A few years ago, a story hit the news in New York City. A man in the city had been abducted and was being held captive. The kidnappers called his wife and asked for a $100,000 ransom to ensure his safe return. She talked them down to $30,000.

The story is true, and it had a happy ending: the man returned home unharmed, the money was recovered, and the kidnappers were caught and sent to jail. But, don't you wonder what happened when the man got home and found that his wife got him back for a discount?

Calvin Trillin was the writer of this story. He imagined what the negotiations must have been like: "$100,000 for that old guy? You have got to be crazy. Just look at him! Look at that gut! You want $100,000 for that? You've got to be kidding. Give me a break here. $30,000 is my top offer."

I suppose there are some who can identify with the wife in that story, struggling to negotiate an amount that she could manage to pay, but for some reason I find myself identifying with the husband. I'd like to think if I were in a similar situation, there would be people who would spare no expense to get me back. They wouldn't haggle over the price. They wouldn't say, “Well, let me think about it.” I like to think that they would say, “We'll do anything to get him back.”

Sometime it's okay to be extravagant. That is precisely what the cross is all about. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our redemption. He didn’t haggle. His actions said, “I will do anything to get them back.” He was extravagant!

Take some time today to think about the extravagant price paid for your ransom. Realize that Heaven was embarrassingly extravagant for your redemption. Remember and rejoice!

With Love,

Mike