What're you paying? 400 Shekels?

So I'm reading through the Bible in a year... well, I'm trying at least. Accounts like this one: http://stuffchristianslike.net/2011/01/already-being-behind-on-your-read-through-the-bible-in-a-year-plan/ hold less hope for me. Then again, I've pushed through some very dense reading for lesser purposes (thanks Developmental Psychobiology!), so perhaps Leviticus will be okay.

Nonetheless, I sometimes come across passages in this endeavor which make me really think and yesterday I noticed something interesting in Genesis 23, the account of Sarah's death and burial. You see, after Abraham's wife Sarah died, and since he didn't own the land he wanted where he wanted to bury her, he approached Ephron (no, not Zach) the Hittite to see about the area Sarah was to be buried. Ephron offered Abraham the land for free. Twice. But Abraham refused to take it, instead when Ephron mentioned what the land was worth, Abraham gave him that amount in full (400 shekels or 10 pounds of silver which, according to my NASB commentary, was more than the land was worth).

Now I am the son of a father who will go into major department stores and see if he can negotiate a better price on shirts, so the prospect of someone passing up such a deal is a bit odd to me. Even if the guy was only following customs of generosity or hospitality, paying that much when one could get it for free is quite surprising to my sensibilities. Then I thought about what we value, how we express that value in what we sacrifice to get it.

When I go out for tea, I look at the price and ask whether it is fair, that is whether my impression of the value or importance for that item is equal to or greater than the price someone is asking for it. Some might include a sense of what type of labour was needed for it or the quality of growing certain crops, but we all implicitly place value on what we want. In Vancouver, you could get tea/coffee for less than $2 at certain places, so what makes so many pay upwards of $5 for a Grande-infinite-pump-mocha/choca/caramella/la-vida-loca beverage?

And we sacrifice more than money. Jesus said "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". If a guy really wants to pursue a girl, he's not going to be thinking whether she's worth the $50+ dinner. Moreso, if a guy wants to marry the girl, the sacrifice is even greater: his whole life. And he can say how great she is and how important to him but if he doesn't back it up with action it's not all too likely she or anyone else will believe him.

Now I'm not saying we shouldn't look for deals; in fact, bargains tell you how much you value the item above the asking price. But those things which are truly important to you, the friendships you have or the values you hold... what are they worth to you? And would you be willing to pay 400 shekels of silver?

And to Christians: how much do you value discipleship of Jesus Christ? The Gospel of Jesus? And how might you be showing that?