The Price You Are Willing to Pay

Communion Meditation
“Price You Are Willing to Pay”
Luke 17: 5-10 (NRSV)

Did you know that that the Fairy Tale story of the Princess and the Frog has been rewritten?

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.

The frog hopped into the princess lap and said: “Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and setup housekeeping in yon castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so.”

That night, as the princess dined on a lightly sautéed frog legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled to herself and thought: “Not a chance.”

Some people will pay anything to accomplish goals, achieve fame, or attain happiness. They will chase these goals without thought of others or the cost paid.

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed the 29,035-foot peak of Mount Everest. Thousands followed, thanks to Nepal’s lifting its tight restrictions on climbing the mountain. By 2006, more than 2,700 people had reached the top of the world’s tallest mountain, many paying more than $60,000 for the experience.

One result of this commercial successwas the end of the traditional moral code of mountaineering. In the rush to the top, amateurs who have paid a fortune will do anything it takes to get to the summit, including abandoning other climbers.

David Sharp became a casualty in March of 2006. The thirty-four-year-old engineer from Cleveland managed to reach the summit. However, he ran out of oxygen on the way back down. As he lay dying, forty climbers passed him by, too eager to achieve their own goals to take a chance on offering their oxygen to someone else. David Sharp froze to death.

Ed Viestrus, who has scaled fourteen of the world’s tallest peaks, says passing people who are dying is not uncommon. “Unfortunately, there are those who say, ‘It’s not my problem. I’ve spent all this money, and I’m going to the summit.’ ”

This attitude has produced disgust in many climbers, including Sir Edmund Hillary, “On my expedition, there was no way you’d have left a man under a rock to die.”

To some people the danger is worth the risk – it is the price they are willing to pay.

LUKE 17: 5-10:

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.  

Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table?’

Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink?’Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

The Greek word used here for “slaves” is douloš (and means bond servants). Being a bond servant means you are legally, ethically, and morally obligated to do what is told to you by the person holding the bond over you. It is the price you are asked or willing to pay,in order to benefit or pay the condition of the bond.

A bond could come about out of war or it could be an agreement for training, or a place to live and protection. It could last a lifetime or be time limited. It meant that the master was always right and always the priority.

In this passage Jesus is pointing out that the disciples have just stepped on the master-servant relationship between them.

The Mulberry tree (also called a sycamore tree) was a very deep rooted tree and considered impossible to uproot and move – contrasted with the tiniest seed in God’s kingdom.

Jesus was saying that even the smallest amount of true faith could accomplish great things – and that the disciples, if pure in heart, wouldn’t need His help to do great things.

He also suggests, through His teachings and actions, that giving or sacrificing oneself for others is the greatest act of faith there is.

Jesus offers sacrifice and the disciples must have faith in that sacrifice. Perfection, in a Christian sense, means becoming mature enough to be willing give time, talent, or wealth to others. That’s what learning to be a disciple is all about.

Did you know that people who help others are healthier and live longer lives than those who don’t?

That was one of the conclusions of a team headed by Stephen G. Post, professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, which evaluated fifty scientific studies of volunteers.

One study, by Cornell University, spent thirty years following 427 women who were married and had children. Researchers found that only 36 percent of women who regularly volunteered had experienced a major illness, while 52 percent of those who never volunteered had a major illness.

Other studies indicated that those who volunteered their time lived longer than those who didn’t. Frequent volunteers had a 44 percent reduction in early death when compared to non-volunteers.

Scientists also identified precise areas of the brain that are highly active during empathic and compassionate emotions. “These brain studies show this profound state of joy and delight that comes from giving to others,” Post said.

He went on further to say, “It doesn’t come from any dry action — where the act is out of duty in the narrowest sense, like writing a check for a good cause. It comes from working to cultivate a generous quality — from interacting with people. There is the smile, the tone in the voice, the touch on the shoulder. We’re talking about altruistic love.”

Jesus told the disciples about the power of faith. He also suggested that you can’t get it out of a can, it can’t be bought or sold.. It must be real, genuine, and self-developed. No one else can give you faith. They can help you build it.

Faith is all about trust and risk. Trust that our heavenly Master Jesus knows what’s best for us. And taking a risk to step out in faith in the knowledge that He is always with us.

Receiving Communion is a good illustration of this, We receive God’s Grace knowing that it is given to those who ask for it. You must be receptive to this Grace for it to help you.  Amen.