The Pawn Shop

While I have never made use of the procedure of pawning a possession in order to raise needed funds, I have visited a few pawn shops over the years with my son just to look around at the wide variety of merchandise that is available. Each item in the pawn shop represents an individual who negotiated what amounts to a “loan” using the value of their merchandise as collateral in hopes of “redeeming” it when the money becomes available. In the meantime the pawn shop has the opportunity to sell the item for a profit to collect what could be called their “interest” on the loan, hopefully making enough to stay in business.

I’m not sure if there is a time limit on the process of redemption, but the longer you wait the less chance it will still be there, and I can imagine the great frustration and sadness of coming to redeem your pawned possession only to discover that it had been sold to someone else who had the money to purchase it. Redemption in the pawning world is achieved with the right price at the right time. If you have too little money or are too late you have lost what was valuable!

The Bible describes a similar process when it comes to our souls and the eternal reality of our existence. We are told that selfish sin has caused every one of us to take our most precious gift (our life) and pawn it cheaply for the immediate and temporary pleasure of fickle and shallow desire! The addictive nature of sin plunges us deeper into debt as we sacrifice what we know is right for the illusive promise of happiness through self-indulgence. The result is predictable. We will never be able to pay the debt before we run out of time as our death looms ever closer on the horizon.

Into this hopeless situation comes Jesus, who offers us redemption at the price of His own blood simply because He loves us and wants to save us from inescapable judgment. He paid a debt He did not owe, and brings to us the opportunity to buy back our life now and for eternity. Nothing could be more undeserved, yet so vitally necessary for our sake. Redemption gives me a new life to be lived for the One who paid my debt!

How exciting to be His people,

Pastor David Vanderpool