Kenny replied, “Well then, just give me my money back.”
The farmer said, “Can’t do that. I went and spent it already.
Kenny said, “Okay then, just unload the donkey.”
The farmer asked, “What ya gonna do with him?”
Kenny answered, “I’m going to raffle him off.”
The farmer said “You can’t raffle off a dead donkey!”
Kenny said, “Sure I can. Watch me.”
A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, “What happened with that dead donkey?”
Kenny said, “I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $898.00.”
Farmer, “Didn’t anyone complain?”
Kenny responded, “Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.”
That’s what you call a scam and no one likes to be scammed. I have a fear whenever I buy something, especially something of any worth, that I might be getting scammed. A term used to describe that pit in my stomach is buyer’s remorse. Here’s a text-book definition:
Buyer’s remorse is an emotional condition whereby a person feels remorse or regret after a purchase. It is frequently associated with the purchase of higher value items which could be considered “bad” although it may also stem from a sense of not wishing to be “wrong.”
Jesus sensed that some of his disciples may have been suffering from this condition. After all, Jesus made high demands on discipleship. “Take up your cross…”; “Whoever loses his life…”; “Anyone who loves father or mother more than me…” were all used as price tags of following him. Naturally, some might wonder if they were being scammed! To ease their anxiety Jesus told these two short parables in Matthew 13:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
The simple message of these parables is that the kingdom is that treasure and that pearl. The kingdom is well worth the investment of a person’s life. No matter what you have given up, it pales in comparison to the kingdom.
There will be times when you question your investment. There may be times when things don’t seem to be all they were cracked up to be. There will be times when we consider checking into the money back guarantee. That’s why Jesus tells these parables – to reassure us that what we have invested in is well worth it. No matter what you have given up you need to remember that you have found a treasure beyond imagination, that you have found that pearl of great price. Don’t doubt one minute that giving your entire life to God is not worth it!
Jim Elliott, martyr and missionary, said it well: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
The farmer said, “Can’t do that. I went and spent it already.
Kenny said, “Okay then, just unload the donkey.”
The farmer asked, “What ya gonna do with him?”
Kenny answered, “I’m going to raffle him off.”
The farmer said “You can’t raffle off a dead donkey!”
Kenny said, “Sure I can. Watch me.”
A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, “What happened with that dead donkey?”
Kenny said, “I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $898.00.”
Farmer, “Didn’t anyone complain?”
Kenny responded, “Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.”
That’s what you call a scam and no one likes to be scammed. I have a fear whenever I buy something, especially something of any worth, that I might be getting scammed. A term used to describe that pit in my stomach is buyer’s remorse. Here’s a text-book definition:
Buyer’s remorse is an emotional condition whereby a person feels remorse or regret after a purchase. It is frequently associated with the purchase of higher value items which could be considered “bad” although it may also stem from a sense of not wishing to be “wrong.”
Jesus sensed that some of his disciples may have been suffering from this condition. After all, Jesus made high demands on discipleship. “Take up your cross…”; “Whoever loses his life…”; “Anyone who loves father or mother more than me…” were all used as price tags of following him. Naturally, some might wonder if they were being scammed! To ease their anxiety Jesus told these two short parables in Matthew 13:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
The simple message of these parables is that the kingdom is that treasure and that pearl. The kingdom is well worth the investment of a person’s life. No matter what you have given up, it pales in comparison to the kingdom.
There will be times when you question your investment. There may be times when things don’t seem to be all they were cracked up to be. There will be times when we consider checking into the money back guarantee. That’s why Jesus tells these parables – to reassure us that what we have invested in is well worth it. No matter what you have given up you need to remember that you have found a treasure beyond imagination, that you have found that pearl of great price. Don’t doubt one minute that giving your entire life to God is not worth it!
Jim Elliott, martyr and missionary, said it well: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
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