In Graduate Class this past week, we touched upon the parables of Jesus in Matthew 13. One of the parables the Lord Jesus uses to describe the kingdom of God is the parable of the fine pearl.

Matthew 13:45-46 says, “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.”

Deacons and elders in our church have interpreted this pearl to be the Holy Spirit. What does this parable teach us about the Holy Spirit?

Recognizing a fine pearl – knowing the attributes of the Holy Spirit

Before a merchant can go on a quest to find a fine pearl, he must know what he’s searching for. He should firmly know the qualities of a fine pearl (such as type, size, shape, surface, natural colors, nacre thickness, overtones, orient, etc.). This way, he will be able to avoid the fake, separate the cheap from the precious, and recognize the pearl of great value when he sees it.

In the same way, we must understand what we are seeking. We need to use the Bible as our “pearl buyer’s guide” and recognize the attributes that make the Holy Spirit precious. For example, we need to know what the Holy Spirit is the spirit of God (I Thes 4:8), is evidenced by the speaking of tongues (Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, 1 Cor 14:2), and is essential in receiving salvation (Eph 1:13-14).

The Holy Spirit is also a Counselor who helps us understand the Lord Jesus’ teachings (John 14:26) and gives us the power to do God’s will (Acts 1:8). He fills us with peace, joy, and love (Rom 5:5, 13, 14:17) and bears the fruit of patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22).

When we understand the Bible’s description of the Holy Spirit, we can distinguish the faux from the genuine. We will know that a spirit that causes a person to writhe in pain, fall back unconsciously, laugh uncontrollably, or say things contrary to the teachings of Christ is NOT the Holy Spirit but a mere imitation. We will also know that a person who does not speak in tongues cannot have the Holy Spirit constantly dwelling within them.

Still, just as there are very “real” imitation pearls that can fool an expert, there are also spirits that act so much like the Holy Spirit that they can only be detected by senior ministers who have the gift of spiritual discernment (1 Cor 12:10). For example, Pr. Vuthy once saw a sister in Africa praying in tongues and thought she had received the Holy Spirit. Yet, Pr. Ko had the spiritual discernment to know it was an evil spirit to be cast out.

Seeking a fine pearl – asking for the Holy Spirit

Just because a merchant knows what a fine pearl looks like, he won’t automatically come across one by staying at home. To find the best price for the best pearl, he has to travel to the prime pearl producing regions of the world (Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Tahiti, Australia), talk to divers, negotiate with pearl farmers, attend loose pearl auctions or put on some scuba gear and go diving himself.

Likewise, a person needs to actively seek the Holy Spirit in order to receive Him (the Holy Spirit).

Matthew 7:7-8 promises us, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Perhaps we’ve prayed in front of the chapel in every SSC, SC, NYTS, and church event since we were small. Perhaps we have prayed with tears and begged for God’s mercy. Perhaps we are discouraged because we see how everyone around us has received the Holy Spirit.

But do we sincerely and persistently keep up the knocking and begging after all those church events? Or is the Holy Spirit only a passing thought during the 5-minute prayer before going to bed?

Also, is our body clean enough to be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 6:19)? Or is it filled with dirty laundry and embarrassing things?

As long as we cleanse our self and persist in asking for the Holy Spirit, we will surely receive what we are searching for.

Buying a fine pearl – living a life in the Spirit

When the merchant finally finds a wonderful pearl, he cannot just snatch it and make it his own. That would make him a robber or thief. To become the legitimate owner, he needs to pay a great price for a great pearl. For Elizabeth Taylor, the price for a single pearl was $37,000 when she bought the 50-carat “La Peregrina” in 1969. For the buyer of “La Pelegrina,” a silver pearl once belonging to the Spanish Treasury, the price was $463,800 in 1987[1].

How does a merchant come up with all that cash? By selling everything he has to pay for the pearl. Fortunately for us, the Lord Jesus has already paid for our pearl. He used his blood to atone for our sin so we can be worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit.

However, the merchant’s actions teach us that we must repay God’s love with our life.

Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

We follow Christ by following his Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is like a river (Ezekiel 47), we need to move away from the shallow waters and let ourselves float along in the fullest part of it. We need to seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit so we can follow the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God instead of our own.

Buying incentives – eternal profit

The merchant is willing to sell everything he owns to buy the pearl because he is confident he will make a profit from it.

In the same way, we are willing to forsake all to follow Christ because we know that there is a greater reward waiting for us in heaven.

As Matt 16:26-27 tells us, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”

Conclusion

The pearl of great value is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance in heaven (Eph 1:13-14). May those of who have not yet received the Holy Spirit make the determination to pray unceasingly about it. Let us cleanse our inner selves and hold on to the promise that God will surely give us what we ask in His name.

May those who have already received this pearl pray for the fullness of the Holy Spirit so that we may follow the will of God and be a fitting setting for our precious jewel.

REFERENCE VERSES

1. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God

– 1 Thes 4:7-8 – “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.”

2. The Holy Spirit is evidenced through the speaking of tongue (NOT an initial sign that goes away)

– Acts 2:4 – “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

– Acts 10:44-46 – “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.”

– I Cor 14:2 – For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.

3. The Holy Spirit is essential to salvation

– Ephesians 1:13-14 – “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

4. The Holy Spirit is a Counselor who teaches us about God’s will

– John 14:26 – “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

5. The Holy Spirit gives us power

– Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

6. The Holy Spirit is a spirit of peace, joy, hope, and love

– Rom 5:5 “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

– Rom 5:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

– Rom 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,”

– Gal 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

7. Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit

– 1 Cor 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”

– Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

[1] Matlins, Antoinette, The Pearl Book – The Definitive Buying Guide 3^rd Edition, GemStone Press Woodstock, Vermont 2006, P. 16