Mysticism & Gospel of Thomas – No. 76 – The Highest Value

Verse - The Highest Value

Jesus said, "The kingdom of the Father is like a merchant who bought goods and found a pearl in the middle of it. That merchant was wise, for he sold the goods and bought the pearl for himself. So also in your case, seek the sure treasure where the moth does not come to devour, and where the worm does not destroy."

Comment

The meaning comes from the final sentence, a variant of Christ's cardinal demand in the Sermon on the Mount: Seek first the kingdom of God. Turn first to the inner life, to the essential, to the imperishable, then you will have gained the highest value, the lasting, which the world can neither give nor take from you. The goods of the world, however, even if these treasures make up entire loads of goods, are fleeting and perishable, so that the person who first desires and reaches for them and believes he can hold and possess them ends up with empty hands and an empty heart.

He has forgotten the most important thing, missed the best. In view of the fact that most people are attached to the world, Jesus continues to repeat the demand in ever new parables in order to open people's eyes to the greater and only essential thing, the lasting treasure, the precious pearl of the kingdom of God.