Bloghardt's Reflector

You and me, worth that? Certainly not! But, for the joy of it, He did what He did any way. And His giving up everything for the treasure, the pearl, and the fish, gives them their worth.

You see, if you appraise yourself, you'll find no treasure, no pearl, and certainly only a bad fish. All by yourself, there is only sins – sins which make you not worth selling anything for!

Where is your mind now? Still listening or have you drifted off into what the dog is doing at home? What's for lunch after church? Is Pastor going to have one of those eighteen minute sermons? Why aren't you listening to the Word?

And certainly don't look at how you treat those around you! Your family, friends, fellow church members. Are they pearls of great price to you? Are they treasures in the field?

No, you are pretty sure they are the fish that need to be thrown into the fiery furnace. Aren't you? You know, in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

That's that sinful self-righteousness way we think ourselves to be the pearl, the treasure, and good fish in God's eyes while others are something less.

But, that sort of appraising of yourself will only shows how much of a bad fish, icky pearl, and junky treasure you truly are.

Ok, so what's the treasure worth? What's the pearl worth? What's makes the fish a good one and not a bad one?

Jesus does! He finds the treasure. One man's trash is treasure for Lord's God Himself! It's a treasure because He treasures it. It's a pearl of great price because prices it high. He finds the fish and refuses to throw you back.

Dear Saints of God, it's simple economics. The stuff that we have is valued at the price someone will pay for it.

If someone comes to me and offers me a million dollars for my house, ten-times more than I paid for it, they can have themselves a million dollar home! The value of my house, or all of my stuff for that matter, is the price that someone will pay for it.

It's like the Old Testament. Israel wasn't worth bringing out of Egypt. Moses tells them that the Lord didn't rescue them because they were the biggest nation. No, they were the smallest!

But despite them, the Lord brought the children of Israel out of Egypt because He loved them, that is to keep His promises to the their Fathers. He saved them – despite how small and insignificant they were.

In the same way, to purchase and win you and me, Jesus gives up everything – even the shirt off His back. To have you, to have me, to save you and me from the bondage of sin and death.

It has never ever been about what you are worth. For if we are talking worth, there is only one treasure, which was so valuable, that God Himself put into the ground to hide so that He could give up all He has to buy it...

There is only one pearl, so precious that He could sell everything to purchase.

There is only One fish, which is not worth tossing back.

Jesus, the Christ, the priceless Treasure, the Pearl of Great price, the good fish that makes all other fishes good.

Wait a minute, Pastor, I thought you said that I was the pearl? Now, you just said that Jesus is the pearl!

Yes, I did! For in Christ, you are the pearl, because He is the pearl of great price. In Christ, you are the treasure hidden in the field, because He gave up all He had to save you. In Christ, you are a fish, that He died for so that He would never have to throw back.

Apart from Christ – no pearl, no treasure, and no good fish.

But.. for the joy of it, to save you, He finds the treasure, He finds you, and exclaims “what a treasure!” Then, He hides it and gives up everything He has to buy the field with that treasure.

He finds the pearl. He finds you where you are at in all your sins and distractions. “What a pearl! I want this all for Myself!” He says. And He gives up His life for you.

Then, after the net has been dragged across the bottom of the lake – where all the nasty stuff collects, He picks through it on the shore – He says of you, “Good fish, my fish, I love this little fish!”

For the treasure, for the pearl, for the fish, He endures all – beating, bruising, mocking, stripped naked, rejection, abandonment by God Himself, even death itself.

And after three days, He raises from the dead. And with Him raises all His pearls, His buried treasures, and His good fish which have been washed, holy-ed, in the waters of their Baptism, enlivened by His Words and promises, and fed His Body and Blood.

And our worth... well, we'll leave that to Him, won't we? For we are worth what we are worth because Jesus did what He did what He did for us.

For today, He has called you in the Word, His priceless treasure, His pearl of great price, His good fish.

And faith says, “Yes, Lord, what you say of me in your Word is true. I am the pearl of great price. I am the treasure hidden in the field, I am a fish that you picked as good.” In the name of Jesus. Amen.