June 2, 2023

Matthew 16: 26 “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (NIV)

What a value hath God set upon the soul! He made it after his image, he redeemed it with Christ's blood.*

I have often wondered what I would do with the world if it were mine. I’m pretty sure I don’t want it! I am puzzled by the motivation of the megalomaniac villains in movies who want to take over the world. (I realize these bad guys are fictional characters but surely they reflect someone’s fantasy.) Upon occasion, I have pondered the question, “How different would my life be if I had twice as much money?” My answer, it turns out, is, “Not much.” Perhaps, like Paul, I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances (Philippians 4: 11). But Jesus poses another thought-provoking question: What can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Placing a value on a thing is not an exact science. If you’ve ever watched an episode of Antiques Roadshow, you know that saying something is worth $3,000, and actually selling it for that amount are two different things. Even the value of a soul is fluid: my soul is worth more to my mother than it is to a stranger. So what is a soul worth? Jesus established the value of our souls by giving up his place in heaven so that we could have our place there. As the Son of God, no soul was more valuable by any standard -  and yet now he and I are worth the same.

In answer to Jesus’ question: the only thing we can give in exchange for our soul is . . . our soul.

He would rather go to hell for you than to go to heaven without you.*