- The passage discusses the parable of the merchant seeking pearls told by Jesus in Matthew 13:45-46. It provides multiple perspectives on interpreting the parable, noting it should not be allegorized or spiritualized but read for what is actually said. The parable challenges views of wealth, value, and what disciples are willing to sacrifice to attain the kingdom of heaven. It prompts questions about assessing what is ultimately valuable and being willing to let go of all else to obtain it.

1. Prayer
Holy God, mighty and immortal,
you are beyond our knowing,
yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus,
whose compassion illumines the world.
Transform us into the likeness of the love
of Christ, who renewed our humanity
so we may share in his divinity.
Amen.

2. theCHURCH
CALENDAR

3. The Transformation is the
turning point in the gospel story
of Jesus. Here Jesus outshines
the Law
and Prophets represented
by Moses and Elijah.
Here we learn that
Jesus Christ is what
God has to say…
BRIAN
ZAHND

4. Part 7: Matthew 13
PARABLES and the EPIPHANY

5. Once again the principle
must be invoked: any attempt
to interpret a parable by what
is not there is almost certainly
wrong…(e.g. we need not,
nor should not commit)
violations of the parable’s
narrative time
by saying the hearer must
project
beyond the story to (gain an
understanding of its meaning.)
KLYNE
SNODGRASS

6. If you learn something about
the kingdom, you should also
learn something about
yourself.
AMY-JILL LEVINE

7. By attending to the anomalies
of the story, refusing to
allegorize in order to
domesticate (it), challenging
our acquisitiveness and our
sense of what is truly
of value, the parable disturbs.
That is what parables should
do.
AMY-JILL LEVINE

8. Again, the kingdom of heaven
is like treasure hidden in a
a man found and hid; and for
joy over it he goes and sells
all that he has and buys that
field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven
is like a merchant seeking
pearls, who, when he had found
one pearl of great price, went
MATTHEW 13:44-46 (NRSV)

9. The good road from above is like a
hidden treasure a man finds buried in a
field. He buries it back into the ground
ground and is then happy to go
and trade everything he has for
that field. The good road from above is
above is also like a trader in goods who
is looking for the finest of beads. When
When he finds one of great beauty and
beauty and worth, he trades all his
his goods so he can have it.
MATTHEW 13:44-45 (FNV)

10. The kingdom of heaven is like
a man, a merchant, seeking fine pearls;
on finding one pearl of
extremely great value, he went
and sold all that he had and
bought it.
MATTHEW 13:45-46 (AJL)

11. A healthier way of reading the
parable begins by
deallegorizing both the
merchant and the pearl,
persists by recognizing the
exaggerated absurdity of
the merchant’s actions, and
addresses how the parable
raises questions of surprise,
identity, and ultimate concern. AMY-JILL LEVINE

12. The kingdom of heaven is like
a man, a merchant, seeking fine
on finding one pearl of
extremely great value, he went
and sold all that he had and
bought it.
POINT: the merchant is not God seeking
us, or Jesus seeking disciples; he will stay
a man, but might not stay
a merchant…
MATTHEW 13:45-46 (AJL)

13. - One who markets, through
agents, items consumers don’t
need at prices they can’t afford
- One who crosses boundaries
- One who is socially suspect
- One who deals in what is not
TRULY of value (i.e. land,
family,
truth) but in
moveable/fungible property
MERCHANT 1stCenturyWholesaler

14. Just as comparing the
kingdom to yeast, which has
(generally) negative
connotations in the
rest of the New Testament,
might have gotten a rise out
of the audience, so comparing
the kingdom to a merchant
of any sort might have been
a tough sell. AMY-JILL LEVINE

15. “The kingdom of heaven is like
a merchant…” Funny business
at best; bad marketing for a
parable. Jesus has caught
my attention, but I’m not sure
I’m going to like the product
he is selling.
AMY-JILL LEVINE

16. The kingdom of heaven is like
a man, a merchant, seeking fine
pearls; on finding one pearl of
extremely great value, he went
and sold all that he had and
bought it.
POINT: the kingdom isn’t compared
to the pearl, but to the merchant
seeking them
MATTHEW 13:45-46 (AJL)

