THE GOODLY PEARL PARABLE is a simple one, but what it reveals about the substance of the kingdom of heaven can make a meaningful difference in healing.
In telling the parable, 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" (Matt. 13:45, 46). During Jesus' time, a perfect pearl was worth an incredible sum. A yellow tinge or a shape that was not perfectly round and smooth diminished the value of the pearl. There were many inferior pearls, so a goodly pearl was of special value. Back then, the pearl was thought to have been conceived by a fish from the dews of heaven. The quality of dew determined whether it was pure and round or cloudy and deformed. So the parable hints that the pearl wasn't just a beautiful material treasure, but a pure, divine substance. The merchant then was truly seeking spiritual substance, and when he found it, the only way he could possess it was to dispose of everything else. In other words, he had to give up his material substance for spiritual substance; he couldn't possess both.
While the parable doesn't say where the merchant man found the goodly pearl, Jesus said those seeking the kingdom of heaven would find it where they are. Jesus also said that the kingdom is "at hand" and "within." From these statements, we may conclude that the true substance of our being is already—and always—present, defining our being right now.
