A few months ago, I was channel surfing when I found the holy grail of TV stations: The Antiques Road Show Channel.
Yes, that’s right, you can watch The Antiques Road Show 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
I don’t know what it is about that show, but I can watch it for hours.
It’s fascinating. Most people don’t understand the value of what they own. Some bring objects they think are worthless and are stunned to find out they’re worth thousands of dollars. Others bring in pieces they think are priceless, only to be crushed to hear they’re worth almost nothing.
The experts usually know what an item is worth.
But in the end, they don’t determine its value. The market does.
An item is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. And sometimes, when the price is set, it reveals more about the buyer than it does about the item.
Only when someone pays the price do you really know what the item is worth to them.
What is Jesus worth to you?
The experts of Jesus’ day set his value at thirty pieces of silver. That is what the religious leaders were willing to pay to get rid of him. That is what Jesus was worth to Judas, who betrayed him.
But what is Jesus worth to you?
I think we’d all be quick to say with the Apostle Paul, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). He is our everything.
“I would never sell out my Savior for thirty pieces of silver – or any amount of money!”
Maybe not. Or maybe we would do it for less.
Have you ever sold out your Savior to be accepted by classmates, friends, or co-workers? Have you ever traded time with Jesus for extra hours of sleep or entertainment? Have you held on so tightly to your thirty pieces of silver that you couldn’t give him three? Or two? Or even one?
Value is not simply the price we say. It’s the price we are willing to pay.
Look at how Jesus has valued you. He didn’t just say, “You’re important to me – you’re valuable to me.” He showed it. He paid it.
The holy Son of God was willing to be sold for thirty pieces of silver, willing to be betrayed with a kiss, willing to be handed over to his enemies, willing to be killed as a criminal. He was willing to suffer your punishment, your death, your hell because you are so valuable to him.
With his death on the cross, Jesus was telling you, “You are worth my life!”
The world priced Jesus at thirty pieces of silver.
He priced you at his blood.
Right now, Christians around the world are commemorating the season of Lent – a time of year when many churches quietly follow Jesus on his road to the cross. Over the next few weeks, as we watch him in those last days and hours of his life – as we see the price he was willing to pay for us – let’s think about, let’s calculate, let’s live that critical question.
What is Jesus worth to me?
Pastor Andrew Schroer has been a pastor for over 25 years and is currently serving at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Edna, Texas. You can find his latest books, “364 Days of Thanksgiving” and “364 Days of Devotion,” on Amazon.com.
