RETURN TO SYLLABUS
THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #31
THE PARABLE OF THE MERCHANTMAN AND THE PEARL (MAT 13:45-46)

• MEMORY VERSE: EPH 5:27

• THE PARABLE OF THE MERCHANTMAN AND THE PEARL (MAT 13:45-46)
• THIS IS ANOTHER OFTEN MISINTERPRETED PARABLE. THE MESSAGE IS SIMILAR TO THE LAST PARABLE OF THE TREASURE AND THE FIELD, BUT WITH SOME DIFFERENCES.
• READ MAT 13:45-46
• THE COMMON MISINTERPRETATION:
• MANY THEOLOGIANS, PASTORS, AND TEACHERS SAY THAT CHRIST IS THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE WORTH MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THIS WORLD. SEEKING CHRIST AND GIVING UP EVERYTHING FOR HIM IS THE ULTIMATE PURSUIT OF LIFE.
• WHILE THE PREVIOUS STATEMENT IS TRUE, IT IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE INTERPRETATION OF THIS PARABLE. WHY?
• WE HAVE ALREADY LEARNED FROM THE PREVIOUS PARABLE OF THE TREASURE AND THE FIELD THAT WE DO NOT SEEK CHRIST, HE SEEKS US. (SEE LESSON #30)
• IN THE PARABLE OF THE MERCHANTMAN AND THE PEARL, THE MERCHANTMAN PURCHASES THE VALUABLE PEARL.
• WE DO NOT PURCHASE CHRIST, INSTEAD, HE PAID THE PRICE FOR US. (AGAIN SEE LESSON #30).
• WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THIS PARABLE AND THE PARABLE OF THE TREASURE IN THE FIELD IN THE LAST LESSON (MAT 13:44)?
• THESE TWO PARABLES SEEM TO BE VERY SIMILAR. HOWEVER, WHILE THERE ARE SIMILARITIES, THERE ARE ALSO DIFFERENCES:

• WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PEARLS?
• THE JEWS DID NOT CONSIDER PEARLS A PRECIOUS GEM. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOK OF JOB, WE FIND PEARLS MENTIONED ONLY ONCE.
• BY THE TIME OF JESUS’ MINISTRY, PEARLS HAD BECOME HIGHLY PRIZED AS AN ORNAMENT FOR KINGS.
• NATURAL PEARLS ARE A PRODUCT OF A LIVING ORGANISM, THE OYSTER.
• AN OYSTER LIVES IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA AMONG THE MIRE AND SCAVENGERS OF THE DEEP.
• OUT OF THE SUFFERING OF INJURY OR IRRITATION INSIDE THE OYSTER’S SHELL, SOMETHING OF BEAUTY RESULTS:
• A PEARL IS FORMED SLOWLY AND GRADUALLY AS THE OYSTER COVERS THE IRRITATION WITH THE PEARLY SUBSTANCE, LAYER UPON LAYER.
• THE PEARL IS FORMED IN SECRET WHERE NO ONE CAN SEE.
• A MORE BIBLICALLY CONSISTENT INTERPRETATION:
• WHO DOES THE MERCHANTMAN REPRESENT?
• JESUS CHRIST IS THE MERCHANTMAN.
• THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH ALL THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN ALL OF THE PARABLES IN MAT 13.
• THE WORD USED FOR THE MERCHANTMAN IN THIS PARABLE ORIGINALLY HAD THE PRIMARY MEANING OF ONE WHO GOES ON A SHIP AS A PASSENGER. LATER THE WORD, MERCHANTMAN, CAME TO MEAN A WHOLESALE DEALER, AS DISTINGUISHED FROM A RETAIL DEALER.
• THEREFORE, THE MERCHANTMAN WAS ONE WHO WAS IN BUSINESS AND TOOK JOURNEYS TO FIND OBJECTS TO IMPORT FOR THE PURPOSE OF SELLING TO RETAILERS.
• THE WORD, SEEKING, IN THIS PARABLE IMPLIES THAT THE PERSON LEAVES ONE PLACE AND GOES TO ANOTHER PLACE.
• THE MERCHANTMAN WAS AN EXPERT, A CONNOISSEUR, SOMEONE WHO KNEW ALL ABOUT PEARLS AS TO THEIR REAL WORTH.
• WHAT IS THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE?
• IN THE LAST PARABLE OF THE TREASURE IN THE FIELD, THE TREASURE REPRESENTED MEN’S HEARTS FILLED WITH FAITH.
• REMEMBER THAT THE WORD, TREASURE, IS A GENERAL, GENERIC TERM FOR A MULTI-FACETED GROUP OF VALUABLE OBJECTS.
• BELIEVERS ARE A MULTI-FACETED GROUP OF VALUABLE OBJECTS.
• IN THIS PARABLE OF THE MERCHANTMAN AND THE PEARL, THE VALUABLE OBJECT IS A SINGLE PEARL.
• THEREFORE, THE PEARL IS THE BODY OF CHRIST, THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH.
• READ EPH 5:25-27
• READ JOH 17:20-23
• THE BODY OF CHRIST, THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH, IS A SINGLE, UNIFIED ENTITY. IT IS PURE, HOLY, AND WITHOUT BLEMISH.
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?
• JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR US INDIVIDUALLY AS DESCRIBED BY THE PREVIOUS PARABLE OF THE TREASURE AND THE FIELD. HOWEVER, HE ALSO DIED FOR THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH COLLECTIVELY CALLED, THE BODY OF CHRIST, WHICH IS THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE.
• PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
• JESUS CHRIST IS THE MERCHANTMAN WHO LEAVES HIS HOME IN HEAVEN AND SEARCHES THE WORLD FOR A BODY OF BELIEVERS (BOTH JEWS AND GENTILES) IN A SEA OF GODLESS PEOPLE. HE PLUMBS THE DEPTHS OF A DEGRADED, GODLESS SOCIETY. HE TAKES A LIFE IMBEDDED IN A MASS OF LIVING, CORRUPTIBLE FLESH, A LIFE INVADED AND INJURED BY SIN, AND COVERS IT OVER WITH HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. HE PURCHASES THIS MOST VALUABLE BODY OF BELIEVERS WITH THE ULTIMATE PRICE OF HIS BLOOD ON THE CROSS. HE GRADUALLY AND IN SECRET MAKES THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.
• READ PSA 18:4-6, 15-16
• READ REV 21:2, 9-11, 21

