A GREAT BARGAIN – Charles Spurgeon
A Great Bargain
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant, seeking good pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Matthew 13:45, 46.
Introduction: The Merchant’s Pursuit
A merchant endeavors to trade in order to make a profit. Whether he deals in pearls or grain, he does not hope to obtain riches through manual labor. He leaves that to those who earn their bread by the sweat of their brow. Instead, the merchant strives to gain wealth by the “sweat of his brain.” He is dependent not so much on physical labor, but on knowledge, skill, and the advantage his expertise with the items he deals in provides.
This merchant, at the very beginning, is in some measure a picture of the seeker after Christ. Christ and His salvation are not earned by labor; they are not acquired through physical work. Instead, Christ is attained by knowledge. What does the Scripture say? “By his knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many,” meaning that through their knowing Christ, they are justified. This is another way of presenting the system of salvation, which begins with hearing the preacher, progresses through believing what is heard, and through believing, leads to salvation. This process essentially involves knowledge—the knowledge imparted by God’s messenger or His Word, the knowledge heard, and the knowledge believed. Therefore, men come to know Him whom to know is life eternal. When a man knows Christ, understands Him, and gives his heart to Him, he is saved.
In this way, the merchant, who seeks his advantage through superior knowledge, becomes a type of the person who obtains salvation through the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The Merchant and the Seeker
I will not delve further into this analogy, but will instead focus on the merchant in this parable, as he serves as a fitting emblem for many who lay hold of Christ and find Him to be their all in all. Let us observe this merchant as he goes through four actions: seeking, finding, selling, and buying.
I. The Merchant Seeking
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant seeking good pearls.” This is different from the man we read about earlier who, by accident, discovered a treasure while in the field. He wasn’t seeking anything specifically but stumbled upon the treasure. This is a person whom God, in His infinite sovereignty, saves, even though he was previously indifferent and careless.
The merchant, however, is of a nobler sort. He is of a higher grade of mind—a person of entirely different mental constitution. He is seeking good pearls—something valuable. Initially, he is not specifically seeking the one pearl of great price, but he is seeking pearls, and through this search, he comes across one extraordinary pearl.
Notice that as a seeker, his mind is awakened and engaged. He is thinking about something—thinking about pearls. His heart is occupied with his business. His energies are directed toward finding precious stones. Oh, that we could awaken people to exercise their minds, to direct, regulate, and control their thoughts! However, thinking is an activity that many people shy away from. They are frivolous. We cannot get them to think seriously about anything. People seem to enjoy reading novels and fictional stories more than they enjoy reading true histories, which are often just as interesting and much more meaningful. Why is this? It is because people’s minds are frivolous. A silly story can captivate them for hours, while anything substantial seems to hold little appeal.
Many people work so hard with their hands and suffer such physical fatigue that they rarely have the energy to think deeply. Others waste their time in idleness, rendering themselves unqualified for any meaningful thought. They are lazy, sluggish, and their minds seem to rot. Oh, that people would be wise and thoughtful! It would be a great joy to a preacher to know that he is addressing an intelligent, thoughtful congregation.
A Fixed Objective
The merchant’s mind is awakened, and his objective is fixed. He has one goal in mind: to find pearls, and this pursuit becomes the singular aim of his life. If you were to meet him and ask, “What are you seeking?” he would answer without hesitation, “I am seeking good pearls. Have you any to sell?”
But if you were to ask many people today, “What are you living for?” they might tell you their job or profession, but if you pressed them further, asking, “What is your main objective in life?” they would be at a loss. Many young people today lack a clear purpose or direction in life.
You will not be a good captain if you do not know the port you are sailing toward. Similarly, if you go through life without a clear aim, you will waste your time. You must decide: Will you live for God, or will you live for the devil? Get your mind fixed and resolved on which path you will take. Be bold in your decision. If the world, flesh, or devil are worth serving, go ahead and follow them, but if God is worth serving and your soul is worth saving, then pursue that path.
A Noble Pursuit
The merchant’s objective was not a common one. Others may have sought other commodities like bricks, grain, or timber, but he was seeking pearls—the best pearls he could find. He did not go after common pearls; he was searching for valuable, high-quality pearls.
