At what cost should freedom be charged? Freedom, in any meaningful sense, always demands some form of sacrifice—though in physical terms, this need not imply suffering or martyrdom. Personal freedom, whether of thought, action, or lifestyle, often requires relinquishing instant gratification, comfort, or certainty. Someone seeking freedom from addiction must surrender the pleasure it provides, while someone pursuing intellectual independence must sacrifice the ease of conformity. Freedom, then, is not merely the absence of constraints but a discipline—one that involves accepting limits, risking disapproval, and taking responsibility for one’s choices.
On a larger scale, political and social freedom almost invariably involves sacrifice as well. History demonstrates that struggles against tyranny, colonialism, and exclusion have required time, resources, risk, and sometimes lives. Sacrifice can also manifest more quietly and civically—through paying taxes for public goods, accepting legal boundaries on one’s power, relinquishing inherited advantages, or tolerating speech one dislikes. Freedom for some has often rested on the unrecognized sacrifices of others, and a fairer freedom calls upon those with privilege to surrender some of it.
The crucial distinction lies between sacrifice freely chosen and sacrifice forced by injustice; the former can nurture freedom, while the latter destroys it. Yet the phrase “freedom requires sacrifice” can be misused to glorify suffering or to pressure the vulnerable into bearing all the costs. True freedom is not won solely through heroic pain; institutions, mutual restraint, dialogue, and gradual reform can ease the burden. Still, some loss of convenience, privilege, or control is inevitable, because freedom is never purely individual—it is a shared state that depends on everyone accepting limits so that others may be free as well.
Every individual seeks affluence to live without anxiety about basic needs. A person is considered free when able to access whatever they desire in life; with money at hand, almost anything becomes easy to obtain. The question then becomes how that money was earned—through sacrifice or by theft. Successful businesses thrive thanks to recognized investors.
In our culture, a man is expected to sacrifice for the woman he wishes to marry; he pays a significant amount for lobola (dowry). In some cultures, it is the woman who is expected to pay. Essentially, to gain anything valuable, one must be willing to sacrifice something. Beautiful homes require investment, and without it, securing desirable things is impossible. Money is not always the currency of investment—Jacob worked fourteen years to win Rachel; Jesus gave His life for our deliverance; and nature’s laws punish those who receive without giving.
Consider someone who takes a bank loan to buy a car: the bank ensures investment comes before sacrifice. The borrower may risk property as collateral, enjoying the car while facing the possibility of losing their home. Should they fail to repay, they could lose their property and end up worse off than before. The desire for luxury can lead to debt and poverty, alongside the loss of what was deemed essential. Thieves may appear affluent without sacrifice, just as a degraded nation spoils children with gifts while expecting nothing in return. Such children enjoy unearned inheritance, making them vulnerable to breaking the very principle of freedom through sacrifice.
Loyal children earn their inheritance by remaining faithful to their parents. The parable of the prodigal son illustrates what happens when someone receives an inheritance without responsibility. The prodigal son asked for his share while his father was still alive, and his loving father gave it freely, without condition. The son had done nothing to deserve it except being given it out of love—yet he squandered it recklessly.
Anything gained without responsibility is at risk. True value comes from sacrifice, and when there is no sacrifice, that value can harm rather than help. Tragically, we often witness African businesses dying with their owners. A successful business owner may have several children and earn a good income, but apart from a few exceptions, such businesses frequently collapse after the owner’s death. The children begin arguing over who should receive what in the inheritance, and it is only a matter of time before the business falls apart. Investments that endure are held by those who understand the principle of sacrifice.
This brings to mind the sacrifice of Jesus and the story of the prodigal son, who squandered his entire inheritance and ended up feeding pigs. Realizing he was as good as dead, he came to his senses and decided to return to his father, hoping to be accepted at least as a servant. That humility was itself a special sacrifice that earned his father’s acceptance. The parable portrays a father who chose to forgive the debt wasted by his wayward son. There exists a unique bond between a father and his son; even if the son commits a grave sin that disgraces the father, sincere repentance often moves fathers to forgive. Sometimes, human parents may find it helpful for a wayward son to be accompanied by another person when seeking forgiveness.
