Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls,Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls:
4 sermons cite this verse
… and buys that field. Again, the rule and reign of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the rule and reign of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers, threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. the angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13. After telling these seven stories, Jesus asked his disciples, Have you understood all these things? How would you answer? Do his stories raise more questions for you than they answer? Questions like, why is that farmer wasting so much seed, scattering it in all those risky places where it won't accomplish anything? …
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. I'd like you to have a seat. So the other night I was talking with a group of high schoolers and the topic of a man named St. Padre Pio came up. I don't know if you guys, have you guys heard of St. Padre Pio? Yes. Okay. So remarkable guy. And we just were talking about like some of the most incredible gifts. So Padre Pio was a Capuchin priest or friar. So it's a Franciscan friar. Back, he was born in the end of the 1800s. I think he died in the 1960s. So long life. But he was ordained. he was from Italy and he was ordained in a place called St. Giovanni Giovanni Rotondo and that's where he lived his entire life. But shortly after he was ordained he just started experiencing, I think even before his ordination, experienced these massive gifts. So I was asking these high schoolers like do you know about the gifts of St. Padre Pio and what are they? So they started throwing out all these gifts like among many others where St. Padre Pio had the gift of bilocation which is you could be, he was in two places at once. Like he never physically I think left St. Giovanni Rotondo. …
According to Luke 14, they're willing to count the cost. According to the parables of Matthew 13, verses 44 to 46, they're willing to sell everything to buy the pearl of great price, sell everything to buy the treasure in the field. It's selling everything. Self-denial, take up your cross, which means may cost you your life, and follow Him. So you must enter. You must enter this gate. You must enter alone. you must enter with a certain amount of violence, difficulty, and you must enter naked, in a sense, with nothing in your hands. You can't go through the narrow gate with your baggage. It's a turnstile. It's the gate of self-denial. You can't bring everything with you. That's what our Lord said to the rich young ruler in Matthew 19. He wanted to hold on to everything that he possessed. And the Lord said, unless you're willing to give up everything you possess, even your money, you can't be in the kingdom. He wasn't about to do that because he was very rich and turned his back. …
Get out your magnifying glasses and find the scripture text on which the teaching is based. It's Matthew 13, verses 44 to 46, just three verses, but there's two whole parables in here, two of the shortest parables anywhere in here. That's just two whole parables. It's the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price. The kingdom of heaven, said Jesus, is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again. And then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 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. This is God's word. We're in a time of spiritual searching. Every single week I'm tempted to give you an example of the next new thing I see of it. Columns and secular papers and magazines on spirituality, books being sold everywhere and all the major bookstores on searching for meaning and searching for God and searching for spiritual reality. …