This morning, Sherry Hawk posted an expansion of the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price. At first glance, it appeared simple. However, it began to ping pong off of all sorts of things inside me and it made me stop what I was doing to engage in it.
~ " The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price" ~ Author Unknown
As a jeweler by trade I'm always interested in the gemstones listed in the scriptures. As I was meditating on 'Matt 13' and the parable of the 'pearl of great price' I began to think of our Lord. Why did He come to claim a pearl? Why not a diamond?
Matt 13:45...' "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls."
'Matt 13:46' "When he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it." In the parable of the merchant, we see that he sold all he had and bought the single pearl.
It speaks to us of the tremendous price the Lord paid for our redemption. The God of glory, the King of Kings & Lord of Lords left the splendor of Heaven to claim a pearl, and gained the pearl through paying the price that was far more than any here could pay.
As a jeweler I would question the choice the Lord made choosing to leave the Father's side for a pearl instead of what we would think of as having greater significance, the girl's best friend, the much coveted diamond. You probably know that the diamond is graded in 'value' according to the 4 C's: Cut, Color, Clarity & Carat-weight.
The answer to my pondering was right there! The diamond receives a substantial portion of its value from the way a person cuts it. The work of man's hand! The only natural gemstone that has more value when it is found than when men finish with it is the PEARL. Like the pearl, men can add nothing to the value of out salvation, through Jesus Christ.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are we saved through faith; and that not of yourselves -- it is the gift of God -- 'Eph 2:9' Not of works, lest anyone should boast.
The pearl is formed when a foreign object somehow enters the inside of the oyster, and instead of ejecting the object or irritant out, as most humans would try to do, the object is covered by the oyster with layer upon layer of a substance secreted from its own body. The object that came into the life of the oyster as an irritant, instead of being cast out is turned into something lovely within the oyster.
"We are all an irritant (through our sin) to God, but He accepts us, in spite of our sin. He covers our sin and brings us into His Holy kingdom.
Think about other details of the pearl. The longer the pearl stays in the oyster the more valuable it becomes. God is using our time now to conform us into a beautiful image of His dear Son. The pearl is formed in a Living Object! No dead rock is the pearl, it comes from life. The very life of the oyster is given to the pearl.
The true value of the pearl is not seen from the outside. To the world around it the pearl is just another barnacle covered nasty looking shell.... To see the true beauty of the pearl the oyster must die. The oyster is ripped open with a knife in the side, before the true treasure is revealed.
The analogy in the Pearl here is like Christ's death, so that all who trust in Him will be able to see and be with Him in His beautiful Kingdom, for eternity....
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A friend … included as follows; A pearl comes from an "unclean" as per diet laws, item, an oyster; so the Lord was also emphasizing here that He had others that He was seeking, not just the house of Israel, but from the nations too.
In Acts He told Peter 3x via vision , to not regard as unclean what He declared clean re Cornelius and the Gentiles joining in in worship
Have a wonderful Saturday YOU GLOWING PEARLS!
♥ mucho Hugz ooooxoooo, Sherrry
I have always loved this parable – especially when I realized He was, in fact, talking about us in it. In the brilliance of God, He always offers a simple analogy that we are then delighted to find contains inexhaustible treasures to discover and ruminate upon - a little like the gum Violet Beauregarde eats in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" - it changes flavor, adding more delight until one is transformed by it ... and then we're squeezed for the juice.
In this case, I began to ponder the many observations of those who participate in IHOP-LI/The Burn. At nearly every meeting I am challenged by the different ways, IHOP/The Burn succeeds or falls short or needs to do or be whatever. I have more people than I can recount come to me and say, "I'm all about this - I love it." and then they never show up again. Others who expect us to be a hot bed of activity and are disappointed with what appears to be pedantic, liberal, conservative, low-key, radical, un-balanced, religious, casualness that they simply don't understand or can't (for a hundred reasons) connect with or find the appeal to dig in and build a House that worships and prays night and day on Long Island.
Truthfully, there is nothing appealing about our meetings unless you understand the privilege and power of agreeing in Prayer with The Holy One of Israel- Who is even now making intercession for us (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25). It's bogus unless you know there is an unseen impact upon the atmosphere and even upon your own soul as you wrestle with the Truth of God's thoughts, heart and words; coming through transformed as you pray blessing over your "opponents" and love for those who hurt you. It is ridiculous unless you like growing in transparency, vulnerability and the potential to be exposed in/for your weakness. It's a stupid waste of time unless you have the tenacity to hold out and stick with it until lives are changed and circumstances are shifted and you truly know the "thrill of victory as well as the agony of defeat". It is meaningless, folly and vanity unless you come to the conclusion that Jesus IS the House of Prayer and there is no One - ever - Who is as worthy of our absolute abandonment and worship and honor. Worship, prayer, biblical justice, power... all elements of the gospel of the King and His Kingdom.
Then, there is The Burn... a garage-band conglomerate of musicians who love to worship, play and lead but sometimes, the game is "king of the hill" rather than "tag". We sometimes overpower each other and the temptation is always there to quit and go home and not play with those kids any more - they're too rough. Truly, in something as simple as the Burn, we all still find offenses to trip over. A "rough play" or an "offensive" street kid has landed more people than I care to mention on my radar and I am regularly told or even thinking about who or what needs "fixing" (which truly most certainly includes me).
