This tale is about Jesus talking about the Kingdom of God. He says that it is like a man who sells everything he has in order to purchase a pearl of great price. He sacrificed everything that he had in order to get his hands on the pearl. Those in attendance like this idea especially a man who had great wealth because he could identify with the value of this pearl. There was a woman in attendance though who seemed to grasp this idea differently than the others. Jesus even told her so. Her reply is that the sacrifice to get the pearl would reduce someone to poverty in order to possess it but the pearl is worthless unless there is someone willing to buy it and if you do find someone, then you will no longer possess the pearl. Her question to Jesus is then "what good is the pearl." Jesus replied that the pearl has no value if you only seek value, but if you give up everything because you are captured by its beauty then you will discover its true beauty.
In his reflection on this tale Rollins talks about how we fall into the trap of giving up everything for the reward of heaven and not the beauty of the kingdom of God. As I have reflected on this I have to agree. For quite some time our method of evangelism has been centered around enticing people with the reward and not about the beauty of the here and now. There is nothing wrong with this because the reward is a great thing but we are not saved just for fire insurance in the afterlife. No we are saved to do the good word of God and to proclaim that the kingdom of God is here among us.
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