Whereas the Treasure is set against the Leaven, the Pearl is set against the Mustard Seed. The Treasure is found in the land, the pearl is found in the sea. The treasure is whole, the pearl is found in the shell. The man buys the whole field to gain the hidden treasure, the pearl alone is worth all.
A pearl is created through suffering. It is molded over time as an unwanted irritant. This is perfect picture of the scattered Jew among the nations (the sea). Through suffering, protected in the shell (clams are not kosher), the pearl is formed. The pearl is taken out of the shell and out of the sea.
Jews were scattered among the nations, but God has never forgotten his promises to them. It was to confirm these promises that the Lord came (Rom 9:4; 15:8) and what the Apostles preached in the Acts.
"And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them."-Ezekiel 36:18
This verse in Ezekiel preceded the wonderful last section of the prophecy which speaks of the resurrection of Israel as a nation, her restoration to the land and the rebuilding of the millennial temple. The Promises of God are yes and amen!
This is central to the New Covenant as spelled out in Jeremiah 31:
Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The Lord of hosts is His name):
“If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the Lord,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever.”
-Jer 31:35-36
Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah... the prophets speak clearly of the full restoration of Israel and her place as a royal priesthood, a kingdom of priests for the nations.
"Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you"
-Zech 8:23
A Sower
- B Wheat and tares
-- C MUSTARD SEED
--- D Leaven
--- D Treasure
-- C PEARL
- B Drag Net
A The Scribe
Outward Israel has grown into a large tree from a small seed, wherein the fowls of the air have found rest. In this sprawling nation there is a hidden treasure and further, a small, suffering, valuable pearl of great price.
Israel will fulfill the promise of Abraham, to be a blessing to all nations! She will be restored. She will be a blessing to Gentiles! Yet some "sons of the kingdom" will be cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 8). This is not traditional "hell" (beware the traditions of men!), these are those who will initially refuse to acknowledge the Messiah. In their place, some grafted-in gentiles will sit with Abraham in the kingdom.
“Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. But THE SONS OF THE KINGDOM will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
-Matt 8:10-12
Remember from the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, the SONS OF THE KINGDOM are not "the church" but the seed sown by the Son of Man.
“He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom..."-Matt 13:37-38
This is the "good seed." These are the true children of Israel. Yet we know, that is not enough. One must also have faith.
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’
-Isaiah 49:6
God will restore the Kingdom to Israel, yet entrance into the full blessing is for those who will repent and acknowledge their Messiah.They will look on him whom they have pierced. They will morn for a son of Israel, a brother according to the flesh. Jews are his "brethren" (this will be vital to understanding the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats of Matt 25).
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
-Zech 12:10-11
