According to the first-century Roman writer Pliny the Elder, pearls were valued even more than gold or diamonds. Jesus used everyday objects in his parables, to which his audience could easily relate. Solomon had chosen wisdom when God asked him what he wished for, realising this was more important than wealth or long life.
Jesus frequently used the term “Kingdom of Heaven”. By this he meant God’s active, dynamic rule establishing itself in humanity and transforming it. The analogy of the pearl, therefore, illustrates the priceless value of the Gospel message. The disciples discovered their pearl in Jesus and their friendship with him. They saw how he reached out to the marginalised in society like the lepers, how he sought the company of those ostracised as sinners, brought comfort to the sick and even raised the dead to life. His followers gave up everything for him.
Many of us may not be called to give up everything. In our daily lives, however, we are often asked to give of ourselves to help others in need. The Russian fairy tale Baba Yaga tells of a little girl whose wicked stepmother sends her to the ferocious witch Baba Yaga, to borrow a needle and thread. A mouse, whom the child has befriended by sharing with it her meagre portion of food, gives her good advice. She is to pick up everything she finds on the road. The girl does this, and in doing so helps many creatures who then provide her with protection against Baba Yaga. This story could be a metaphor for our everyday journeys as we discover little ways in which we can enhance God’s Kingdom of Heaven through kindly acts on earth.