Finding Hope in a Pawn Shop

Joshua walked into the pawn shop for a look around.  He’d passed the shop a hundred times and just never went in though He’d been curious. Sure, He'd glanced in the window on occasion to see what kind of “junk” people would take in to pawn off on someone else, but He'd also noticed how often items seemed overpriced.  So, He’d just walk on.  Until today.  For some reason, He just felt pulled in.  It’s not like He was looking for something.   Sure, it was Christmastime, but what would He ever consider buying for someone in a pawn shop?  After all, everything there was used. 

But something drew Him in, so He took a chance and walked through the door.  He browsed around for a while, noticing the kinds of things people are willing to pawn.  Mostly worn out, used up, outdated, and practically worthless replaceables.   Just as he had thought, not much worth even turning over.   

On the other hand, while the wares were lacking any real substance, something else intrigued Him.  As He was standing there, several people walked in to sell items to the shopkeeper.  What ensued was a brief battle of wits and poker, and Joshua found this entertaining.  The shopkeeper would look over the item to be pawned with an obvious disinterest while the owner would watch the shopkeeper carefully for a glint of hope and desire.  The owner would fidget waiting for the bad news while attempting to gain the courage to haggle and argue.  The shopkeeper knew the score—He had leverage.  He had something of sure worth while the owner had something of potential worth.  The real question was how much the object was “worth” to the shopkeeper. 

Now, this is where things got tricky.  The shopkeeper had one value in mind while the owner had another.  Somehow they had to meet in the middle.  But who would budge? Most often, the owner would believe an object’s worth greater than what the shopkeeper would grant because that’s how much it was worth to him.  But the shopkeeper had to keep in mind the item's worth in the eyes of the person who might come in the door next and how much profit he could make between the two values.  

And the bidding would begin.  The shopkeeper would make an obvious lowball offer, and the owner would quickly reply with a number slightly greater than what he hoped to get.  The shopkeeper would act stunned and ask a question like, “What kind of business do you think I run here—this isn’t the returns department at your local department store; this is a used item.  I have to make a profit somehow.”  And then he would make a counter offer slightly higher than his last.  The owner would then blow it and go all in, stating the value he hoped to get out of it in the first place.  The shopkeeper, reading the owner’s tell, would give a final offer still considerably lower than the owner’s hopes and follow with “Take it or leave it, that’s my final offer.” 

Sometimes the owner would pick up the item and start to walk out hoping to call the shopkeeper’s bluff and cause him to throw out another number.  But usually the shopkeeper could see right through this and say, “Hey, the offer is only good for today, tomorrow I might not be in such a good mood.” Sometimes the owner would keep walking, and sometimes he’d turn around and take the deal. 

Joshua found the whole scene curious while trying to listen in inconspicuously.  The drama got Him to thinking about the value of things.  Most of this stuff was just used junk—old TVs, stereos, alarm clocks, lamps, tools, bikes, exercise equipment and so on.  Some were items that seemed like they might have a little more significance to a person—like instruments and jewelry or an occasional antique.  He thought it ironic how the average person spends so much time earning money to buy so much stuff, and then a few years down the road they just pawn it off so they can pay for that next thing that they’ll likely just pawn off too. 

Then He saw it!  He couldn’t believe His eyes.  There in a glass jewelry display case, hanging from a necklace stand, was a pocket-watch.  But this wasn’t any pocket-watch, it was His pocket-watch!  In spite of how tarnished the silver was and how worn it had become, He could still recognize it.  How’d it get here?  This was the pocket-watch His great-great-grandfather had hand made, hand etched, and engraved the family name on.  It had been brought over from England by his grandfather when he received it as a going away present from his father.  Sadly, the two were never reunited, and ever since the watch had been cherished as a family heirloom.   Joshua replayed in His mind how ten years ago it and some other jewelry were lost in a move.  He never could figure out if it had just been misplaced or if the movers had stolen it.  And here it was. 

