Chapter XXII: Goodly Pearls

MATTHEW 13.45

OUR Lord Jesus said: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant-man seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

Now all of us are seeking for all sorts of things; and each one, in our different ways, desires most earnestly to find the thing we desire.

You boys want to be splendid at football, or cricket, or games at school! Or you want to be very clever at your lessons, and top of your class, and hoping to be put up higher next term.

And you strive and strive for these things, and like the merchant-man, you seek them, as he did his pearls.

And you girls—what do you think most about?

To be a girl-guide? To be top of your class? To be elected "captain" in your school? To be a clever artist, or a good musician?

And then with older people? All the world seems after fame, or riches, or pleasure, more things than I can count; and like the merchant-man, they value them very much.

But one day this merchant-man comes across a man who offers him the most beautiful pearl he has ever seen.

It is large, and so pure, so brilliant, and so rare; he takes it in his hand, and is lost in amazement.

The one who offers it to him, tells him that he will have to give up all his other pearls to buy it!

Then the merchant-man goes into his chamber, and looks earnestly at his own pearls. But the desire for the one Treasure is overwhelming—and at length he returns to his visitor, and he says, "I will give everything I possess, if you will give me this One Pearl of great Price!"

This is an allegory; but we may well ask, "What is this Pearl of great Price?"

It is—to take Jesus to be our Saviour.

To ask Him to wash away our sins; to help us to be pure, and good; to be our light in our darkest hours; to be our joy, our life, and our happiness, if we have taken Him for our own Saviour.

Years ago, when I was a little girl of twelve, I heard a sermon in which we were asked to take Jesus into our hearts, then and there.

I remember how, directly I reached home, I ran up into my room, and knelt down, and asked Him to take me.

Since then, Jesus has been all the world to me. And He has helped me through a long life to try to bring others to love Him.

A little girl was asked by the Vicar a few Sundays ago, whether she had understood what he had said?

She looked up sweetly, and answered: "You said, 'we must do all we can for Jesus Christ'!"