The sixth parable of the seven in Matthew 13 describes the Kingdom of Heaven as a “merchant seeking fine pearls”. This speaks of, what should be, the foundational quest of every believer – the “pearl of great price” which is love from a pure heart. However, it’s not the pearl that defines the Kingdom in this parable, but the merchant seeking the pearl.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.
(Mat 13:45)
This says that the quest for love is as important as the attainment of it, for it is the quest that defines the Kingdom and my place in it. The Lord, here, uses the “pearl” as a metaphor for love, because pearls are created from mere sand, afflicted and irritated over a long period of time in the dark belly of a clam. This speaks to me of ministry, because it’s only in true ministry that my desire to love and serve God can be daily tested to produce in me that “one pearl of great price”.
The daily trials of a God ordained ministry expose the pride, fear, personal agendas etc. that underlie my motives. This can either destroy the ministry (as it's done to many, often in a very public, humiliating way) or purify it as I allow God to purge me of my impure agendas and produce in me the “love from a pure heart” that bears true witness to His Name.
The truth is, without a ministry to test and refine it, my “love” is little more than mechanical obedience to the law. It’s only in the daily fires, afflictions, and irritations of ministry, that I am either destroyed, or made pure in love for His Kingdom. This is the quest every Kingdom believer should be following, for as the parable teaches:
Kingdom of Heaven = believers seeking to love others from a pure heart.
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