PREACHER’S NOTE 15 JUNE 2025
Hidden in Matthew 13, Jesus the master story-teller tells us
about a pearl trader. We imagine, as the story unfolds, a
world not unlike the familiar seaports of the Pirates of the
Caribbean. The trader wanders the gangplanks, the taverns
and the dives following promising leads, meeting
charlatans and swindlers, being shown the ugly, the
worthless, the spoken-up but ultimately disappointing.
And yet he persists.
Then one day, it all changes. In a dirty back street, opening
up an unremarkable shell, he uncovers an incredible
find. He fights the look that must be on his face, but
can’t. The price is astronomical, but he knows – this one
he absolutely must have. So he leaves a down-payment,
and hurries home. He sorts through everything he has,
and holds a garage sale that amazes all. He carefully
hands over the proceeds and brings home the most
amazing pearl he has ever seen. As he gazes at it on his
little kitchen table, he knows his life has changed forever.
Jesus is telling us about ourselves. We spend our lives looking
everywhere for the meaning of life. Then one ordinary
day, the Saviour finds us where we are and invites us to
follow Him. The benefits are huge – walking with Him, in a
kingdom where one day all will be made right, all brokenness
will be fixed. But the price is high: the kingdom demands
that we live not for ourselves, but in community
and honouring our Father, so that we can experience the
joy and belonging that He wants us to have. But also to
endure difficulties in a world that doesn’t understand.
Is God’s kingdom the most valuable thing we could discover?
Yes, absolutely. But are we prepared to pay the
price to fully live it?
Blessings, Andrew.