A Soul’s Price Tag

Mark 8:36-38

      How much does a soul cost? What is its value? What is its worth? In some movies we see the exchange of a soul for something of value to the bargainer. Musical talent or ‘the girl’ are often the objects of desire gained through the exchange, but the cost ends up being much greater than ever imagined. This type of deal is based on the German legend of Faust, an ambitious and successful man who wants more out of life. He trades his soul for endless knowledge and sinful pleasures. It doesn’t turn out for him as he imagined.

      I don’t want you to think that this exchange takes place with a pentagram of fire painted on the floor surrounded by candles. No blood has to be spilled and no ancient incantations must be said. How do I know this? Have I done it myself?

      Our text shows that the people Jesus is addressing, the crowd and His disciples, were in danger of making this exchange. That is why He brings it up. They were in the process of gaining something and losing their soul.

      So what were they gaining? They were about to be ashamed of Jesus’ words. They were going to be allowed to deny what Jesus said. They were going to keep quiet when they should have spoken. The price to not feel ashamed is very high. It will cost your soul.

      Jesus had just told His disciples about the upcoming betrayal, suffering, death and His resurrection. Peter had stepped up and tried to get Jesus to change His mind. Peter couldn’t imagine life through Jesus’ lenses. Peter knew how the plan was supposed to play out, and he wasn’t about to give up on his picture of reality. Jesus rebuked him.

      Peter had to make a choice: would he accept Jesus’ picture of the world, or would he continue to see the world through his lens? Jesus won’t let Peter think there isn’t a price tag for keeping his own view of the world. And you can’t look at the world through you lens and Jesus’ lens at the same time. You lens cancels out the power available in Jesus.

      But this exchange takes place with everyone one of us. When we compromise and settle for less than God’s will, we are exchanging our soul for something of infinitely diminished value. In Paul’s words from his letter to Corinth, we are building with wood, hay and stubble. These materials will not last. Our life will suffer. We might gain something here, but we will also lose both here and in eternity. All the costs do not carry to the future. Many of them will show up in life now. Broken relationships, depression, anxiety, mistrust, anger, isolation, and the list could go on.

      Nothing in this world is worth the value of your soul. Maybe it is time to bring some of the previous exchanges back to the return counter and get your soul back. Refuse the promotion so you can spend more time with your family. Trade in the new car for one much older so the debt doesn’t weigh you down. Keep the old furniture. Sell the toys and make serving others a priority through you local church and its outreaches.

Profit At What Price?

Mark 5:11-12

      Profit and loss. These are powerful words in the world of business. Even non-profit organizations must break even. They have bills to pay and salaries to support. Some people will sell their souls to make a profit. Many extremely wealthy people have done just that. Money has turned into their god, and they serve it faithfully.

      The porn industry is an example of evil business. The exploitation of others for profit is rampant. Many large corporations are so driven by their bottom line, the dividends paid to shareholder and the price of the stock, that they will do just about anything to become rich.

      A recent news story told of one individual who just sold stock worth 3.3 billion dollars. And the company he founded produces absolutely nothing! Now that is evil! He might be a nice guy, but making that much money brings with it tremendous responsibility to others.

      But before we rail against the big corporations, maybe we should hold the mirror a little closer. Do we keep making purchases of things we don’t really need? Do we clamor for the newest gadget or the cheapest price? Do we reach out to the truly poor and do more than throw a dollar in their bucket? Do we give our lives in service of others? Are we always looking for someone else to pay our way, supplement our lifestyle, give us medical care and a cell phone?

      The herders of the pigs we read about in our text had made just such a choice. Jews were not supposed to have anything to do with pigs herding. Jews certainly couldn’t eat pigs since they were classified as unclean animals. But somewhere in their collective history they had decided they could profit from the sale of pigs to the local non-Jewish population. They could make a small compromise and a big profit. Perhaps a long-forgotten economic downturn had forced them to switch to hogs rather than some other animal. Perhaps there was just more profit in pork bellies than in anything else. But I have to admit, bacon is good!

      The demons in our story are desperate. They don’t want to face life without the possibility of a body to inhabit, so they ask to be sent into the herd of pigs. I guess they figure living in a pig is better than living nowhere. Maybe they figured they could use the pigs as a stopping off point on their way either back to this original man or on to another person. We just don’t know.

      And one of those questions that still puzzles me today is where did the demons go inside the pigs? Do pigs have a place that spiritual beings can inhabit? Where do demons occupy in humans? What box do they fit into? Body, soul, spirit, psyche, mind, intestines? More questions than answers, I’m afraid.

      A funny thing happens when Jesus gives the demons permission to enter the pigs. The pigs don’t like it. They want the demons out of them so badly that they kill themselves by jumping off a cliff. Talk about getting a harsh reception when moving into a new neighborhood.

Leak

Proverbs 14:35

      Work relationships can be just as difficult as personal relationships. This is true at every level of work group. If we have just one other person with whom we work, things can get complicated and stressful. Large organizations often have Human Resource Managers, part of whose job is to help with these rough spots in the work force. It is less expensive to help work out an issue than it is to hire a new person, train them, and then get them integrated into the organization.

      Managers want people who are responsible employees. When an employee is a person of integrity, life is much easier. The manager can trust the worker to do what they are supposed to do. They become a valued team member, working toward a common goal, usually higher profit and greater customer satisfaction.

      Our proverb highlights this connection between a king and his servant. When a servant provides wise counsel, consistent behavior, and loyalty, the king can sleep at night. The servant becomes an extension of him. When the servant is in charge of some task, the king knows he doesn’t need to worry about the task being completed.

      But if the servant acts in a way that discredits his master, the reputation of the king becomes compromised. Everything for which the king has worked, the very standing of the king with neighboring states, gets placed on unsteady ground. No wonder the king lets his anger explode.

      We have seen the results of one small servant destroy the standing of a nation as we learned about Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden. They each gave vitally sensitive data that has compromised our nation’s security and our reputation around the world. I am not saying that the government should not be held responsible for its actions, but that one very low-level servant put so much at stake.

      We as parents can experience this when our children act in a way that dishonors our family name. The act may not be that large, but the consequences may be much greater than our child could ever understand. Often our fury rises, not because of the act itself, but because the act represents a break in trust.