Children often do things that frustrate their parents, but most parents are willing to tolerate some mischief. They rarely give up in despair over their children’s behavior. A father might be uneasy about a troubled son, yet still spend money on services to help him—such as rehabilitation for drug addiction. Parents seldom stop caring for their children because they see them as unique. As long as they are alive, fathers continue sacrificing for them. Good children remain thankful to their loving parents even until the end. But as long as such children depend on their parents, they are not free, unless they appreciate the principle of sacrifice to attain total freedom.
The truth is, freedom always comes with sacrifice. Spiritual freedom comes from sacrificing our physical condition through Jesus Christ. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father forgave his son’s debt after he squandered his wealth. Yet there remained a gap when it came to rewarding the son who had stayed loyal. The idea of sacrifice demands an investment before one can enjoy true freedom. The loyal son gave his entire life in service to his father, which seemed like a sufficient investment. Still, there should be a distinction between someone whose sins are forgiven and someone who never committed any. By forgiving the prodigal son, the father unintentionally created an immense debt for his loyal son. How could he repay the one who had always been faithful?
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found'” (Luke 15:28-32 NIV).
The father’s words to his loyal son were not only comforting but also carried a special promise. The elder son would inherit everything, resolving the father’s debt to him. His lifelong loyalty, paired with a love mirroring his father’s, was a sacrifice made for his brother. The elder son held authority over his younger sibling, and when the younger misbehaved, he would deliver justice on his father’s behalf. This is why, after the resurrection, Jesus proclaimed that all authority had been given to Him.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV).
In our prodigal-son-like waywardness, our freedom comes through the sacrifice of our brother, Jesus Christ. His loyalty to the Father preserves the blueprint of the Father’s love through Him. Therefore, it is important to look to Him and follow everything He says, as if obeying the Father. He owes us nothing, yet we owe Him everything because of His sacrifice for our freedom. In truth, Jesus Christ had to be sacrificed for our freedom to be realized—a principle we must embrace to become like Him.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16 NIV).
Everything reflects the sacrificial mindset of Jesus, enabling us to attain freedom. Our own experience as a nation should have taught us that without sacrifice, we remain in bondage, even after gaining independence in 1980. It is this mindset that drives the principle of investing or sacrificing for freedom. The parable of the prodigal son illustrates this journey toward liberation, with humanity seen as the prodigal child who squandered the Father’s inheritance.
The path to forgiveness from our loving Father begins when we come to our senses. Remembering the loving nature of our Father, we find the courage to humbly return, seeking His mercy. In His compassion, the Father welcomes us despite our tattered clothes, covering our shame with something better. This generosity creates a sense of indebtedness to our faithful brother, who stayed loyal during our waywardness. To repay this debt, the Father sacrificed the elder brother. Thus, Jesus’ death frees us from our sinful condition.
The prodigal son seemed destined for ruin, having chosen a reckless path. The Father had given up on him, essentially writing him off and never expecting him to return in humility. The prodigal son might have died in his misery, choosing to live out his days fed in pigsties. But the pivotal decision he made after coming to his senses changed everything. Sadly, it came at the cost of his brother’s sacrifice.
Now, all that remains is to show reverence to our brother. How much do we owe Jesus for securing our freedom? We owe Him nothing but our respect, for we have nothing to give from our state of misery. Our only sacrifice to Jesus is our humility. Even those slow to forgive may find it hard to turn away someone willing to eat humble pie. Rarely do people refuse forgiveness to those who approach them with genuine contrition.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. At this, the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
“The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
“When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart” (Matthew 18:23-35 NIV).
This highlights what authoritarians often overlook. They claim the authority of Jesus, who sacrificed for them, while conveniently forgetting their past—like feeding pigs. Imagine if the prodigal son had refused to humble himself, ignoring his decision to be treated like a servant. Only criminals act that way, expecting lavish treatment without making any sacrifice.
Living off another person’s sacrifice without giving back can only lead to hellfire, reserved for God’s enemies. Understanding that freedom comes with sacrifice makes one realize the importance of valuing it. For humans, the price is humility. Jesus is our Master, to whom we owe everything. Our allegiance to Him comes from surrendering our worth and letting Him use us freely as His vessels. He alone must be trusted for all our days on Earth. A wise person understands that any comfort they enjoy comes at the cost of some sacrifice.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, which lays out standards for lifting Zimbabwe out of its current economic depression and into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, offering relief to those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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