After some prayer through the night and then reading this little article, I realized that perhaps we do more harm than good when we judge other pearls as those who need correction of some sort. Perhaps we are encountering unseemly "shells" with rather obnoxious looking barnacles because of environment and prying open the shell will do tremendous harm; possibly marring the beauty that Father is cultivating. I'm beginning to see more and more that Father is the parent - not any of us. Fathers who represent our Heavenly Father really well are some of the rarest creatures on the planet. Although I remember that Paul said you have few fathers, Jesus said call NO ONE Father.(Matthew 23:9)
I realize that I have a responsibility to love and strengthen my brothers and sisters. Sometimes that requires uncomfortable conversations where we work through our growing pains together. However, I’m slowly learning that doing so needs to come from genuine love, care and especially well-timed cooperation with the Holy Spirit. He alone knows when something is ripe for the picking or pruning and when our ignorance will cause harm. Yay! I don't have to be the "sin-police". I get to be the sister that prays for my brothers and sisters, grows in love and hopefully in gentle patience. I'm beginning to think perhaps the "fruit of the spirit" are actually what Father wants to take place between siblings - rules for the play-pen.
True story - I'm tired of being a referee. Tolkien once said that children require justice while adults require mercy (because they know their need). I know my need. Honestly, I have two voices that compete for my heart's thoughts every time I engage in anything to do with IHOP/The Burn: 1.) Rejoicing over every drunk, stoned, broken, loud human being that walks through the door and still chooses to worship God and 2.) grieving over every fleshly, self-exalting, judgmental, religious, "holy ground" "where is the power and presence of God???" fiber of my screwed up humanity. Know what? Every time I look for the presence of God's Love and power there, it is surrounding the broken, unsightly addict of whatever sort; it is on every humble heart that steps out of the way of those who step on them and blesses them in the midst of it; it's on those who are coming with commitment to minister to the Lord and serendipitously Long Island/NYC at great cost to their time and energy. The truly shocking part is that eventually I discover this aspect in every single human being that walks in. The more mature Christians who lead and serve the body of Christ and the super duper broken types are all fatally beautiful because they all fall into the category of “The object of Jesus’ Affection,, i.e., the “pearl” surrounded by and transformed by Love”.
Those with whom I personally struggle with the most are those who are looking to step on IHOP/The Burn to fulfill their own journey to fame and recognition - the ones who so desperately want to present their talent, good works or their moral behavior to Father .... and then I am suddenly appalled because deep in their hearts I suddenly am shown their cry to be known and loved and once again I am confounded by the hidden glory, the pearl of great price because it is there …. that I see myself.
Years ago, I had a dream that I was standing at the mouth of a cave high in the mountains. Those who were caring for me were actually untrustworthy. A great eagle bound them and then, rather than escaping through the mouth of the cave I fell backwards into a deep pit. When I got my bearings, I saw a strange human-like creature beckon me. I discovered I was being led into a deep, deep cave with hidden treasures. Suddenly, I saw Jesus (three of Him to be exact). He was dressed in three different garments/robes. I was told I was going to be introduced to three aspects of His personality: The Hebrew Priest, the Feminine Aspect and the Bar Room Jesus. I didn’t understand that until now. You see, this ministry is ALL about the “Hebrew Priesthood” and the LONG preparation for it has challenged me to search out the “feminine” nurturing aspect of God like no other aspect of my life. Ah, but now the Bar Room Jesus…
We were instructed very early on to not seek out the Church but the broken, bar room and college musicians/intercessors. However, I have consistently wobbled in that arena because I welcome those that fit that description but I know more “churched” musicians and for whatever unknown reason, I have found myself appealing to the Church community to lead worship to God in the House and it is the most arduous task I have ever engaged in. May God help me frequent more bars!
If we readjust and stick well to the master plan, there will never be a day when broken, addicted, disenfranchised human beings are turned away as sincere ministers to the Lord. In fact I will always advocate for them to be part of the worshiping intercessors called IHOP-LI. Immersion in the Presence of God is a far better rehab then the Betty Ford Clinic will ever be - although I honor their work there. These saints are pearls of great price and I have found that Father is never ashamed to be the God of those who come to Him in sincere love or need. He is not appalled or infuriated by broken, irritating, fragile human beings who know their weakness and come to Him anyway - because they know His love and strength. They come boldly to the throne of Grace to find mercy and grace in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) Who are we to trip them on the way with our assessments?
“In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12) He is fully able and willing to help them (us) grow in their new identity in Christ. He is FATHER. His is a seed that is relentless in its reach for maturity. When we see something our siblings are doing that may be sin, our role isn’t to “tell on them” but to seek what Father is doing in their life. Maybe He is just fine with where they are at the moment. It is doubtful that we know each other and love each other intimately enough to know the motivations of their heart or what great battle they have just engaged in. Our job is listen to them and to Him, Who is the Great Physician; to prayerfully look for His wisdom and kindness to take the plank out of our own eye so we can see the splinter in our brother’s/sister’s eye and gently remove it, i.e. to restore gently so they/we can heal.
I suppose the reputation of IHOP-LI and all who associate with us is at stake. I suppose you all have to choose to associate with us or not. I realize now, though, that if we get this right, we will be a “highway/by-way” ministry (Matthew 22:9) and that may, in fact, turn out to be our greatest joy. Remember Jesus reclining at the table of the Pharisee's? It was the "sinful" woman who worshiped Him and kissed His feet, washing them with her tears. He never stopped her. He didn't even "fix" her or correct her for approaching Holiness in such decadence. Instead, He vindicated her and forgave her sins. She, as well as the Pharisee, were both His pearls of great price.
Luke 7:31ff
"To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:
" 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by all her children."
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