(Synoptics: Matthew 13:45-46) The parable of the pearl of great price is similar to the parable of the hidden treasure. Both involve a purchase which is only possible if the one making the purchase sells all that he already possesses.
We are all seekers, for happiness, love, possessions, knowledge, power, or fame – in the hope that whatever it is, it will satisfy us. Or maybe we love this particular sin, and if we can keep it, we think we will be happy. We may be brilliant shoppers, able to compare prices in our heads and find the best bargain. We may be people who spend time seeking the ideal location to live, the ideal flat or house. We study the pros and cons of the latest car models, and purchase what will be admired. Or we work hard to promote our careers and to climb the ladder of success. We may be entertainment seekers, trying to find diversion from the mundane aspects of life. Some seek study for the mind and educational advance, and believe that this will open the door to future happiness. Some explore the religions and philosophies of the world to try to find answers. Some try to build relationships which will give them security and fulfilment.
But we are seeking in the wrong place, and we are seeking for what cannot satisfy the soul or solve its enormous problems. We do not seek Christ unless God draws us to him. By nature we are opposed to him and instinctively reject him. Nevertheless the soul feels its emptiness, and it has a void within, a sense of eternity, which it does not know how to fill. Nothing that it finds in this world is sufficient for this, and besides, the problem of guilt cannot be alleviated by anything the world has to offer. And yet we try to sustain the soul with its vast hunger on these things that are passing away, and it leaves us still hungering, still searching for something more. The worst of this is, that we begin to grasp that nothing in this world can truly satisfy our inner hunger.