Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Putting A Price On Someone
Recently I was with some of our interns as we traveled through several countries around the world. It was fun. It was the first time we ever had a global trip. In the past, we taught them and told them the stories. This time, we took them and let them see and taste--it was awesome. Next year, I want to do this a lot quicker in the process. It created some real bonding.
In one country, we had just gone out to eat and were returning to the hotel. We were riding in the taxi when the taxi driver in very broken English said, "I get you girl." "What?" we asked. "I get you young girl--I get you all the girls you want." I had prepared the guys for stuff like this, but it’s still an awkward thing.
"No--we’re married." "It’s OK--she no find out," he persisted. So, I pushed back. "You married?" "Yes," he replied. "You have girls?" "Yes", he said. "Your wife know?" "No, she no know." I was applying to his moral nature, which didn’t get me far. So, I focused on his philosophy of family, "Your wife do that?" "No way!" "Then, why you." "It’s OK, these girls--they like it." "Nope, they’re someone’s daughter, wife, some relative." No matter what I said, he still justified it. Finally, he said, "The girls only $60 for whole night--very expensive for me, but very cheap for you."
It made me sad. I wondered--were these girls the sex slaves you hear about? I thought about a lecture I heard from the International Justice Mission in DC and about how difficult and torturous the life of people in the sex trade was. All these women were to men were either a sex object or a price tag. I wanted that truth to sink in to the other guys in the car. Just a price tag.
Yet, no one paid for their price tag more than what Jesus did on the cross.
He came to set the captives free--that is what ministry is all about--setting people free.
In one country, we had just gone out to eat and were returning to the hotel. We were riding in the taxi when the taxi driver in very broken English said, "I get you girl." "What?" we asked. "I get you young girl--I get you all the girls you want." I had prepared the guys for stuff like this, but it’s still an awkward thing.
"No--we’re married." "It’s OK--she no find out," he persisted. So, I pushed back. "You married?" "Yes," he replied. "You have girls?" "Yes", he said. "Your wife know?" "No, she no know." I was applying to his moral nature, which didn’t get me far. So, I focused on his philosophy of family, "Your wife do that?" "No way!" "Then, why you." "It’s OK, these girls--they like it." "Nope, they’re someone’s daughter, wife, some relative." No matter what I said, he still justified it. Finally, he said, "The girls only $60 for whole night--very expensive for me, but very cheap for you."
It made me sad. I wondered--were these girls the sex slaves you hear about? I thought about a lecture I heard from the International Justice Mission in DC and about how difficult and torturous the life of people in the sex trade was. All these women were to men were either a sex object or a price tag. I wanted that truth to sink in to the other guys in the car. Just a price tag.
Yet, no one paid for their price tag more than what Jesus did on the cross.
He came to set the captives free--that is what ministry is all about--setting people free.
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