Sixth – The Pearl of Greatest Price – Part 2 of 4
This most interesting Parable, most misunderstood, is a delight to study because of the deep truth that comes from it. In Part 1 we saw that the Merchant Man is Jesus Christ who gave up all He had (and ALL that was perfection). He left it behind to suffer on the cross so that now the Church is being formed, person by person, (just like the formation of a pearl, layer upon layer. The Pearl of greatest price is Christ’s Church, bone of His bone.
When the time is ready, that Pearl will be lifted from the sea of humanity in the Rapture to be forever with the Lord, its perfection shining and glowing with the brilliance of Christ.
This Part follows right on from the previous Part. In Part 2 we do a lot of summary points I hope you find interesting.
[D]. THE FLAWLESS CHURCH AS VIEWED BY CHRIST. The most precious, physical pearl on earth is a beautiful unity. Its composition is flawless, perfect, one complete unity with all its constituent molecules combined in perfect harmony. This is how Christ sees the Church, His chosen ones for whom He died. And this is why I am so strong at times on the recognition of the whole Body, and do not like sectarianism. I say, let us try to see the Church as Christ sees it, and try to appreciate each member as a perfect part of a one-day flawless Church (though the Lord sees it as flawless and perfect now, because of His sanctifying work).
{{Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as CHRIST ALSO LOVED THE CHURCH AND GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR HER, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that HE MIGHT PRESENT TO HIMSELF THE CHURCH in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:29-30 “for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.”}}
[E]. THE PEARL/CHURCH REFLECTS CHRIST’S GLORY. A pearl shines with a wonderful lustre, a brilliance that is a reflected glory. That is what the Church will do for Christ. It will shine His glory, reflect His attributes, tell of the greatness of the One who created it.
[F]. THE CHURCH IS CLOSE TO CHRIST’S HEART. Pearls are most often associated with strings around the neck thus placing the pearl close to the heart. That is where the Church is for Christ - close to His heart. His comparable love is supreme. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 “May the Lord direct your hearts into THE LOVE OF GOD and into the steadfastness of Christ.”}} {{Romans 8:39 “nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”}}
[4]. THE WONDERFUL POEM BY EPHRAIM OF SYRIA
In closing our thoughts on the Pearl, I want to take a small fragment from a very long poem by one of the great writers of the church who lived 306 – 373 AD. He was Ephraim of Syria who was the great poet and hymn writer of the church. He wrote over 3 million lines. Sadly much has been lost. In one of his poems called “The Pearl”, a long poem, he gives an understanding of what was understood THEN about the pearl. What is certain is that he does NOT believe the pearl means salvation. Neither did the Church back then. Ephraim sees the Pearl and Church together.
THE PEARL: SEVEN HYMNS ON THE FAITH
On a certain day a pearl did I take up, my brethren;
I saw in it mysteries pertaining to the Kingdom;
Semblances and types of the Majesty;
It became a fountain, and I drank out of it, mysteries of the Son.
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I put it, my brethren, upon the palm of my hand,
That I might examine it:
I went to look at it on one side,
And it proved faces on all sides.
I found out that the Son was incomprehensible,
Since He is wholly Light.
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In its brightness I beheld the Bright One Who cannot be clouded,
And in its purity a great mystery,
Even the Body of Our Lord which is well-refined:
In its undividedness I saw the Truth
Which is undivided.
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It was so that I saw there its pure conception,
THE CHURCH, AND THE SON WITHIN HER.
The cloud was the likeness of her that bore Him,
And her type the heaven,
Since there shone forth from her His gracious Shining.
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I saw therein his Trophies, and His victories, and His crowns.
I saw His helpful and overflowing graces,
And His hidden things with His revealed things.
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[5] SUMMARY - BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER UP TO THIS POINT BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT
THE PEARL OF GREATEST PRICE
• {{Matthew 13:45 - 46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it}}
• We shall look at the following items:-
• Who is the merchant?
• What is the pearl?
• What can we learn from all this?
WHAT IS COMMONLY BELIEVED (IT IS WRONG)
• The parable speaks of salvation
• The merchant is a sinner
• He sells all he has or gives up stuff
• The pearl is salvation he has bought, found, earned and sold all that he had
THE MERCHANT
• He was rich already
• He already had valuable pearls
• He was a “seeker”
• He sacrificed all for the ultimate pearl
• He bought that pearl
THE PEARL WITHOUT VALUE
• The pearl is very valuable
• Let us consider how the natural pearl is formed (done in Part 1)
• When the right time has come it is lifted from the sea
• Then all will see the glory of the pearl
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM ALL THIS?
