"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." (Matt. 13:45-46)
When Jesus told this parable pearls had a strange fascination to man. They were desired, not for their money value, but to be looked at and handled. The loveliest were found in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and in India and Britain.
Christianity invites the seeking mind. It's as Plato said, "the unexamined life is not worth living." It is the duty of every man to think a thing through, to tease out the problems. What's more, a man should never be ashamed of his doubts or questions. One skeptic said, "I skirted the howling desert of infidelity." A believer said, "You would have done better to have struggled through and come out on the other side." It is better to have one or two things that one believes unquestionably than a host of things believed vaguely. Do you believe in anything for which you would sell all?
The merchant, to get the best, had to abandon the second best. To achieve the best in our lives most often does not require us to give up the worst in our lives but what is second, or third best. Therein lies the rub. The thing to be forfeited for the better might be a thing material, a comfort or security or a relationship.
Sheer adventure leaps out of this parable. The willingness to risk is the price of the Kingdom, or, life's greatest good. Never did Jesus play down the difficulty to induce acceptance. Lessons from all history indicate the opposite appeal is more effective. Pizarro came to South America. He drew a line in the sand and told his men---North to Mexico and safety, South to Panama and danger. All chose South. Shackleton advertised for volunteers to go to the South Pole and explained the danger. He was inundated with letters.
Is there one thing in your life for which you are willing to live..or, die?
Charles Jackson
Fayetteville, Arkansas
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