THE MERCHANT COUNTED ALL HE HAD PREVIOUSLY, AS NOTHING, AS TRASH,COMPARED TO THE GAIN OF THIS PEARL
“…Who…went and sold all that he had…”
Jim Elliot was a missionary who died bringing the gospel to tribes in Ecuador. He is credited with saying, “He is no fool who sells that which he cannot keep to buy that which he cannot lose.”
The apostle Paul said, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ.” (Philippians 3:7-8)
What is it about all the good things of the world that a gospel missionary would advocate selling and the apostle Paul would refer to as dung? What is it about the Merchant’s wealth that would allow the Merchant to sell all that he had in order to buy the one pearl of great price? Certainly it had to do with the perfection of the pearl. But it also had to do with the worthlessness and transience of the merchandise the Merchant possessed.
Remember Revelation 18 and the remarkable vision that is seen of John. As he sees the end of the world, he sees merchants. They are not the Merchants of the Kingdom of Heaven but rather merchants of the Earth. And these merchants of the Earth are weeping. Why? Because their merchandise is worthless. They have no more buyers. For in one hour, their great riches came to nothing (vs. 11-19).
I read recently that after a positive earnings report, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos saw his net worth increase more than $6 billion in one hour. $6 billion! Can you even fathom what that kind of money looks like? The estimated wealth of the United States is well in excess of $60 trillion. To say that is a lot of money is perhaps the understatement of the year. And yet, the day is coming when this money, all of it, will sprout wings and fly away. It will vanish like the wind. It will evaporate like the dew of morning. In one hour, there will be none to give it any value. None will buy it. The treasures of this world are fleeting and yet they are relentlessly pursued by the world.
The Merchant in the Kingdom of Heaven is no longer making the pursuit of these treasures his goal. Rather he is selling all of these temporary treasures to buy that which is eternal. He sees truly that the pleasures and riches of the world are fleeting and are vanity. One thing is not vanity and that is Jesus Christ – knowing Him and the power of His resurrection. Making Christ our own because Christ has made us His own. This is life eternal, even Jesus Christ. And this is that thing which the merchant pursues.
In comparison to Jesus Christ, who was delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification, in comparison to having Christ as our savior who reconciles us to the Father, the treasures of the world, the riches of the world, are but utter foolishness and worthless. Trusting in them is among the greatest deceits and follies. The merchant in the Kingdom of Heaven has departed from those things. He trusts not in the treasures of the world but puts his faith, hope, trust, love, desire, and foundation in the one pearl of great price, Jesus Christ, who has never, will never, and can never let down, forget, or deceive one of his own.
Dear Friends, do you this day, like the Merchant in our parable, consider all things as dung that you might gain Christ? Are you this day like the preacher of Ecclesiastes who found all things to be vanity except one thing – to fear the Lord and keep His commandments? The world will tell us it is a foolish thing not to pursue all the wealth, riches, and pleasures that it has to offer. Is it foolish to give up what no man has ever kept through death in order to gain that which no man, who after taking possession, has ever lost?
Ben Stahl, Elder