EVERYONE HAS A PRICE. WHAT’S YOURS?

I recently read the story of twenty American soldiers who were taken captive during the Second World War. They were made to work hard labor all day long and give a report at the end of the day. One day, they brought back their tools to report to their task master, and as they all stood in line, the master counted only 19 tools. Very furious, he asked who had not brought back their tool. No one said anything. In anger, he picked up his gun and pointed it at them, saying he would start shooting people until someone spoke. Then a 19 year old walked out, saying he was the one who did not bring back his tool. The young soldier was shot as a lesson to the others. Then they realized that the master had counted wrong when they wanted to move the tools. There were 20 tools.

If this soldier who put his life on the line to save his comrades was about 70 years old, we could argue that he weighed the options, considered what was left of his very fulfilled life, and he was ready to die. However, for a 19 year old soldier to make such a decision, we clearly see the price was a huge one to pay just so his friends could live.

They all may have been killed if this young soldier had not put his life on the line. Safe to say, from that day onwards, the value on their lives of the other soldiers was the life of a 19 year old soldier. Every day they lived and worked, it would be a constant reminder that they are only alive because someone took the fall for them.

You may have also been to an art gallery or a showing where art pieces are displayed, and you saw some art with interesting prices. An example is the Salvator Mundi painting by the legendary Leonardo da Vinci (see picture below; source: CNN).

The painting is regarded as the most expensive painting, and it was sold in 2017 for US$450.3 million.

The value of the painting is determined primarily by the artist. If I brought this painting to the US and wanted to sell it, I’d probably be very lucky to sell it for $5,000. However, once people hear that the painting was done by Leonardo da Vinci, the value goes up astronomically. I also imagine that if you got a clothing item or a book signed by your favourite celebrity, you will cherish it. That’s how the value of anything changes, depending on who the ‘artist’ is.

Here's another analogy: the amount of gratitude you give someone is directly proportional to the ‘gift’ they have given you. If someone helped you pick up a pen that fell to the ground, you certainly will not thank them the same way you’d thank the airline attendant who helped make sure you did not miss a crucial flight. Neither will that compare to the way you would thank someone who dies for you.

Putting all of these together, you can ask anyone to name their price, and you’d get a number with several zeros. That’s okay too. We all want several zeros. The bills aren’t smiling. However, for the believer, the answer to that question is different because we must realize that we are only alive today because Jesus took our place in death.

Ephesians 2:4-5 (AMPC):

“But God–so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation).”

The believer must realize that the reason why redemption, sanctification, justification, the gift of righteousness, peace with God, and eternal life are free for us is because Jesus paid the price, and it cost Him His life. So when you are asked what your price is, the answer is “the life of Jesus Christ.” The life of a man does not consist in the abundance of things which he possesses (Luke 12:15).

This is why the gospel must be the same to the richest man in the world (by earthly standards) and the lowliest man in earthly possession. The rich man has to see that, without Christ, the value of that life is zero, and it would not matter how much he has in his bank accounts. The lowliest man must also see that in Christ, he has all that matters. This is all because the life of the believer is valued the same by God.

Every day we live, we must realize that we are standing because someone else took the fall, and that we are living because someone else died in our place.

What’s your price?

With all my love,

Testimony.