• SUMMARY:
• NOTICE THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THIS PARABLE AND THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD TREE.
• THE MUSTARD TREE REPRESENTED THE ORGANIZED CHURCH OF POMP, PRIDE, AND POWER THAT CONSISTS OF BOTH BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS. IT STARTED SMALL AND GREW BIG.
• THE PEARL STARTS SMALL AND STAYS SMALL, BUT IT BECOMES VERY VALUABLE BECAUSE IT REPRESENTS THE GROUP OF TRUE BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST.
• NOTICE THAT SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT JESUS NOT ONLY DIED FOR INDIVIDUALS BUT HE ALSO DIED FOR THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH OF BELIEVERS.
• READ REV 1:17-19
• THE PARABLE OF THE MERCHANTMAN AND THE PEARL IN RELATION TO CHURCH HISTORY:
• REMEMBER THAT THIS PARABLE CORRESPONDS TO THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA IN REV 3:7-13. THIS WAS THE CHURCH THAT CHRIST LOVED.
• IT WAS THE TIME IN CHURCH HISTORY OF A GREAT MISSIONARY EMPHASIS WHEN THERE WAS A GREAT INCREASE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST.

• APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE MERCHANTMAN AND THE PEARL (MAT 13:45-46)
• IN SOME OF THESE PARABLES IN MAT 13, WE HAVE DISCUSSED CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH OF BELIEVERS.
• SINCE CHRIST DIED FOR THE CHURCH, WHAT SHOULD BE YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THE CHURCH?
• WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THE CHURCH?
• WHAT CAN YOU DO TO LINE UP YOUR ATTITUDE WITH YOUR ANSWER AS TO WHAT IT SHOULD BE?

• PREPARATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD AND BAD FISH (MAT 13:47-50)
• READ MAT 13:47-50
• REVIEW THE LESSON ON THE PARABLE OF THE TARES AND THE WHEAT (LESSON #27) (MAT 13:24-30; 36-43)
• WHAT ARE THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THESE TWO PARABLES?
• WHAT DOES THE NET REPRESENT?
• WHAT DOES THE SEA (LAKE) REPRESENT?
• WHO ARE THE FISHERMEN?
• WHAT DO THE GOOD FISH REPRESENT?
• WHAT DO THE BAD FISH REPRESENT?
• WHAT IS THE FIRE (FIERY FURNACE) INTO WHICH THE BAD FISH ARE THROWN?
• WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MEANT BY "WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH"?

• MEMORY VERSE: MAT 4:19-20