What Kind of Pearls are You Searching For?

The city of Hyderabad is referred to as the ‘Pearl City.’ It is thus known because of its history of pearl processing and trading, a practice established by its Nizam rulers in the centuries preceding India’s independence from the British.

Even today, pearls of various kinds from all over the world are brought by pearl merchants to Hyderabad for processing and sale. Pearls are a precious substance yielded by nature, which people use simply to add grandeur to their garb. Not all pearls are of the same value. The greater the quality and size of the pearls, the more one pays to own them, and the more one cherishes them after the purchase.   

The Bible says, in the words of Jesus Christ,    

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,

who, when he had found one pearl of great price,

went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46

In this story that Jesus narrates, the pearl merchant was searching for beautiful pearls. Perhaps he was looking for many smaller pearls to string on to a necklace. As he searched for many, he came upon one pearl, and it was precious. Its cost was so high that he had to sell everything he had to buy this pearl. Remember, this man was a merchant: he was rich! If he had to sell everything he owned to buy this pearl, its cost was outrageous! Yet he was willing to pay an outrageous price to own this one pearl.

Today, people are feverishly searching for various “pearls” in life to look and feel good. Search for the “pearl of pleasure”—sex, drugs or alcohol—and you’ll find that they cannot satisfy, but only leave you empty. Search for the “pearl of wealth” and you’ll find it makes a slave out of you. Search for the “pearls of education, social status and fame,” and you’ll find that it’s very lonely at the top. Seek the “pearl of religion,” trying to satisfy your gods to earn salvation, and you’ll find no assurance. All these fake pearls can neither guarantee peace in this life, nor entry into the kingdom of heaven. But there is a pearl so precious that it’s worth giving up everything else in life for. When you gain this pearl, you gain it all.

Jesus offers us this pearl of great price in Himself. When you find Jesus, realize Who He is, and believe in Him to be your Saviour—the one who saves you from sin and forgives your sin—you can give up everything else in life and put all your hope in Him. Without believing in Jesus, there is no entry into the kingdom of heaven, only the eternal hopelessness of hell: separated from God forever, in a place of fire and torment. When you believe in Jesus however, entry into Heaven is guaranteed. But how did Jesus secure this guarantee?

Jesus died on the cross for sin - that which keeps us out of Heaven, out of God’s presence. When He died on the cross, Jesus took the sins of all who would believe in Him and the penalty for our sins, upon Himself. This was to expiate the wrath of a holy God against sin. We could not pay the price for the pearl of salvation even if we sold all our possessions. But being fully God and fully man, Jesus could pay for our salvation by dying on the cross. Then He rose again from the dead, proving to be the Lord of life and Lord over death. Therefore, He alone can guarantee our entry into Heaven.

If you reject Jesus, though you possess all things in life, you will wake up one day in eternity to realize you have lost it all. But today receive the gift of this most precious Pearl, Jesus Christ, and you’ll find it’s worth giving up everything else to keep Him, and to be kept by Him. When you believe in Jesus, even if you lose everything in this life, it cannot compare to all you gain: forgiveness of sin, eternal life, and God Himself.

—Kenny Damara, 2019