[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during July 2022]
Once upon a time, “Once upon a time” was a common opening to many children’s stories. Often somewhat fictional in character they frequently carried a moral or social lesson. The consequences of stealing a baby bear’s lunch have been known to us since childhood, as have the dangers of accepting gifts from strange-looking people who live in dark forests.
In many ways, these stories are similar to the parables that Jesus told to his listeners. Compare, for example, the plight of the man who built his house upon the sand with that of the pig who thought that straw would protect him from a heavy-breathing wolf. These illustrations have been known for centuries but people still build with unsuitable materials in areas known to be subject to tornadoes, earthquakes or flooding.
In another of his parables, Jesus spoke of a man who had been blessed with a bounteous harvest; he resolved to upgrade his storage facilities so that he could keep all the produce for himself[1]. One of the several ‘take-aways’ from this parable comes from the final question “Whose then will these things be?” We could paraphrase this question: Are you building for yourself, for your community or for those who will follow you? Is your focus on ‘me’, ‘we’, or ‘they’?
In another parable[2], Jesus describes how a rich landowner engaged some men to work in his vineyard. The men started work at various times during the day but they were all paid the going rate for a full day’s work. There was some dissent amongst those who had worked all day but everyone received what they had agreed to.
It is interesting that in these parables, Jesus did not criticise these landowners for being rich; instead, he judged them on what they did with their riches. It was their attitude that counted.
Could Jesus have fed the five thousand with just four loaves and one fish, or would one thousand of them gone hungry? When the boy offered all his resources to Jesus everyone, including himself, were fed and, although nameless, the boy has a place in the Gospel records.
Had the widow in the Temple been ashamed about the paucity of her donation we would never had heard of her, and more importantly, we would not have learnt that God is more interested in how much we have kept back for ourselves.
There is more to being rich than just goods or money. We may be strapped for cash or running out of time but we all have some opportunity to use what we do have wisely and in God’s service. Our attitude to helping, sharing and giving not only affects our experiences of being generous but also it matters to God.
To what extent are we willing to echo the words of the apostle Peter when he said “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you”?[3]
[1] Luke 12 v16-21
[2] Matthew 20 v1-15
[3] Acts 3 v6
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
Thank you Steve for another challenging reflection, which really gets to the point of these parables.
All we have to do is apply them, which is easier said than done!
A very interesting and thought provoking reflection Steve!