September 1, 2025

Gospel acc. to Matthew 13:45–46

The precious pearl

Jesus tells the following story in a parable: “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. “

Dear Readers,

many precious pearls adorn the crown that you can see on today's stamp from Germany. The so-called “Essen Royal Crown” belongs to the cathedral treasury of the Diocese of Essen/ Germany. This is where many works of Christian art created to the glory of God can be admired today. Among them is the crown, which was artfully crafted around the year 1000 AD.

The many pearls on this royal crown shine out at the viewer. Pearls symbolize purity and beauty. I can well imagine that pearl divers in the Mediterranean found and sold these pearls. The goldsmith who was allowed to make this crown at that time sought out the most beautiful pearls for it and bought them. 

Now, back then, no goldsmith or jeweler would have spent their entire fortune on pearls for this crown. Wouldn't it be risky to spend your entire fortune on a single piece of jewelry? Would it be worth it?

Jesus is not talking about earthly jewelry, but about the kingdom of heaven. But what does he actually mean by that? Jesus speaks of the new reality of God, which is hidden from us. We do not recognize this kingdom of God with our eyes, but only through our love for God. God invites us to seek his reality! He lets us find it! His Holy Spirit opens our eyes to his glorious kingdom of heaven.

Matthew, a Jewish tax collector, found this kingdom of heaven. Until the day he met Jesus, he earned a lot of money from customs duties. He worked on behalf of the Roman occupation, and exploited the people. Customs duties made him rich. For this, he was hated by his compatriots. I read in a newspaper article by a Swiss political scientist the other day that customs duties are poison for the economy, that they dampen economic growth and depress consumption. The Romans probably knew nothing about this, and Matthew did good business with customs duties. But Matthew must have felt that these customs duties were poison for his relationships with his fellow human beings. He was despised.

One day, Matthew was sitting at his customs office again, collecting money. Suddenly, Jesus came to him, to meet this socially despised man, and He called on him with the words: ‘Follow me,’ and Matthew got up and followed him. This is how Matthew describes his encounter with Jesus (Gospel of Matthew 9:9).

Can you understand that? The tax collector Matthew leaves everything behind him in an instant decision, to become a disciple of Jesus. From now on, he follows Jesus and no longer his greed for money. He gives up everything. For me, there is only one reason to do that: when he meets Jesus, the kingdom of heaven opens for Matthew. He sees Jesus, the Messiah, and knows that he has “found a precious pearl,” an immeasurable treasure. For this, he immediately gives up everything. Matthew had found the Lord Jesus Christ, just as the merchant had found the precious pearl. From that moment on, his life was no longer about the abundant customs revenues, but about following Jesus.  Actually it was Jesus who had sought and found HIM!

Matthew later writes down the two parables of the treasure in the field and the precious pearl in his Gospel. He is the only one who reports these two parables of Jesus in his Gospel. They must have touched him deeply. I think he recognized himself in these parables.

All four Gospels are unimaginably great treasures, pearls of God's wisdom. In all the Gospels, God invites us to discover his love for us. In the Gospels, we can recognize the purity and beauty of Jesus. Let us seek out these treasures again and again to contemplate this precious pearl, Jesus Christ. It is worth more than anything else! 

Thank you for visiting me and listening to me. May our good God bless you and grant the beauty and purity of a pearl into your faith I look forward to meet you again at the next short sermon on September 15, 2025.