45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
I saw these two parables, the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price, right after each other and was wondering "What's the difference?". At first both seemed to be about something valued so much that the one who wished to posses it was willing to sell all he had for it. But there are subtle differences in how these two parables are worded that made me realize an entirely different intent of these two parables.
In the last one, the kingdom of heaven was like treasure hidden in a field. In this one the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant. In this one, the kingdom of heaven is the seeker, not the thing of great value.
The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls. The kingdom of heaven is seeking beautiful souls. The kingdom of heaven is not just a place for us to seek and hopefully one day find. It is seeking us!
I also notice this parable talks of the merchant finding a pearl, not of great beauty, nor of great value, but of great price. When he found the pearl of great price, he sold all that he had and bought it. Jesus died on the cross for us, He gave His all for us, He paid our great price, so we could have eternal life in heaven.
Yes, we should be seeking heaven and its price may feel great. But it is so encouraging to know that heaven is seeking us, even to the point of paying the greatest price for us. We should strive to be those beautiful pearls that heaven is seeking. The price is already paid.