17. - Something valuable and rare,
which most would never see
- Produced from oysters which
are non-kosher animals;
human beings couldn’t
produce them
- Sold by those not living by the
values of the kingdom of God
- They are no more valuable in
the kingdom than the gold
PEARLS In Jesus’ Day…

18. The foundations of the wall of
the city are adorned with every
jewel; jasper, sapphire, agate,
emerald, onyx, cornelian,
chrysolite, beryl, topaz,
chrysoprase, jacinth, (and)
amethyst. And the twelve gates
are twelve pearls, each of the
gates is a single pearl, and the
street of the city is pure gold,
transparent as glass.
REVELATION 21:19-21

19. The kingdom of heaven is like
a man, a merchant, seeking fine
pearls; on finding one pearl of
extremely great value, he went
and sold all that he had and
bought it.
POINT: how the merchant seeks is as
important to interpreting the parable
as what the merchant is seeking
MATTHEW 13:45-46 (AJL)

20. - He’s looking for a commodity
he can purchase/sell for a
profit, not an ethic by which to
live
- He changes course midstream
- He found an object of great
desire/beauty, but one that
cannot feed/shelter/clothe
- He liquidates all to own it;
puts all his eggs in one basket,
HOW HE SEEKS…

21. Whether what he has done is
risky or wise, foolhardy or
dedicated,
he has gained a pearl of
enormous value. In the gaining,
he has not only fulfilled a desire
he did not know he had, he has
also changed his identity. By
finding that pearl
of ultimate worth, the merchant
stops being a merchant…
he redefines himself and we
AMY-JILL LEVINE

22. KNOWLEDGE
an obvious allegory
TYPICALSETTINGS/MOUNTS

23. KNOWLEDGE
an obvious allegory
SACRIFICE
reads the story w/what isn’t there
there
TYPICALSETTINGS/MOUNTS

24. KNOWLEDGE
an obvious allegory
SACRIFICE
reads the story w/what isn’t there
there
ANYTHING BUT ECONOMICS
ignores what Jesus actually said
said
TYPICALSETTINGS/MOUNTS

25. Jesus did not tell all his
followers to sell what they
have and join the ranks of the
destitute. Nevertheless, he
appears to have found this
lifestyle the best way of laying
up treasures in heaven.
Divesting is not required, but it
is preferred. The Gospel
tradition does not expect
everyone to sell all they have,
AMY-JILL LEVINE

26. Jesus appears to have set up
a two-tiered system: some of
his followers divest all; others
keep their own finances, but
dedicate them to the concerns
of the mission. Perhaps the
parable really does speak to
the use
of money. Much of the rest of
the tradition does. So does the
prevailing negative use of
AMY-JILL LEVINE

27. KNOWLEDGE
an obvious allegory
SACRIFICE
reads the story w/what isn’t there
there
ANYTHING BUT ECONOMICS
ignores what Jesus actually said
said
DISCIPLESHIP
spiritualizes a tangible challenge
TYPICALSETTINGS/MOUNTS

28. KNOWLEDGE
an obvious allegory
SACRIFICE
reads the story w/what isn’t there
there
ANYTHING BUT ECONOMICS
ignores what Jesus actually said
said
DISCIPLESHIP
spiritualizes a tangible challenge
TYPICALSETTINGS/MOUNTS

29. • Are we able to assess what is
of ultimate value to us?
• Are we willing to step aside
from all we have to attain it?
• For what would you sell all
you own, and is it truly worth
that?
• Is what we’re currently
pursuing really of ultimate
value?
QUESTIONS to PONDER

30. • Is the kind of kingdom
citizenship we’re experiencing
and modeling in any way
reflective of the value and
beauty Jesus thinks God’s
kingdom actually entails?
(This question heavily impacts my
perspective on numerous fronts: my view
ofGod, how to interpret and apply the
teaching/wisdom
of scripture, etc.)
QUESTIONS to PONDER

31. God invites and challenges
us with the notion that God’s
kingdom is unlike anything
this world (on its own) has to
offer, and is worth totally
redefining our lives in order to
experience;
and God does it through
human storytelling, not a list
WHAT does this PARABLE
REVEAL about GOD?

32. Closing Prayer
O God of the covenant,
the cloud of your splendor
and the fire of your love
revealed your Son on the mountain heights.
Transform our lives in his image,
write your law of love on our hearts,
and make us prophets of your glory,
that we may lead others into your presence.
Amen.