COUNT THE COST!
An old Russian fable tells the story of, “A pig who ate his fill of acorns under an oak tree and then started to root around the tree. A crow nesting in the tree squawked, "You should not do this. If you lay bare the roots, the tree will wither and die." "Let it die," said the pig. "Who cares as long as there are acorns?" One might assume that the pig was just ignorant of the consequences of his actions, which is probably the case, but perhaps he was just a shrewd economist who understood the principles of opportunity costs: i.e. “Hey, I’m a pig, this is what I love to do! So, I’ll deal with the consequences later, because the cost is worth it to me! (Bits & Pieces 24)”
Regardless, the crude parable describes much of life as we know it as human beings. For, “Everything in life is about opportunity cost. [because] Everyone lives in a world of scarcity and therefore must make choices. (Gwartney 11)” The New Oxford American Dictionary defines Opportunity Cost as "The loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen. (Flexner)”
Not surprisingly, the Bible has been using this truth concerning the relationship between scarcity and choice to teach us of the spiritual reality of heaven for thousands of years. Imagine that, Heaberler and Taussing thought they had an original idea when they introduced it to the world of economics in the early 20th century, but Jesus had beaten them to the punch nearly 2,000 years earlier.
Not surprisingly, the Bible has been using this truth concerning the relationship between scarcity and choice to teach us of the spiritual reality of heaven for thousands of years. Imagine that, Heaberler and Taussing thought they had an original idea when they introduced it to the world of economics in the early 20th century, but Jesus had beaten them to the punch nearly 2,000 years earlier.
When Jesus presents this principle, it is always in stark contrast to the scarcity or difficulty of finding salvation, in comparison to all of the other choices that the world has to offer us. He draws such a distinct line as to the consequences of our choices that these passages become some of the most devastatingly poignant statements of the entire Bible. Consider the statement that He made to the multitudes when He said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost…? (NKJV Luke 14:26-28)”
He asks the question so directly and succinctly, that even seasoned believers trip and stumble over its implications; i.e. “How much is heaven worth to you? How much will you sacrifice to gain salvation?” His heart-rending answer always comes back with shattering force to our presumptuously fragile convictions; i.e. “Everything! It will cost you everything!”
He asks the question so directly and succinctly, that even seasoned believers trip and stumble over its implications; i.e. “How much is heaven worth to you? How much will you sacrifice to gain salvation?” His heart-rending answer always comes back with shattering force to our presumptuously fragile convictions; i.e. “Everything! It will cost you everything!”
He would say to His disciples today, who are apathetic and self-assured about their relationship with Him, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mat 16:24-26)”
So many times in Scripture, this hammer blow comes down so persuasively, and yet it is so easily dismissed by those who assume that, somehow He must be using exaggeration as a literary device, embellishing for effect, or employing hyperbole to make a compelling argument. He’s not, you know? He is literally commanding us to count the cost and make a choice; to sacrifice the goodness of this life, in order to gain the greatness of the life beyond!
So many times in Scripture, this hammer blow comes down so persuasively, and yet it is so easily dismissed by those who assume that, somehow He must be using exaggeration as a literary device, embellishing for effect, or employing hyperbole to make a compelling argument. He’s not, you know? He is literally commanding us to count the cost and make a choice; to sacrifice the goodness of this life, in order to gain the greatness of the life beyond!
Three very effective parables taught by Jesus make this abundantly clear. The first is in Matthew 13:44, what is often called the, “The Parable of the Hidden Treasure”, where Jesus says that, “…the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Again we find this familiar distinction between scarcity and choice being forced to the point of a decision. A man has found a treasure which of course represents the scarcity. After all, it isn’t every day that you discover an enormous treasure in a field, is it?
It reminds me of a British dairy farmer recently who, with the help of a metal detector, discovered the largest hoard of Saxon gold relics that has ever been found, buried just under the surface, in a field next to his barn. The gold hoard is estimated to be worth over 3.3 pounds, ($4 million dollars), so just imagine if the farmer was only renting the farm! Don’t you think he may have scrapped together every last pound he could to purchase that farm, in order to lay claim to all of that treasure. Of course he would, because the pay off at the end would more than compensate for the scarcity of the moment.