He immediately asked the shopkeeper if He could see it.  The shopkeeper made up some comments about it trying to make it seem more valuable than it was according to the market not realizing Joshua knew exactly what it was, where it came from, and what it was worth—to Him.  Joshua inquired as to the asking price and the shopkeeper said, “Well, I could probably let it go for $250.”  Without hesitation Joshua said, “Sold!”  The shopkeeper looked at Him puzzled.  He was confused as to why Joshua didn’t haggle with him.

 As they made their exchange Joshua told the old shopkeeper, “You know, if you’d said $1000 I would have given it to you.”  “What?” the old man replied, “It’s just an old worn out pocket-watch—probably not worth $30. It doesn’t even work.”  “So, you admit ripping me off then?” Joshua jabbed back.  A sheepish grin flushed over the shopkeeper's face.  Joshua continued, “What you don’t understand is that an object of worth does not determine its own value according to its quality or ability or market value.  Its worth, instead, is determined first by its creator and second by the one who desires to possess it.  My great-great-grandfather made this watch and considered it so priceless it was to be handed down from generation to generation until it came to me.  And I lost it.  Now it is found to me, and I desire to possess it, therefore, making it priceless once more.”  Joshua left the store smiling while the storekeeper, for once, was left feeling ripped off.    

Joshua took the pocket-watch home, brought it into His workshop, opened up the casing and within a couple of minutes He had it running again.  Apparently the watch was not all His great-great-grandfather had passed down.  After repairing it and making it whole again on the inside, Joshua took a little silver polish and cleaned off all the tarnish.  When He was done, it was good as new, and He returned it to its rightful place—His pocket.  

So, did you figure out who Joshua was by the clues (the annoying improperly capitalized "He," and the name Joshua itself were two of the most obvious)?  Joshua is a variant of Yeshua which we transliterate as Jesus—the real subject of this parable.  And what if I told you that the pocket-watch was you?  How would you feel?  Would that change your thinking?  For too long we’ve told ourselves that “we aren’t worthy” but what does it mean to be worthy anyways?  Worthiness is our value or worth to God.  It’s how He sees us. Unfortunately, we’ve replaced how He sees us with how we see us. 

In human terms, my body is worth approximately $4.50 in materials.  My knowledge, while valuable to me, is extremely limited and of no value to Him, who created the universe.  My abilities are similarly limited by my finite state of being.  So what value could I possibly have in God’s eyes?  These are the thoughts that often plague us, but this is all missing the point.  God has vested interest in us—He formed us in the very wombs of our mothers to be made in His likeness and to be the recipients of a perfect Love.  He’s given us His very breath to live and move and speak.  We are His very children! 

And this image of the value of a child is the greatest expression of God’s value of us—our worth in His sight.  Christmas isn’t just a Holiday to share gifts and sing songs and gorge ourselves with amazing home cooking and grandma’s cookies.  Instead, it is a season to stop and remember a single baby.  Not just any baby—the incarnation of God Himself.  A God-child, who would make the ultimate sacrifice to buy us back from a greedy old shopkeeper we’d been pawned off to. 

This Christmas, as you stand in front of the mirror while getting ready for that Family dinner, Christmas Eve service, company party, or small group celebration; as you struggle with your own value and self-worth in a world that tells you that you need more stuff to raise your net worth; as you struggle with whether you’ve bought enough to show your kids your love for them; or as you struggle with hoping your significant other shows their value of you in a big way, remember this—that baby born in swaddling clothes spent His entire “Life-savings” to show you how much He loves you and to tell you a little something about your worth!

The next time you’re about to utter those words, “I’m not worth it,” or “I’m not worthy,” ask yourself if you might be insulting the one who spent so much to tell you that you are! 

And don’t forget what Joshua said to the shopkeeper:

“What you don’t understand is that an object of worth does not determine its own value according to its quality or ability or market value.  Its worth, instead, is determined first by its creator and second by the one who desires to possess it.”