HOW MUCH?

There once was a pastor in a small town. One Sunday morning he came to church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised, and, as if in response, the pastor began to speak.
 
I was walking through town yesterday, when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked him what he had.
 
"Just some old birds," he replied.
 
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.
 
"Oh, I'm gonna take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time!"
 
I said, "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later, son, and what will you do then?"
 
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
 
The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"
 
"Huh? Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. Shucks, they ain't even pretty."
 
"How much," the pastor asked again.
 
The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"
 
The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage by the pulpit, and then the pastor told the following story.
 
"One day Jesus and Satan were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
 
"What are you going to do with them," Jesus asked.
 
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun."
 
"And what will you do when you are done with them?" Jesus asked.
 
"Oh, I'll kill them," Satan spouted.
 
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
 
"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you, and kill you. You don't want those people!!"
 
"How much," He asked again.
 
Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears, and your life."
 
Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
 
With that, the pastor picked up the cage, and walked from the pulpit.