A few years ago a friend of mine invited my wife and me to a special lunch when we visited to Korea. He was a vice president of a big company. At a fancy restaurant located on the penthouse of a famous hotel, we enjoyed the lunch. We had never experienced such a fascinating full course of food and service ever before. We enjoyed the lunch very much and that meal has become one of the memorable events in my life. It was free for us. But when he paid for it, I was surprised at how expensive the lunch was, almost five hundred dollars!
People like a free lunch. People want to have free service, free access, free admission, a free ride and even free salvation. Preferring to get something for free, or at a cheap price, seems to be a part of human nature. Especially in Canada, one of the most free and wealthy countries in the world, we Canadians look to be spoiled by free and cheap social welfare services. Around thirty years ago, I was hospitalized for three weeks after having a surgery. During that time, I was cared for and served in various ways by many people, but it was all free to me. Now I realize my care in the hospital was not actually free. Somebody, taxpayers, had to pay the price for my free services at that time. Indeed there is no free lunch in the world, somebody has to pay the price for everything.
All the Christian churches in the world keep this week as Holy Week. During this time, many religious rituals will be held depending on local church traditions, focusing on what Jesus did and had done to him. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples showing us unconditional loving action on Maundy Thursday. He was crucified on the cross with two notorious criminals in order to forgive the sins of the whole of humanity on Good Friday. Jesus rose from dead to give us eternal life on Easter Sunday.
Among the profound theological meanings in each event of Holy Week, a significant point is that somebody had to pay the price. In other words, someone had to sacrifice something in order that someone else received a benefit. There are no results without causes. Not only is this the natural law of "cause and result" applied in every natural phenomenon, but also in God's saving work for the people of the world. "Jesus entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:12). Our free gift of salvation is the good result of Jesus Christ's life giving sacrifice on the cross. Thus he paid once for all, the price of our sins. That is the reason why we call it Good Friday, since it is good for everyone.