I wish that many people, though they have not yet found Christ, would still develop the wisdom to seek something truly valuable. Let them say, “I will pursue something worthwhile, something good. My life shall not be wasted.”
Diligent and Discerning Seeking
The merchant sought pearls diligently. He did not sit idly by and wait for pearls to come to him. He went out actively searching for them. How far he traveled, we do not know, but the eastern merchant often travels vast distances in search of what he wants. These men are willing to endure great hardships and go to extraordinary lengths to obtain their desired goods.
In the same way, when a person has a noble goal in mind, they will overcome obstacles and hardships to achieve it. May God grant them the perseverance to pursue what is right, regardless of the cost. As the merchant sought pearls with passion, so must we seek truth, honor, and righteousness with equal diligence. The merchant also demonstrated great discernment. He knew the difference between real pearls and imitations. He was not deceived by the fake, but sought only the finest.
Seek Not Only Pearls, but Good Pearls
I pray that God will give us the ability to discern what is truly good. Seek not just pearls, but good pearls. Cast your heart toward what is truly valuable.
II. The Merchant Finds the Pearl
The merchant was diligently seeking pearls, but in the process, he found something far more valuable than he expected—one pearl of great price. This pearl contained all the virtues he had been seeking in individual pearls. When you find Christ, you find not just one aspect of goodness, but all that is good and true.
III. The Selling
Having found the pearl, the merchant was willing to sell everything he had to acquire it. It had taken him a long time to accumulate his possessions, but he was now willing to part with them for the sake of the pearl.
In the same way, Christ is available to us, but we must be willing to give up many things to claim Him as our own. This involves selling off old prejudices, self-righteousness, sinful pleasures, and the approval of others. Can you give these things up for Christ? If not, you cannot have the pearl.
IV. The Buying
The merchant sold all he had and made the purchase of the pearl. This was a deliberate and thoughtful purchase. He had studied the pearl and knew its value. When a person comes to Christ, they too must make a deliberate decision. Once you see the value of Christ, you will not hesitate to make Him your own.
The merchant’s purchase was immediate. Once he saw the pearl, he knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime. He wasted no time in securing it, and so too, we must act swiftly when presented with the opportunity to find Christ.
A Joyful Purchase
Finally, the merchant was overjoyed with his purchase. He had found something greater than he ever expected. When a person finds Christ, it is a joyful discovery. Christ is the pearl of great price, and when He is found, He becomes everything to the soul.
Conclusion: The Pearl of Great Price
May we, like the merchant, be willing to give up everything for the sake of Christ. The world cannot offer anything more valuable than the pearl of great price. Let us count everything else as loss, that we may gain Christ.
He Got His Pearl
He got his pearl, and I dare say, he was ready to jump for joy at the thought that he had gathered the money necessary to obtain it. Ah, when a soul gets Christ, it is—
“Happy day, happy day,
For He has washed my sins away.”
It is the beginning of delight for a soul when he can say, “Jesus is mine. I know He is. Grace has enabled me to lay hold upon Him.” And oh, what an enriching purchase it was that the man had made. When he had once got the pearl, instead of his previous property, he thought to himself, “Why, I have a hundred times more property now than I had. Though I have given up that bit of land, I can buy half a province now if I like, with this pearl I have obtained.”
So, brothers and sisters, if you have ever given up anything for Christ, I am sure the Lord Jesus Christ has rewarded you richly. Some years ago, a person rather eccentrically advertised for those who had experienced loss due to their obedience to the divine command. He promised that if anyone had lost anything out of love for Christ, he would compensate them. This odd advertisement appeared in a religious periodical for some months. The oddest thing, however, was that nobody ever answered it. I would have thought someone might have tried to fabricate a case, but nobody did. They cannot make up such a case—they are no losers by Christ.
“But,” some may say, “the martyrs were, weren’t they?” Well, they are up there now, ask them. They will tell you, as you look at them with their ruby crowns, shining brilliantly in the light of God, standing there—
“Fairest of the sons of light,
Midst the bright ones, doubly bright,”
that they counted it their honor to have been permitted to lay down their lives for Jesus‘ sake.
Oh, there is no losing when you deal with Christ. You will make 500 percent over this exchange, be sure of that. No, it will be a thousand percent, for “No man,” He says, “shall lose house and lands for My sake that shall not receive in this world a hundredfold, and in the world to come, life everlasting.”
