This morning as I sit and eat one of them none breakfast items for a quick early morning breakfast which is not my norm, the breaking of tradition seems to be my norm. The other day, I seen a pastry filled cone with cream for under a dollar. They were on sell, but my ideology was who would pay that price for the rich delicate desert. Yet I sat this morning eating a cookie with cream filled bought in a box of twelve, individually priced for less then a dollar, yet in bulk it was cheaper. What price are you willing to pay for desert already pre made? The question might sound simple: For instance a piece of pie for less then two dollars might seem like a treat till one makes the pie at home. The sacrifice for a dollar with a reward, and no one thinks nothing better then the satisfication of the sacrifice for what one receives in return.

As I approach another year of the celebration of Easter and Resurrection Day, I am only reminded of the law of the liberty and price and cost of liberty. If a child leaves home, they sacrifice then the rules of home for the rules of society alone. Yet before there life was dictated by both law of home and society. If one establishes a home something happens another law emerges, it is what one will tolerate and what one will not tolerate. Some falling in the home life of experience and others forging into laws unknown of simple tolerance.

A Christian home, run usually by both Christian parents otherwise there two sets of rules in a house. If two separate rules the kids learn quick how to play one parent off for another. Knowing by which parent one goes to will achieve their goal or which one will lower the hammer and say no. Who do you go to when it comes to God and Devil. God has rules and his rules are for our protection. Our disobedience to God can cost our relationship with God. Cain discovered the price of disobedience was alienated from his protector. Adam and Eve only found themselves being alienated from paradise. The devil has no problem saying go ahead and try it, you just might like it. And God has no problem saying you might like it but it just not good for you. If I go on a diet, then the choices of eating healthy comes into play. If I decide on gorging on a feast of whatever can be bought or made up for a banquet, then I have achieved the sin of gluttony, but it is a sin that might cost me my waistline if done on a regular bases. Not everyone waistline of over weight is based on gluttony there can be medical reason for it or simple lack of exercise to take off the fat of regular diet of good eating. Yet God choose fruit good for us and Devil say eat this fruit nothing will happen.

The cost of sacrifice is not about food, but about what one is willing to give up to God. The most precious gift of Abraham was probably his two sons. Is first son born was not of his marriage but of his wife’s Sarah tired of not achieving the goal of having a baby. What was it like for Sarah those long years before having a child of her own? What was it like for Abraham to have to give up his second wife by his first wife choosing and his first born son for his wife of many years and new son. Abraham giving up Ishmael and sending him and his mother in to the desert with not enough provision for life. Yet Abraham took his young first born of his first family and was going to sacrifice him on the altar. What God required was less then Sarah. Sarah required the second woman to be banished. God provided the sacrifice for Abraham, that the sacrifice of his son was not necessary. God raised up two tribes one of Ishmael of 12 princes and one would have 12 tribes of Israel. The Holy seed of God would come from one tribe. The tribe of faith. Ishmael mother Hagar found faith in wilderness when needing water. Abraham heritage was idolatry. Yet Abraham was not Idolater, but a man that followed a God that promised him land. Land not flowing necessarily with milk and honey but a land that was promised to his people. That land came about by a king who took Abraham wife for marriage and could not, because God warned him Sarah was wife to another man. A man of faith but a man from a land of idolatry.

The sin tax of sinning against your neighbor, against your friend, against your family and against a stranger. What is the price of forgiveness. What is the price of saying I forgive you and not taking anything for that sin. Taking no offering but receiving forgiveness without a price. We all sin against each other, but what happens is not all sin is repaid, and some sin depending on the crime is. Our legal law has crime that is consider repayable but even so that price never may be completely restored, yet it is compensated.

For years Israel political world had been caught in sin of idolatry. Yet Jesus born to the kingly line was found without sin. Jesus was also of priesthood. Jesus family had settled among the gentiles. Teaching faith and love. Even if in Egypt they had lived in a Jewish community he still in heathen land. Roman was no better for they were the government at the time of Israel. Yet Jesus was Israel royalty. Jesus being a Son of David. Yet with this in mind the king of Jews would be sacrificed for Israel calling him King, for uprising that the religious leaders were trying to prevent despite they could find no fault in his teaching. Israel wanted no leader that would take away there freedom in the land known as the Holy Roman Empire. And Empire of corruption and plagued with Idolatry. The religious leaders was using their temple for a flea market of wares. I have to wonder if they sold holy water, and oils.

Jesus upset the apple cart of the temple flea market by turning over the tables. Tables laden with gold for the temple square and for those who sold in the square. As Judas return the silver to the temple it was thrown at his feet. What price does one pay for sacrifice, and what price was a bottle of perfume. What price of the anointing of the feet of Christ disciple and the anointing of the feet of Jesus. Jesus only cleansed the feet of his disciples as a woman had demonstrated to him with a bottle of perfume. Jesus would not be on earth at the time of the sacrifice of his disciples. Yet they would walk miles to sacrifice their lives for the Gospel story to be told. Judas angry at the cost of perfume, but not at the cost of a Savior. Jesus was only worth 30 coins of silver to Judas. Yet the perfumer was gold.

What is the price of your eternity. What is the price you are willing to sell out your neighbor and your friends. What are you willing to give up for your family and friends. What are you willing to do for them. What is the price of forgiveness and what is the price unforgiveness that can be bought. Jesus paid the debit of sin, to protect the temple that would fall. The priest that paid Judas had paid a price that could not be undone. Yet for Judas the priest used the silver tossed on the floor of the temple to buy him a field for criminals to be buried in. Judas resting place was a place for criminals and strangers. Yet Christ was put in a tomb of the Priesthood outside the city of Jerusalem in a place called Golgotha. What is the price are you willing to pay for eternity gain or lost. Following God’s rule of love and forgiveness is simple till one finds one own breaking point, and it is the law of the land most agree upon.

Christ paid the price of sin and was willing to still love us even after the event. He rose to victory to teach us eternity was not only his but to all that followed in his footsteps. The self sacrifice because of the crime of sin done by others to you. The law of sin of ill repute. Betrayal the worse sin of all especially when profit is gained. No Judas did not know the solution ot his own problem, He went to the priest and not to his Savior Jesus for forgiveness. The cost of not going to God is eternity.

Dear Heavenly Father forgive our trespass as we learn to forgive others that sin against us. But forgive us for eternity of all sin against you. In Jesus precious name, Amen.