The Pearl of great value

"The kingdom 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." (Matthew 13:45-46)

I wake up to the song of rain on our tin roof. The year begins with a shower. The rapping on the roof gives way to a rhythmic tap-tap, then to a cool silence. The clouds are drawn away and the clearest of blue skies appears. The boys ask for a story and I launch into an eerie tale of a dark ship sailing the stormy seas. The captain of this vessel is as troubled as the waters he sails on. He growls and sneers as his ship is pitched to and fro on the waves. His name carries dread and the sight of his ship sends all life a-scurrying. It flies a skull-bone flag snapping whip-like in the wind. Captain Dreadlock's face is set as flint, his hair lies matted against his sunken cheeks. The vessel itself seems to possess a sense of doom, and all who set eyes on the "Black Pearl" are filled with unease. The shipmates move about nervously, giving a wide berth to their master.

Then steps onto the deck a man, tall and straight, his countenance bright and his step light. His gaze is steady and his eyes sparkle with mirth. The captain loathes him, but can find no fault in his work, no error in his ways. He confuses the other shipmates with his humour, even the clouds seem to part just a tad each time he appears. Since the captain forbids merry-making, an uneasy silence hangs over the deck at all times. But when he disappears to his cabin, the cheerful stranger is heard whistling in the rigging, smiling with a secret joy, despite the gloom about him. One day he appears on the deck carrying a basket. The basket brims with glowing fruit, ripe with the promise of juicy sweetness. He walks over to the captain sulking at the wheel and places it in front of him with an almost imperceptible bow, then turns on his heel and carries on with his tasks. Captain Dreadlock draws his breath and glares at the horizon. Then he hands the wheel over to the second mate, picks up the fruit and disappears down below. In his cabin, he locks the door, places the basket on the only table in the dusky room and stares.

I pause and look at the two small faces before me, enraptured and wide-eyed.

Slowly the captain stretches out his hand, then pulls it back and bites on a dirty fingernail instead. But once again his hand is drawn out and as if in a dream he picks up a ripe and luscious peach, raises it to his cracked lips and bites into the flesh with worn yellow teeth. The fruit bursts open and juice drips and runs into his dirt-caked beard. His eyes close and he sighs. One by one he devours the fruit, chewing and swooning, crying and laughing with delight. Then he stops with fright, wipes his hands on his breeches and catches his reflection in the window. The man staring back at him, looks bewildered, exposed, deeply sad. He sinks down in a corner and cries like a child until tired and spent, he falls asleep in a heap of sorrow. In the dark of night he crawls out on the deck and under a waxing gibbous moon, lowers himself into the water with a rope. The cool water closes over his head and as he sinks tiny bubbles escape from his mouth and nose. He opens his eyes to a wonder-world of colour - fish darting about and coral reefs glowing in the filtered light of the moon. An undeniable urge to live forces him back to the surface, gasping and.... clean.

The story is wrapped up with Captain Dreadlock becoming Captain Sunbeam, the ship becomes the Golden Pearl, and its mission is changed from plundering to ferrying. Cargoes of fresh fruit are carried from harbour to harbour and the ship brings delight and renewal wherever it goes. Captain Sunbeam becomes a much loved legend and the stranger is never seen again. My boys leave the room with satisfied grins and I am afforded a sweet time of closeness with the Lord.

I'm drawn to a similar story in Matthew, where the kingdom of heaven is likened to a merchant who finds a pearl of great value. So overwhelmed is he by the wonder of the new-found treasure, that he sells all he owns to buy it. The merchant, (a wealthy man) in this parable is Jesus, who so much wants his people (the pearl) to return to Him, that He was willing to give up His life as the Son of God, let His blood flow in payment for us to be afforded a way into heaven. Interestingly enough, the oyster, a mollusk, would have been regarded as a lowly creature by the Jews. The law as found in Leviticus stated that everything under the water without fins was considered to be "unclean". Yet Jesus considers us worthy enough to lift us out of the water and through him we are cleaned and the hidden treasure is revealed. Is that not an amazing thought? - The Son of God comparing "us" to a pearl of great value... 

I started musing about how a pearl is formed. Pearls are found inside a living creature, an oyster. They are the result of a biological process - the oyster's way of protecting itself from foreign substances.Oysters are bivalves, which means that its shell is made of two parts, or valves.The formation of a natural pearl begins when a foreign substance slips into the oyster between the mantle and the shell, which irritate­s the mantle. It's kind of like the oyster getting a splinter. The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. The man­tle covers the irritant with layers of the same nacre substance that is used to create the shell. Slowly, delicately, a pearl, a gem is formed...

I look back over the year before and marvel once again how God used the pain that came into our family to bring new life and changed lives. Layer by layer the pearl is formed and the gratitude I feel, still deepens each day. I realise that He did not only afford us another chance, He pointed us to the One who not only gave us the treasure of His life and blood, but also rose in victory over the enemy who seems to have free reign in the world around us. But we forget that Satan is like a dog on a long leash. Prowling around, destroying and thieving, deceiving and causing havoc. But if we appeal to the Master and claim the victory through his Name and blood, he will cower and flee. He knows who rules supreme, and so should we. Our lives are not left to chance, and we do not create our own destiny as the modern day guru's would have us believe. Our future hope is in our Saviour Jesus - He is the only one worth living and dying for.

Our morning story's Captain Dreadlock also thought that as long as he held onto His anger - for whatever reason - childhood abuse, a wive who abandoned or deceived him, a government that did not please him - it would keep him strong, give him power over those he secretly feared. This is fertile soil for Satan to do his work. He will keep on feeding into this lie, appeal to the ego, throw oil on the fire of hatred and grow the lust for power and status. But then a "basket" was placed before him which rocked more than his boat. It contained goodness, but he could not have it, and hold onto his old life of bitterness and bile. Something had to give. The price seemed too great - so much so that he despaired, and all but lost his life in the dark water of another lie. What did he see when the glory of the Son shone through the gloom to afford him a moment of truth? I like to think that he caught a glimpse of the true "Golden Pearl" - the presence of a Saviour that helped him to emerge from those murky waters washed clean not only of grime and bitterness, but of every wrongdoing and sinful thought or deed in his sad and wasted life.

Even if the first day of a new year is just a date ticked of on a calender, time created by man for man, it is always a great time to "reflect". God is so faithful, he knows how I like to have a verse to hold onto at the beginning of a new year. Last year he took the wind out of my sails momentarily when he gave me Romans 12:3 - "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought..." It was humbling, but it pulled me back to a proper perspective each time I felt like patting myself on the back through-out the year. This year He was truly faithful in reminding me that even if things seem pretty good now, the best is yet to come. My "verse" for the year turned out to be from the much loved 1 Cor 13 where it wraps up to say in verse 12: "Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror - then we will see face to face. Now I know in part - then I shall now fully, even as I am fully known". 

Whatever the year may bring at the worst or the best of it, what we "see" or understand is only a poor reflection. Mirrors in Biblical times where probably not as commonplace as now and most likely not the best quality either. At the peak of our perceived "happiness" in this world we cannot begin to imagine the rapture, the fullness of joy the presence of Jesus will bring. Looking into His face will be like nothing we could ever dream or imagine longing for. We have been bought at a great price. We were considered worthy of that price... The Merchant will return to gather His pearl. His elect. The choice is ours.