What A Great Purchase!

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Most people enjoy a good bargain. In fact, around yard sales and auctions people can get pretty caught up in the treasure finding aspect of finding a great deal.

I’ve been pretty fortunate to come across some good buys from time to time, but generally speaking, I’ve never found that elusive “great” bargain.

Recently a man in Nashville walked into a thrift store in town and found a large rolled up document. But it didn’t have a price so he took it to the clerk and asked how much the item cost. The clerk took a pencil and marked $2.48 on the item’s tag and the man bought it.

It turns out that this document is very rare. In fact, it is one of 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence that was commissioned by President John Quincy Adams in 1820. The man who purchased this great find will auction it off in the future and expects to receive between $200,000 and $350,000. Now that’s a great purchase!

Jesus speaks of a great purchase also. In Matthew 13:45-46 He says, “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.”

This parable is told to illustrate the value of the world to God and to Jesus. The merchant mentioned here represents Jesus, who came to earth to be our Savior. As the merchant, Jesus is looking for that pearl of great value which is represented by the people who are to be in the kingdom.

Now, pearls are unique gems in a couple of ways. First of all, they are organically produced. Instead of being made from pressure in the earth like a diamond, they are fashioned by oysters in the sea. Another difference is that while diamonds are made more valuable by being cut and polished by man, the pearl is valuable just the way it is found. To cut a pearl is to decrease its value.

Pearls are also different in that a diamond or other gem might be found much more easily than a pearl. In New Testament days, pearls were found only by diving 30-40 feet to the oyster beds and searching for them there. Only a few pearls were found per thousand oysters, so this job was not only dangerous, but also not very productive. To find a large, perfectly formed pearl under these conditions was a truly great find.

Back to this short parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant, Jesus, seeking beautiful pearls, people. When he finds that great pearl he sells all and buys it.

Jesus gave His life for each of us. John 15:13-14 records Jesus saying, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”

Notice the connection between obedience and being a friend of Jesus. Our Savior gave His life, emptied Himself to purchase the church, the body of Christ. What greater price could be paid for you or for me? There is no greater price. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and does not desire any of us to be lost.

God, likewise, is not interested in anyone missing out on heaven. Peter records in 2 Peter 3:9 that “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Both Jesus and God are committed to seeing us saved from destruction.

One of the most famous verses in the Bible also speaks to this and is found in John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” And Paul speaks of that ultimate commitment in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

That man who paid under $3 for a document worth $350,000 made a great purchase. His profit is secured.

But God and Jesus made an even greater purchase when they made it possible for you and for me to be freed from our sins and enter the kingdom of heaven. Friends, God and Jesus see a tremendous value in you. Do you see it also?

In Our Daily Walk today may we take a few minutes today to thank God for sending His Son to die for our sins. May we also remind ourselves that our true value can only be found in serving and obeying God.

Our thought for the day: “Win the man, you win the family; Win the family, you win the home; Win the home and you win the community; Win the community and you win the nation.”

May God bless you on your daily walk

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007