What is the intrinsic value of a human soul? Perhaps the better question is, what is your own soul worth to you? Do you even believe you have one? Some people (like me, for example) believe that their soul is their most valuable possession and that it is priceless, meaning it is not available for sale, no matter how much wealth is offered in exchange.
Notice that I said wealth, not money. I may not be the smartest person on earth but I’m not stupid, either. A lot of people don’t grasp the true concept of what money really is — a colored piece of paper that only has value if everyone else agrees. If you don’t believe me, the next time you’re going to the grocery store just reach into your Monopoly game and grab a few hundred dollars, and see how much you can buy with it. Hint: you won’t leave the store empty handed.
The store manager might allow you to leave with the “currency” you brought with you if he/she believed the ruse was just a prank, but you also could also end up sporting a pair of shiny silver bracelets provided by law enforcement and arrested for counterfeiting and fraud if the management has no sense of humor. But one thing is certain–you can’t even buy a bottle of water with money printed by Milton Bradley. So what, you say?
So history–after World War I in the Weimar Republic, hyperinflation caused the Papiermark to become worthless. People literally needed a wheelbarrow full of useless currency to buy a loaf of bread. The British probably would have won the Revolutionary War if their plot to destroy the value of the Continental dollar hadn’t been foiled by George Washington’s spy ring operating in New York. The value of money is always subject to fluctuations, but without question it is better to have some money than no money at all, because as long as civilization exists, somebody will be willing to exchange goods or services you’d like to have in exchange for your money, if you give them enough. As I’ve been trying to convey, money only has value if everyone agrees that it may be exchanged for items of value. Houses, cars, food–things we need, and things we want. Money has value, until it doesn’t.
Unfortunately, money is a necessary evil that must exist for the sake of convenience. Even so, I Timothy 6:10 reminds us: “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil…” to warn us against avarice and greed. Not everybody feels the same way about the acquisition of material wealth or their soul, for that matter. The self-proclaimed “Friendly Atheist” Hemant Mehta wrote a book titled I Sold My Soul on Ebay. Catchy title, for sure.
Atheists aren’t the only ones who put material enrichment over spiritual pursuits, either. One of my favorite websites to visit on the Internet, The Babylon Bee, recently skewered a prominent prosperity pimp (Oops! I meant to say televangelist) with this satirical piece titled, “Excited Joel Osteen Learns He Can Gain The Whole World For Low Cost Of His Soul.”
Of course the article isn’t literally true because satire never is, but there is certainly an element of truth to the notion that Joel Osteen doesn’t understand the meaning of Mark 8:36. But in fairness, to him, at least Osteen set a high price on his soul: forty million dollars is a pretty nice chunk of change. That will buy you everything you need and all lot of things you don’t need, too. Maybe even a private jet, to keep up with the Robert Tiltons and Creflo Dollars of this world. Then again maybe not, seeing what Dollar ended up spending on his plane.
Private planes, a fleet of expensive cars, maybe a house in Hawaii…I guess if you’re going to sell your soul, it makes sense to get top dollar (pun intended). Which reminds me of a famous exchange that I have attributed to George Bernard Shaw (others have given credit to Winston Churchill) which went something like this:
In a social setting, Shaw asks a woman trying to upstage him in witty banter if she’d sleep with him for a million pounds. She answers, “Yes, I suppose.” Shaw immediately follows with, “Okay. How about one pound?” and she indignantly replies, “What do you take me for?” Shaw’s immortal retort was allegedly to the effect, “We’ve just established what you are. Now we’re negotiating on the price.”
Brutal. On the other hand, an illicit sex act won’t last for eternity. One million pounds was a lot of money in those days. But what’s the bottom dollar for your soul? Surely it’s worth more than $375, isn’t it? Even with the $6.95 shipping fee added?
If you’re confused, I’ll explain: after the Minnesota Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints in overtime to win the wildcard round of the playoffs, tight end Kyle Rudolph was approached by an alleged member of the media and asked to donate the gloves he’d worn to make the game-winning catch to be auctioned off to benefit charity. Rudolph agreed, graciously even signing the gloves to authenticate them. You can read the whole story here.
I almost feel sorry for the con artist. He only got $375 in exchange for his soul. He obviously must not believe his own soul exists. He sold his for chump change.
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