“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 13:45-46

The clamor slowly subsided at the Toyosu fish market auction on New Year’s Day in 2019 after a new record had just been set: 3.1 million US dollars for a gigantic bluefin tuna weighing 612 pounds. Businessman Kiyoshi Kimura, sometimes referred to as the “Tuna King,” was the dubious winner who paid more than five times the going rate for top grade tuna because of his desire to create more publicity for his chain of sushi restaurants.

In that same year, another record was set for the purchase of two Yubari King melons sold at the season’s initial auction in the city of Sapporo. The top tier of this particular melon commonly sells for $200 US, but a pair of them were bought for the exorbitant sum of $45,000. Yoshihiro Iwate, the president of Pocca Sapporo Food and Beverage, declared that the purchase was an expression of his company’s gratefulness to the agricultural industry and to the local melon farmers.

While these expenditures for such items seems wildly excessive, similar outrageous sums of money are often spent for other unique food products in Japan. For example, a single bunch of Ruby Roman grapes was recently auctioned off for $12,000 which meant that each individual grape was valued at $400. A single 12-ounce Kobe Beef steak that is served at a wagyu restaurant in Akasaka set a new world record with a $2,500 price tag. Japan now produces some of the world’s finest whisky, but a single bottle of Suntory’s Yamazaki 55, prized for its rarity and quality, sold in 2020 for over $800,000.

These astronomical prices for perishable, consumable commodities are, admittedly, difficult to understand. The factors of publicity, scarcity, labor intensity and appreciation tend to play significant roles in inflating product values. For example, purchasing the so-called top-of-the-line of a particular item brings with it widespread publicity which can easily be used to promote sales. Other items, like the special whisky and, increasingly, the overfished bluefin tuna, are scarce goods so the economics of the free market naturally drives those prices up. Cultivated products like the grapes, Kobe beef and melons only achieve their superior quality through intensive, costly labor that is considered a source of pride in a land that stereotypically strives for perfection. Then finally, Japan is a country where gift giving and expressing formal appreciation is a huge value, so such expensive gifts can serve to fill this influential social obligation.

The pursuit and discovery of an object of value is actually a biblical concept that Jesus employed in two parallel parables to teach a significant truth. In them Jesus communicated that the importance of the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a man selling all he had to acquire a treasure in a field or to obtain a pearl of great value. (Matthew 13:44-46) These two simple, but profound parables, served to shine a spotlight on what we should value in this present world as we reflect on the world to come. When put in these terms, it does seem unwise to invest the best of our time, money and efforts in things that have only temporal value. While it may be tempting to dine upon prize winning tuna, melons, steak and grapes, we should never forget that as the redeemed people of God, we will one day feast at His banquet table. There, we will never hunger or thirst again. The only food that will truly satisfy our souls is to be found in the presence of God, because of the mercy of God. When in eternity we dine at the feast of the Lamb, we will celebrate that we, too, “were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (I Corinthians 6:20)