In Palestine, pearls were a byword for what was supremely valuable. Elsewhere in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says, “Do not give dogs what is holy. Do not throw your pearls before swine.” (7:6). Pearls were the ultimate valuables.

The merchant in the gospel story has no intention of decorating the pigsty with pearls. He is collecting the finest he can lay his hands on. He is an expert. He knows precisely what he is looking for. When he comes across the finest pearl he has ever set eyes on, he has no doubt about what to do; immediately he sells everything he owns, so that he can possess the pearl that is without peer. The cost has been everything, but when he owns that pearl, his search has ended.

In the two parables today, both men appreciate the true value of what they have discovered and are willing to pay the cost of everything they have for the new treasure. To outsiders looking at them, the two men might appear totally unhinged when they risk everything on this venture. But both are certain about the wisdom of what they must do; for them, the folly would be in passing over the main chance. In the parables, Jesus is asking the crowds if they perceive the kingdom of God in the same way. Do they really see it as a treasure that is worth more than everything they now value in life? If the kingdom of God is not perceived as the authentic article, people will not bother renouncing anything to attain it.

Jesus’s own perception of life differed sharply from so many people’s. He was constantly challenging people to see and see again, in order to understand anew. To that purpose, His stories turned much of popular wisdom on its head, and this was done in the hope that His listeners might catch something about another way of living in God’s world. In effect, Jesus had what Solomon prayed for in our first reading: a heart to discern the ways of the people and the ways of God. But more than this, Jesus had the determination to close the gap between the two ways.

Jesus had to give up everything He valued—His family, His home, His security—to do His Father’s will and preach the kingdom of God. For Jesus, there was no treasure greater than His Father’s will. When He uncovered what it was, He renounced everything to make it His own. His own family and neighbors thought His ways either puzzling or foolish. And when He gave up His own life, even His disciples could not understand what seemed to be ultimate folly. But there was a purpose in it. Even in death, Jesus kept hold of His treasure.

None of us can gain anything of value without renouncing something. Perhaps what we have to renounce first is our perception of what real treasure in this life truly is. Few of us will find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or stumble on an oil field in the backyard. But we have all come upon treasure. The real treasure of life is under our noses: in the people we share life with; in the opportunities we face every day to exercise the values of Jesus: feeding the hungry, helping the needy, looking after the orphans and widows and keeping oneself unstained from the world (James 1:27, Galatians 6:10, Matthew 25:31-46). None of this might appear to be a glittering price, but it is in the heart of the ordinary that we discover the presence of Jesus. He is the authentic article. He is hidden in the commonplace, hoping that we will stumble on that truth before long. And when we do, let us treasure it!

In the Peace of Christ,

Fr. Williams Abba

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