It is well-known that certain types of oysters can turn irritants-small fragments of stone, for instance-into lustrous pearls by enveloping them in layers of a secretion known as nacre. In ancient times, the finest pearls were harvested mainly from the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean-far from the land of Israel.
This is no doubt the reason that Jesus spoke of “a traveling merchant seeking fine pearls.” To find truly valuable pearls, a great deal of effort is involved.Ĥ.
What is the central lesson of Jesus’ parable of the traveling merchant?Ĥ Even though fine pearls have long commanded high prices, it is evidently not their monetary value that constituted the central lesson of Jesus’ parable. In this parable, Jesus did not simply liken the Kingdom of God to a pearl of high value he called attention to “a traveling merchant seeking fine pearls” and to his response upon finding one. Unlike an ordinary shopkeeper, a traveling pearl merchant, or dealer, was what might be called a connoisseur in the trade, one who had the keen eye or the sensibility needed to discern the aesthetic qualities and subtleties that mark a pearl as extraordinary. He would know the genuine article when he saw it and would not be fooled by inferior or counterfeit merchandise.ĥ, 6. (a) What is particularly noteworthy about the merchant in Jesus’ parable? (b) The parable of the hidden treasure reveals what about the traveling merchant?ĥ Something else about this particular merchant is worthy of note.
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