What's it worth to you?

I was re-reading a recent blog and I was looking more closely at this photo I used.

Water Buffalo Skin

The photo was taken in the Lao market in Phon Phisai. Pictured is water buffalo skin cut in strips. What caught my attention was the price. One hundred twenty baht per kilo. That's about $2 per pound! And the strips of skin still have to be processed before they're edible (I use the term loosely). You've heard of steak that's as tough as leather--well this is just plain leather. Two dollars a pound for some very chewy "meat". Would you pay it?

I've eaten this once before. It was the most awful tasting thing I have ever eaten. I don't know if it is always like that, but the stuff I had tasted like it had been out in the sun a few weeks to long. Usually, if something tastes bad, I try to swallow it quickly to get it out of my mouth. That's not going to happen with this kind of food, because you have to chew it a long time before you could possibly swallow it.

As much as I don't understand it, people are obviously willing to shell out what is in my mind an exorbitant amount of money for these strips of hide. What would it be worth to you?

Sometimes people are willing to pay what seems a very unreasonable price for some things. Last summer I saw a sign posted offering $800 for the return of a lost dog. Eight hundred dollars! And it's smaller than a cat! With so many stray and unwanted dogs around, why does one pay so much for one? To me, that seems a very unreasonable price. (Sorry, dog fans, I just don't understand.)

Lost Dog Reward

Who sets the price for something? How does one determine what something is worth? What is a reasonable price to pay?

I'm thankful that Jesus was willing to pay what seems a very unreasonable price for something. He was willing to pay with His very life the price to give us not-so-good humans eternal life in heaven. The apostle Paul wrote:

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. Romans 5:6-7 (NLT)

Did he get a good deal? Are we worth it? 

Would you do that? Would I do that? Would I be willing to give up my life so that my enemy might be able to receive a very nice reward that he does not deserve?

The example of Jesus tells us that no price is too high when it comes to giving people the opportunity to spend eternal life in heaven with God. But I can be stingy. Sometimes I don't want to sacrifice my comfort to reach out and offer people the love of Jesus. I'd rather pay someone else to go share the gospel in difficult places than go myself. It can be hard for me to give up watching a TV show in order to spend time praying so that the good news of Jesus might be brought to those so desperately in need of it. It's much nicer enjoying a meal in my home than going to share with someone scrounging for food out in the cold. All too often, these people just don't seem worth the expenditure of my time, energy, or money.

At the same time, I am grateful for those who sacrificed so that I might come to know about the tremendous love of God through Jesus Christ. Some people thought that this self-centered person living an ungodly, hedonistic lifestyle was worth it.

God, help me to place the same value on the lives of my fellow humans that you do.

Streets of Gold

Just south of Central Plaza in Chiang Rai is a street called Soi Sawan.  The English doesn't really capture the nuance of the Thai, however, as the name translates "Heaven Street"




I was a little disappointed as I drove down Heaven Street to find our hotel, though, as it was just a narrow concrete road.  Where was the gold pavement worthy of a street in heaven?

While there was no gold pavement, there was a sign promising I could learn the shortcut to riches for only 1900 baht (about 55 US Dollars.)




I've often wondered about the description of New Jerusalem where everything is made of gold, including the streets (Revelation 21:21).

I've often figured the streets of heaven are paved with chocolate, but since John had never seen chocolate--and he knew whatever the streets were made of it was very valuable--he called it the most valuable thing he could think of: gold.

But, seriously, what does it mean for the streets of heaven to be paved with gold?  I used to think that if the New Jerusalem had gold streets, it must be a sign of wealth and luxury.  But living in Thailand has given me an different perspective on what this might mean.

Here in Thailand, the higher up on the body something is the higher esteem it has., The head, then, is considered very high in esteem.  Therefore, one does not touch another person's head because it would mean touching it with something of lower esteem (since the hand is lower than the head).  The feet, then, are the lowest in esteem--and it it considered quite rude to even point the bottom of one's feet toward someone.

We even see this reflected in the name name of the late king of Thailand (who died this week)--his short title is Phrabat Somdet Phrajao You Hua (พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว), which translates: "the feet of my lord, the king, are on my head."  In other words, the King is in such high esteem that his feet are higher than our heads.

We see this in royal court talk in the Bible.  When a common person talks to the king, he refers to himself as Kha Phrabat (ข้าพระบาท) which means, "the servant of your feet", and he refers to the king as Fa Phrabat (ฝ่าพระบาท) which literally means, "the soles of your feet".  This isn't to insult the king, but rather to imply that the king is in such high esteem that a common person cannot address his head, but only the soles of his feet.

What does this have to do with streets of gold?

We walk on streets with our feet.  We step on them with the lowest part of our body.  To step on something is to hold it in very low regard.  Gold streets imply that gold is of very low esteem.

Buddism is similar to Christianity in that the things of this world are considered transient and of low value.  There is a unique temple in Chiang Rai province called the White Temple. (For more about that temple click here.) The designer is a very gifted artist and he does an amazing job at portraying the Buddhist worldview.  In the temple, there is a part that represents Nirvana (their idea of heaven).  It is a very plain white structure.  On the same grounds there is a gold building.  If heaven is plain and white, then what is so much more valuable that it is gold?

The restroom.

In the grand eternal scheme of things, gold has not much value.

In the Apostle John's day, people commonly used animals to carry things.  The donkeys and other livestock that plied the streets would not excuse themselves when they wanted to use the toilet.  The road was their toilet.

If the streets are gold, then what does that say about it?

It means gold is of very low value.  It's value is so low it can be used for the most crass and common purposes.

Gold has such low value, because in heaven there is something of far more value--Jesus Christ and the glory of God.

Here in Thailand you often see gold statues of Buddha.  When the sun hits it the right way, the glare is very intense.

That's nothing compared to the glory of God. When Moses spent time with God, his face shone so bright the people couldn't look at it.

How much greater, then, is the glory of God Himself?

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.  The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.  Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.  And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.

Revelation 21:22-26 (NLT)

If, in the grand scheme of things, gold has so low value, then why do we spend so much effort to accumulate wealth?  The point of the last chapters of Revelation then would seem very similar to what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

Jesus and the Kingdom of God are what have real value. 

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.  When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

Matthew 13:44-46 (NLT)

It seems I am constantly faced with a choice of either the riches of this world or the Kingdom of Heaven.  If  I want to walk on streets of gold in the future I must not seek after it in the present.