Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 13:46

"and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it." — Matthew 13:46 (ASV)

The word “again” ties this parable closely to the preceding one. The connection is the supreme worth of the kingdom. But here we deal with a merchant whose business it is to seek pearls, and who chances on one of supreme value. Unlike the man in the last parable, he pays a full price. Although he is an expert in pearls, this single find so far surpasses any other pearl he has ever seen that he considers it a fair exchange for everything else he owns. Thus Jesus is saying that the person whose whole life has been bound up with “pearls”—the entire religious heritage of the Jews?—will, on comprehending the true value of the kingdom as Jesus presents it, gladly exchange all else to follow him.