• Who really is the merchant man? – It is Jesus Christ the Lord!
• Can it mean a sinner buying salvation? – IMPOSSIBLE for salvation is a free gift.
{{Romans 3:9-12 “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all, for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin, as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE. There is none who understands; there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become useless. THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”}}
• {{Romans 6:23 “For the WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, but THE FREE GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS, that no one should boast.” Isaiah 55:1 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters, and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, BUY WINE AND MILK WITHOUT MONEY AND WITHOUT COST.” Isaiah 55:7 “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”}}
THE MERCHANT IS THE LORD JESUS
HE WAS RICH – {{2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”}} It was in His poverty we became rich.
• HE WAS THE SEEKER – {{Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”}} He came to seek a people for Himself.
• HE WAS THE BUYER – {{1 Corinthians 6:20 “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”}} Bought at greatest price.
BUT . . . WHAT IS THE PEARL HE PURCHASED? WHAT IS IT?
• Remember how the Pearl is formed? (This was done in Part 1)
• The wounded side.
• What is the imagery here? What is the parallel?
• {{Genesis 2:21-23 “So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept. Then He took one of his ribs, and CLOSED UP THE FLESH AT THAT PLACE, and the LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man, and the man said, ‘This is now BONE OF MY BONES, AND FLESH OF MY FLESH. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’”}}
• Through the cleft side and wound in the first man Adam, all transacted in the darkness of sleep, his bride was formed.
• Through the cleft side and wound in the second man Jesus, all transacted in the darkness upon the earth, His Bride was formed.
• Adam’s bride was presented to him in union (marriage). She was Eve, bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. In the closest union.
• Christ’s Bride will be presented to Him in union (marriage). She is THE CHURCH, bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. In the closest union.
• This happens at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb – {{Revelation 19:7 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and HIS BRIDE has made herself ready.”}}
• The PEARL of greatest price is the CHURCH for which Christ, the Merchant, sold all to purchase (He became poor). The purchase price was at the greatest expense.
• How Christ LOVES His Church, His Bride! When He comes (Rapture) He will lift that Pearl from the murky waters of this world, from the sea of humanity, and She shall forever be on display as His redeemed trophy.
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHRIST AND THE CHURCH?
• He is Head of the Church - Ephesians 5:23
• He is Saviour of the Church - Ephesians 5:23
• Consider Ephesians 5:25 - Love = desire = sacrifice. Merchant ---> sought - (desire/love) - sacrifice (bought)
CHRIST’S RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHURCH EPHESIANS 5:25-30
• 1 ? 25 Loved
• 2 ? 25 Gave
• 3 ? 26 Sanctified
• 4 ? 26 Cleansed
• 5 ? 27 Will Present
• 6 ? 29 Nourishes
• 7 ? 30 Cherishes (values in love)
HOW MANY MYSTERIES ARE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?
• See {{Ephesians 5:32:- “This mystery is GREAT, but I am speaking with reference to CHRIST and the CHURCH.”}}
What is meant by the word “mystery”? A mystery is a truth that has been concealed or hidden until the time of its revelation or disclosure in scripture. The Church and her relationship to Christ is a truth that was hidden in scripture but only a hint was made by Christ – {{Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build MY CHURCH and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.”}}. Paul was the Apostle designated to teach the truth about the Church especially in Ephesians.
• “Mystery (µ?st?????) is translated 21 times as “mystery” in the New Testament but only 2 of these are termed “GREAT”. The relationship between Christ and His Church is termed as “GREAT”.
THE BRIDE FOR ADAM
• First Adam - Bride formed from his side and presented to him by God in closest union.
• Second Adam - Bride formed from his suffering (side) and presented to Him BY Himself! Ephesians 5:27. In closest union that relationship will ever be.
THE BRIDE – THE PEARL
• Complete (the Pearl 100% formed)
• Raptured (the Pearl lifted out the sea)
• Sanctified (the Pearl rewarded)
• Prepared (the Pearl totally purified)
• Presented (the Pearl on display)
• {{Revelation 19:7-8 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB has come and HIS BRIDE HAS MADE HERSELF READY. And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean, for THE FINE LINEN IS THE RIGHTEOUS ACTS OF THE SAINTS.”}}
• So close is the union between Christ and His Bride (Church, Body) that we ought NOT to think of Christ without His Bride; NOR think of the Bride without her Bridegroom (Lord, Head, Merchant, Redeemer). They are inseparable. Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her.
That brings us to the end of Part 2 where we have looked at the Pearl which is the Church, the Bride of Christ. We are going to move to Part 3.
