📖 Biblical Definition
The Pearl of Great Price is Christ’s short parable of the kingdom in Matthew 13:45-46: "Again, 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." The merchant is not stumbling on the pearl accidentally — he is searching for fine pearls; he is qualified to recognize one when he sees it. The kingdom of heaven is worth more than all that a man owns; the only adequate response is total liquidation in pursuit of it. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" (v. 9). Christian men who have not yet sold all do not yet understand the worth.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
PEARL, n.
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1. A hard, white, shining body, usually roundish, formed in the shell of an oyster. 2. The merchant in Matthew 13 sold all that he had to buy the pearl of great price, signifying the kingdom of heaven.
📖 Key Scripture
Matthew 13:45 — "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls."
Matthew 13:46 — "Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."
Philippians 3:8 — "I count all things but loss... that I may win Christ."
Luke 14:33 — "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern Christianity wants the pearl on layaway; the parable demands the whole estate.
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The Pearl of Great Price is the parable of total surrender. The merchant does not haggle. He does not finance. He does not put a portion down and pay the rest later. He sells all that he had. Once the eye lands on the pearl, every other possession becomes liquidation paperwork.
Modern Christianity often offers the pearl on layaway. Make a small commitment now; upgrade later when convenient. Christ's parable destroys that economy. The pearl costs everything; nothing else of yours stays untouched. The good news is that everything you sell to buy it was already going to be lost; the merchant trades trash for treasure. Paul names the same trade in Philippians 3:8 — he counted everything but dung compared to Christ.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek margarites (G3135) — pearl.
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G3135 — margarites — pearl
G4183 — polutimos — of great price
Usage
"The pearl costs all that you have; nothing of yours survives the transaction unliquidated."
"Modern Christianity puts a deposit down; Christ's parable forbids the layaway plan."
"Once your eye lands on the pearl, every other possession becomes liquidation paperwork."