Saturday of the 6th Week of Eastertide
Acts 18:23-28
Jn 16:23-28
…by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public and demonstrated from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
The price of Jesus’ life to Judas? 30 pieces of silver. 30 pieces of silver was what Jesus meant to him – His lordship, His friendship, His love, His divinity. His humanity. It was the rate of exchange to trade in his master, his King and his Saviour. Judas traded in divinity for a little bit of silver — which would perhaps give him some temporary earthly pleasure, security and identity.
What then is our price to betray Jesus? What is the price for which we are prepared to trade in our morality, our virtue, our self-respect, our fidelity, our dignity, our humanity and our divinity? What is the price tag in exchange for our God, our friendships, our loved ones, our faith, our Church, our community, our fellow human beings?
Perhaps a promotion at the expense of our staff’s well-being, or those of a peer whom we are competing against? Perhaps our own convenience and time with our loved ones, at the expense of the family time of our staff or colleagues who we insist need to finish their assignments before they could leave the office? Perhaps an afternoon of sinful pleasure in a motel room with an underaged girl, or someone else’s spouse? Perhaps a hot meal for a starving beggar, because it was such a hassle to take out a few dollars from our wallet? Perhaps our egos’ need for recognition, glory and gratification at the expense of the God’s calling and mission for a fellow ministry member, whom we felt was getting too ‘big’ and too ‘arrogant’ for his/her own good? Perhaps when faith becomes inconvenient to us and we can no longer accept the teachings of the Church? Perhaps when a foreign worker or a domestic helper has the ‘audacity’ to share social space with us (after all, he is just a foreign worker and she is just a maid – they are simply not good enough to be seen with us right?). Perhaps being a sycophant to the rich, the powerful and the corrupt is more important than morality, ethics, our own self-respect and standing up for what is right and good and for the downtrodden? Perhaps when we say a leader had his reasons for killing babies and destroying innocent civilian lives, and we should try to understand him and not be ‘judgmental’?
And then we ask, what is God’s price tag on our lives? Priceless.
How much is he willing to pay for our souls? With everything that He had. Even the life of His own Son.
When you next look up at the crucifix, look a little more closely – perhaps you will notice a small price tag hanging on Jesus’ big toe which states – “The life and soul of my brother; paid in full!”.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Justus Teo)
Prayer: Father help us. The cost of discipleship is too high for us. We are unable and unwilling to pay so much for being your witnesses and your disciples.
Thanksgiving: Father, thank you for putting such a high value on our lives and our souls. Even higher than the price and value of the life of your own Son.
OXYGEN 
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