Charlotte Eisnaugle was my 6th grade teacher. Each and every student in her classes was special to her. Many were the times that I can recall her standing up in front of my class, arms outstretched to encompass all of us, and exclaiming “These are my jewels!”I was reminded of her Sunday morning during Pastor’s sermon on “The Pearl”.
Matthew 13: 45-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (NIV)
Three things strike me from this passage:
First, there is the action of the merchant looking for the pearl. This means he is actively involved. In the King James, the word used is “seeking”. It comes from a Greek verb meaning to travel a great distance. Jesus traveled from Heaven itself to do God’s will.
Second, we see that the merchant took painstaking efforts to get the pearl. This means he took trouble, expended effort, and was thorough in all ways. God, since the fall of man in Eden, longed for the relationship He had with man, and worked diligently to bring man back to his original garden state. This relationship was realized through Jesus.
Third, we see that no matter what the price was that he had to pay, the merchant was successful in purchasing the pearl. There was a goal in mind, and he made whatever sacrifices were necessary to attain it. God sacrificed his only Son so that He could have fellowship with man again.
But isn’t that just like God….opening His arms wide and saying, “These are my jewels.” We are His pearls, bought with the great price of the blood of His precious Son.
~Barb Scott