The Final Purchase
This was a final purchase. The merchant, according to the parable, never went out buying pearls again. “No,” he said, “No. I have bought a pearl of great price, and now I will go out of the business.” And when a man once finds Christ—ah, then he seeks nothing more. If Jesus Christ is mine, then more than all in Him I find. He does not need a secondary object. His desires stay focused on Christ and are satisfied with the fullness that is found in Him.
The merchant went out of the pearl-hunting business because he had found all the pearls he would ever need. And it was a purchase he never regretted. The parable does not say that he came back to the seller and said, “Here, take your pearl, and let me have my house and lands back.” No, it was done. The great transaction was complete. He never wished to undo it. With his pearl of immense worth, he was a rich man, worthy to rival princes, and he felt that it was enough.
The Joy of Satisfied Longing
Oh, blessed are those who can say, “It is enough,” and can rejoice, bless, and magnify the Lord:
“Now rest, my long-divided heart!
Fixed on this blissful center, rest!
With ashes who would grudge to part,
When called on angels‘ bread to feast?”
A Word of Caution
Let me, however, offer a word of caution. Take care, dear merchant brothers, that when you buy a pearl, you buy a good one—that it is the pearl of great price. I have known noble spirits whom I have admired and felt ready to weep over—men who have been heroic in the pursuit of what seemed to them perfectly true and who have made a sacrifice of all that they had for it, and yet they have been deceived. They grasped antichrist instead of Christ, and welcomed the lie of hell that came disguised as the angel of light.
The Importance of True Christ
Mind, mind that you get Christ and His truth as you find it revealed in Scripture, and revealed once again in your own heart by the Holy Spirit. Whatever is short of Christ will prove to be a cheat and will deceive you.
Some years ago, one of the largest pearls ever found passed into the hands of a Russian. It was a very large pearl indeed—almost the size of an egg and of a pear shape. He purchased it, and the previous owner, being unaware of its immense value, sold it to him. The man of substance kept it carefully, preparing a house which, though modest on the outside, was sumptuously furnished inside. He would take his guests into an inner chamber, which, when unlocked, contained a marble table in the center, on top of which was a box that had to be unlocked with several keys and the reading of an alphabet. Finally, the pearl was revealed.
The owner was very reluctant to part with it, for it was of immense value. The Emperor of Russia bid an enormous price for it and promised him honor and rank, but he refused. However, it so happened that the possessor of the pearl became involved—in ways that are uncertain—in a conspiracy, and he had to leave his home in St. Petersburg. He took with him nothing but the pearl and moved to Paris, still believing himself rich in the possession of that pearl.
The Disastrous Find
On a certain day, the Duke of Brunswick, his only rival in such matters, came with others to see the pearl. The owner unlocked it with great care and deliberation. As soon as he opened the box, he was observed to turn pale. It was as though he had been stricken with death. Unhappy man! His pearl had suddenly become clouded, as pearls sometimes do. It had contracted some disease, and in a short time, it would turn to powder. It had ceased to be of any value whatever, and the man who had once been a millionaire was now reduced to a pauper.
Despite this, he had purchased a good pearl. However, there is only one pearl that cannot become clouded and will last throughout eternity, and that is the Son of God, “who only has immortality.” If you get Him, you have a divine hope that can never fail you. But if your hope lies in priests, sacramentarianism, or any hope other than that which is Christ—Christ as the beginning and the end—your brightest prospects will end in bitter disappointment.
A Final Prayer
May the Lord grant that none of us may ever find ourselves deceived, with our life confidence shattered, by a false pearl. “Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord.” The voice of Jesus is heard in this parable of the kingdom, describing and directing the seekers.
Such people comprise no small fraction of an assembly like this. It would indeed be strange if seekers were not always largely represented here, in every stage of anxious inquiry. I am sure that some of you have seen the pearl you desire, sparkling before your eyes. I wonder how many of you have resolved to sell all you have to buy it. But who among you all has actually made the pearl your own and rejoices in its possession?
There is no doubt that those of you who have truly found Christ will go on your way rejoicing. But will you not return and give glory to God? Shall we not have the joy of greeting you here in the fellowship of the kingdom of His grace? The Lord grant it may be so, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.