The Italian Memorandum

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like this. A merchant looking out for fine pearls found one of very special value; so he went and sold everything he had and bought it.”

(Matthew 13:45,46 REB)

The parable of The Pearl of Great Price raises a profound question, “How important is the pearl to you?” Since the entire context of Matthew 13 is about the kingdom, not to mention the preface to 13:45,46 being “kingdom” content, we are to understand, therefore, that this pearl is also about the kingdom.
Now, we know that the kingdom has specific content:

1. The kingdom is about people (Matt. 13:2)……………………………. Church
2. The kingdom is about the word of God (Matt. 13:23)……………… Bible
3. The kingdom is about the harvest (Matt. 13:39)…………………….. Service

Now, regarding Matthew 13:45,46 – the pearls are concretions formed within the bodies of certain mollusks, especially, Avicula margaritifera, found in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. But, we must keep in mind that we are in parabolic territory, where the point is not about what’s being pointed out, but, rather, about what the Master meant. And, what did Jesus mean here? If the merchant is Christ, the pearl is the church (see Tenney, ZPBD, 632). If, however, the merchant is a disciple (as we tend to think), then what is meant here is nothing short of the disciples’ commitment to obtain what is truly valuable in this world, and in the next.
Two lessons appear significant in this parable: (1) There is a cost to be made to
acquire the pearl, and (2) According to Jesus, the pearl is worth every cost involved.
So, with Jesus, we say: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful
pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and
bought it” (NKJV).
How important is the pearl to you– Church, Bible, Serving?

-Robert M. Housby

The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion

(Adapted from The Wizard of Oz by Robert M. Housby)

Dorothy and Toto were enroute to the Emerald City. In order to make the journey, though, they had to leave Kansas. Along the way, Dorothy met a Scarecrow: ” I’m going to see the Wizard of Oz,” she said. ” I don’t know Oz,” said the Scarecrow. ” In fact, I don’t know anything, because I haven’ t any brains!” Dorothy sighed. And, as they journeyed, another poor fellow emerged, called, the Tin Man. Now, the Tin Man wondered whether the Wizard might possibly give him a heart. They had not traveled much farther before a huge lion bounded out of the woods. When he turned, as if to pounce on Toto, Dorothy shouted: “Don’ t you dare hurt that dog you big coward.” It was then that the lion began to cry, ” I am a coward,” he said. “How can I be the King of beasts without courage?” Then the lion apologized for his rude behavior, and joined the others on the yellow brick road.
In The Wizard of Oz, there is an honest assessment made of what these travelers needed. Dorothy longed for home; Scarecrow for brains; Tin Man for heart; and, the Cowardice Lion for courage. How interesting that Jesus, himself, made mind, heart, and will essential to loving God (Matthew 22:37). The strange thing about “Bible Study” is that it is not really about Bible Study; it is about getting the Christian mind, the Christian heart, and the Christian will. The Lord knows that we need to become more intimate with Him (John 17:3). So, what is it that you should, yourself, be seeking? Honestly, isn’t there something in all of us like the travelers on the yellow brick road?
It is written in the Psalms: ” The works of the Lord are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them” (Ps. 111:2, NKJV). May the works of the Lord (from the Creation to Calvary) bring you to studiously apply yourself today!

“And whenever you are fasting, do not look gloomy and sour and dreary like the hypocrites, for they put on a dismal countenance that their fasting may be apparent and seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward in full already”

(Matthew 6:16, The Amplified New Testament)

What happens when Christian commitment turns into discontentment? Consider the man of Matthew 6:16. Here is an individual practicing “fasting” as a religious commitment. But, Jesus cautions this person not to become like the hypocrites of his day, who tend to turn such an expression of faith into a sick form of personal pain. It is written, elsewhere, “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart…therefore you shall serve your enemies” (Deuteronomy 28:47,48). There is a tendency among God’s people to show discontent: “In the morning you shall say, If only it were evening! and at evening you shall say, If only it were morning!” To these, the Lord says, I will send you back to Egypt in ships! (see Deuteronomy 28:67,68).
So, how do we feel about church, scripture, giving, serving, singing, and praying? Do you serve the Lord with gladness? Do you enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise? Part of being a Christian is doing a personal inventory. The apostle Paul, in speaking of the Lord’s Supper, said: “Let a person examine himself” (1Corinthians 11:28). He would again encourage the Corinthians: “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Dismal cannot be your demeanor, because it is not your destiny. Now, while the sands of the hourglass are falling, lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh (Rom. 13:11; Lk. 21:28).

-Robert M. Housby

“…I do not box as one beating the air”

(1 Corinthians 9:26)

In the new television series, The Contender, Sugar Ray Leonard and Sylvester “Rocky” Stallone bring their expertise to a group of common, everyday men and their families. These men are battling as underdogs for a better life. The apostle Paul, himself, uses a boxing illustration in 1 Corinthians 9:26. He is expressing how serious and committed he is to the cause of Christ in his own life. He is not “shadow-boxing,” as it were, he is a Christian, contending in the very arena of reality itself.
In the story of the Jews, Jacob plays a major role. Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah. The Bible tells the story of how Jacob was born, struggling in the womb (Gen. 25:22) and holding on to his twin brother’s heel (Gen. 25:26). Genesis 25:23 plainly expresses that these two brothers would be two nations (Gen. 25:23). Later, in the life of Jacob, he is found wrestling with an angel in a symbolic action that would change his name from “Jacob” to “Israel” (Gen. 32:28): “What is your name? And he said, Jacob. Then he said, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed…And there he blessed him” (32:29).

The biblical basis for contending is relevant (Eph. 6:12; 2 Cor. 10:3-6; 2 Tim. 4:7):

1. May our prayer be the prayer of Psalm 35 – “Contend, O LORD…” on our behalf and for our welfare (Ps. 35:1,23,27).
2. May we contend for the gospel (Philippians 1:27).
3. May we contend for Christ and His church (Eph. 3:21).
4. May we contend for our families (Eph. 5:33-6:4).

The Contender is more than a made-for-television series. The Contender is in you.

-Robert M. Housby