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Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13
Reflect
Some of my favorite passages of scripture are the parables that Jesus used to teach his disciples. One of those that doesn’t get a lot of attention is the parable of the pearl (Matthew 13:45-46). Jesus told the story of a pearl merchant who found the perfect pearl and sold everything he had so he could buy that one pearl. While the parable primarily teaches us about the immeasurable value of the kingdom of heaven and all that Christ offers us, it also shows us that we will set aside everything when we recognize something of extraordinary worth.
During World War II, another very successful merchant made a decision to part with everything he had to save about 1,200 “pearls.” The man in question is Oskar Schindler, made famous by the Oscar-winning movie, “Schindler’s List.” Schindler, who died 52 years ago today, was a member of the Nazi party and was happily profiting from manufacturing goods for the German war effort. But while he was running his factory, he was also becoming aware of the value of his Jewish employees and of the certainty that they would one day perish as part of the Nazis’ “final solution.” So Schindler worked to protect approximately 1,200 Jewish workers, and he began using his fortune to bribe Nazi officials and to buy black market supplies to provide for his workers.
By the end of the war, Schindler had spent virtually everything and had little left for himself — but he had helped save approximately 1,200 lives. Although he eventually received recognition for what he had done, he initially faced the possibility of war crimes charges because of his Nazi affiliation. After the war, his business ventures failed and he lived mostly on the generosity of Jews who were aware of what he did to help so many survive the Holocaust. After he died, he became the only former Nazi Party member to be buried on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
Schindler’s sacrifice should remind us of a fraction of what Jesus did for each of us. More than the pearl of great price, we are the friends that Jesus loved enough to lay down His life to save. Schindler came to recognize the value of the people he was protecting, but Jesus knew and loved us from the beginning. And while Oskar Schindler parted with mere money, Jesus left the glory of Heaven and eventually gave His own life to make sure that we were spared from a fate worse than physical death. With His death, Jesus rescued us from the power of sin and death, and our response should be like that merchant who risked everything for the greatest pearl of all time. He loved us enough to give His life for us; shouldn’t we love Him enough to give everything we have in return? And shouldn’t that love be reflected in the sacrifices we’re willing to make for others?
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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
