The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When He found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it (Matthew 13).
Jesus chooses a new metaphor for beauty
One picture of Christ’s kingdom describes the discovery of a precious
pearl by a keen-eyed merchant who knew something very special when he saw
it. Jesus is very careful in His choice of images, and grounds His use of
metaphor in the physical aesthetics of the object or place which He isolates
for our instruction. While most commentators focus on the pearl as a symbol
for spiritual virtues, there is also the need to see the kingdom of God as
having a richly material dimension in Christ’s reconciliation of “all”
things.
Why is Jesus using this parable? The truths and beauty of the kingdom of God are a different kind of beauty, one that is often overlooked, even reviled in this world. It is subtle, even invisible or only “spiritually discerned,” yet worth sacrificing for, though it can be uncomfortably disturbing as well as life-giving. Jesus has chosen a metaphor that affims the natural beauty of the pearl and likens it to the value of the kingdom of Heaven.
At the heart of kingdom living is a spirit that is willing to follow Jesus. Christian morality includes a shaping of inner character as well as outward behaviour. A pearl has a unique balance of internal and external beauty that can seem less obvious than other brighter and more colourful gemstones. Such beauty does not come easily. The development process of pearls is very slow. It is one of irritation and discomfort for the oyster who continually coats a nagging, embedded grain of sand within its own body with precious mother of pearl, until discovered and brought out into the light of day. This is not unlike the character development process in the artist. In this section of our study we will examine the nature of the calling to be an artist, and what is involved in “discipling” artists to fulfill that calling—to realize the beauty of the pearl.
Discipleship for artists is complicated by their history
Believers are called to pursue a growing, intimate relationship with God out
of which flows a responsibility to steward the gifts we have and to employ
them for God’s glory. This pattern holds for artists as well. The artist
who is a Christian can take the artistic gift and offer it as a way to glorify
God. Unfortunately, many who have been raised in Christian communities have
found neither resources for thinking about their calling, nor encouragement
to pursue it. Because of the tendency of the church to marginalize artists,
the following consequences have arisen.
•Most Christians in the arts are discipled by the culture, not the
church
•Secular artists, not Christians, are “discipling” the nations
through the arts
•Communication by the church has departed from the biblical pattern
These realities have often left Christians involved in the arts with no sense of place in the church or in the work of the kingdom. It has also resulted in fewer opportunities for artists to be nurtured in their spiritual journey. This may explain why so many faith-based arts organizations have developed in the last few decades. These organizations fill a gap for artists who feel marginalised by the church because of their art and marginalized by the culture because of their faith. Faith communities that affirm their artists and the arts may draw on their gifts to pass on the transforming story of the gospel through the arts, and address the whole person through the engagment of the imagination.
As the Biblical narrative unfolds, it does so in stories and poetry. In fact, approximately 75 percent of scripture consists of story, 15 percent is expressed in poetic forms, and only 10 percent is propositional and overtly instructional in nature. In our retelling of the same story, we have reversed this biblical pattern. Today an estimated 10 percent of our communication is designed to capture the imagination of the listener, while 90 percent is purely instructive.
Many Christians are beginning to realize that we cannot know God or walk the journey of faith as God has designed it without engaging the imagination. We are at a time when the church is being called to look afresh at the role of the artist. It may well be that the arts are one of the most untapped resources for the kingdom work of the church today. Whether we consider the church’s biblical assignments when “gathered” for worship, healing, and equipping; or, as “salt and light” reaching out to and influencing the community around it; or, for world evangelization—in any of these contexts, artists have the potential to make a valuable contribution.
TO: Act 2 Scene 1