It reminds me of a British dairy farmer recently who, with the help of a metal detector, discovered the largest hoard of Saxon gold relics that has ever been found, buried just under the surface, in a field next to his barn. The gold hoard is estimated to be worth over 3.3 pounds, ($4 million dollars), so just imagine if the farmer was only renting the farm! Don’t you think he may have scrapped together every last pound he could to purchase that farm, in order to lay claim to all of that treasure. Of course he would, because the pay off at the end would more than compensate for the scarcity of the moment.
In the very next verse, Jesus tells a similar parable, almost identical in meaning, famously known as the, “Pearl of Great Price”. In this one, He likens the kingdom of heaven to a, “…merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Mat 13:45-46)” Just as in the first parable, the man wisely sees the value of sacrificing all of his other possessions, in order to attain that which is worth vastly more than his inferior worldly belongings.
This spiritual reality is best epitomized by the Apostle Paul who so eloquently wrote, “…what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ… (Php 3:7-8)”
This spiritual reality is best epitomized by the Apostle Paul who so eloquently wrote, “…what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ… (Php 3:7-8)”
Nevertheless, not all are so wise as the men described above. For the story is told in the Gospels of a foolish man, who appeared to earnestly seek after heaven and salvation, saying to Jesus, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? (Mat 19:16)” But alas, when Jesus named His price; i.e. “Everything”, and declared to the rich young ruler, “…go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” “…he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mat 19:21-22)”
The price was far too high for the man, not because he loved his stuff too much, but because He didn’t see the value in what the person of Jesus Christ had to offer him in return for his stuff. Sadly, most of the world, whether rich or poor, suffer from the very same delusion, because they don’t see the wisdom in the words of the Apostle John who said, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)”
The price was far too high for the man, not because he loved his stuff too much, but because He didn’t see the value in what the person of Jesus Christ had to offer him in return for his stuff. Sadly, most of the world, whether rich or poor, suffer from the very same delusion, because they don’t see the wisdom in the words of the Apostle John who said, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)”
Jesus explicitly commands us to sell out to Him, by selling off all of our other interests in this world, but we prefer to compromise with the world, and only sell off those items we choose to sacrifice. It’s like the family from New York City, who moved out west to buy a cattle ranch. They couldn’t agree on what to call the ranch, because the husband liked the ‘Bar-J’, his wife the ‘Suzy-Q’, one son liked the ‘Flying-W’, and the other wanted the ‘Lazy-Y’. So they eventually compromised by calling it the, “Bar-J-Suzy-Q-Flying-W-Lazy-Y."
Unfortunately, when all their friends from back east came out to see the ranch, they were shocked to find that there were no cattle to be seen, because none were able to survive the branding season! In the end, we are more like that pig than we care to admit sometimes; rooting around on this earth, destroying the very thing that gives us life, in order to satisfy our most carnal ambitions and desires – our relationship to our Heavenly Father, through Christ His Son!
Unfortunately, when all their friends from back east came out to see the ranch, they were shocked to find that there were no cattle to be seen, because none were able to survive the branding season! In the end, we are more like that pig than we care to admit sometimes; rooting around on this earth, destroying the very thing that gives us life, in order to satisfy our most carnal ambitions and desires – our relationship to our Heavenly Father, through Christ His Son!
By Pastor Glen Mustian
Bits & Pieces. The Tree and the Acorn. February, 1990. Web Accessed 08/22/2018.
Gwartney, James D. Common Sense Economics: What Everyone Should Know About Wealth and Prosperity. St. Martin's Press. Kindle Edition.
Flexner, Stuart Berg. New Oxford American Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2010.
NKJV New King James Version. Holy Bible. Thomas Nelson. Nashville, TN: 2000. Print.
