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I remember times, especially when I was a kid, that I would want one of my brothers or a friend to do something for me. They would often ask, "What's it worth to you?" Then we would barter a price. If it was one of my brothers, the price often meant doing some of their chores for a certain amount of time. Many of those times, I was simply trying to get them not to tell on me for something I had done. Sometimes the price was more than I was willing to pay. Everything in life has a price. We take a job based on a wage. We buy a commodity based on a set value. Sometimes we are able to "haggle" over the price, but there is a price just the same. The thing we have to decide is, is it worth it? Is the wage enough to make the job worthwhile? Is the car, house, or whatever, worth the price that has been set? Even when we decide to "do without," there is a price to pay. For example, if you decide to do without a car, your mobility is limited. There is always a price. The same holds true in our spiritual life. There is a price to pay to be a part of the kingdom. "WAIT JUST A DOGONE A MINUTE." I can hear the screams. "SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT." Yes it is. But think about this; "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!"
(Matthew 13:44-46)
Why would Jesus tell this parable if there is not a price or a value placed on the Kingdom? What is the cost of being a part of that kingdom? According to the parable, the cost is everything else. The kingdom is of more value than everything else that we can have. Do we place this kind of value on the Kingdom? Jesus told the rich man "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21) I've heard it said that Jesus wouldn't ask us to do that. Who says? Did Jesus ever say that this was just for this one guy? What about the Christians in the book of Acts who "sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need." (Acts 2:45) And how about Acts 4:32-35; "All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need." I'm not saying we all have to sell everything and live in communes, but, would we be willing to? Do we hold on to the things we are blessed with so tightly that we miss the value of the kingdom? Have this world and the things which are in it become our kingdom? Can we no longer see the value of the Kingdom to the point that we would give up everything to posses it? That seems to be a question that requires a lot of reflection and self examination. I find this to be a great challenge for myself. I’m also bothered as I read the writings of brothers and sisters who want to share in all the pleasures of this world, as though they haven't died to it. I mean that as a concern, not a judgment. Especially in America, we live in a world where the line between rights and privileges has become blurred at best. And, our consumerism has carried over into the areas of faith. What has happened to being aliens in this world and being citizens of heaven? What would you pay for the kingdom? Jesus thought it was worth dying for. Live by Faith
Original content at: http://becauseofyeshua.org/?p=90.
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Scott Bartchy is a radical. He believes in a subversive system that embraces those on the fringes of our society and seeks to establish a new way of life that goes against the status quo.