Prohibitions And Invitations In The Tenth Commandment
Adult study
The Big Ten
Another Look At The Ten Commandments
Some time ago I was preaching a sermon on covetousness, referencing the Tenth Commandment. Trying to be honest about the items listed in the Tenth Commandment (Exodus 20:17b: wives, menservants, maidservants, and cattle), but at the same time add a little levity to the sermon, I asked the question, "How many of you lusted after cattle on your way to church today?"
About halfway down the aisle on the right side of the church, Charlie, a bold parishioner, raised his hand and shouted out an answer to my question. "I did it. I'm guilty. I looked at a herd of my neighbor's cattle on the way to church and coveted what he had." Charlie was the manager of the University of Arizona Dairy Farm in Tucson, Arizona. He is now my son-in-law. Thanks for the honesty, Charlie.
The original cultural context and the particulars of this Commandment may be different than the cultural context and particulars today, but the meaning is the same. Therefore, we will focus here on "... anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:17b) and "... beware of all covetousness ..." (Luke 12:15 RSV).
Let's Review
As noted earlier in this book, the Bible does not number the Ten Commandments. Jews and Protestants number the Ten Commandments in one way with two Commandments on idolatry; Lutherans and Roman Catholics number them in a different way with two Commandments on covetousness. Since I am a Lutheran, I stick with the latter numbering.
As noted in the last chapter, coveting is inordinate wanting or wishing for something, especially something that belongs to another. As noted, there are at least seven prohibitions against coveting in the Bible.
1.
Avoid desires gone astray.
2.
Check your motivations regarding covetousness.
3.
Watch out for envy. Envy can consume you.
4.
Don't let jealousy rule. Jealousy is a fact of life, but it is dangerous.
5.
Check the level of your selfishness. Covetousness is based on selfishness.
6.
Re-evaluate your creed. Greed as a creed has become a way of life for many modern Americans.
7.
Show wisdom as you examine the difference between wants and needs. Some things that you feel you must have, are only wants without which you can get along fine.
All of these prohibitions apply to the Tenth Commandment as well as the Ninth. In addition, the four invitations discussed in the last chapter apply to the Tenth Commandment as well as the Ninth. The Bible invites us to:
1.
Know that our real home is with God.
2.
Be content with what we have instead of lusting after what someone else has.
3.
Set priorities with God's kingdom in first place.
4.
Remember and practice the biblical secret of doing all things in Christ who strengthens us.
In this chapter we will focus on the meaning of the biblical secret of doing all things in Christ who strengthens us.
How To Be Abased
Saint Paul learned the secret of being abased. To be abased means to be lower physically or in the minds of others as to office, place, rank, prestige, or esteem. That happened to Paul. As he wrote the letter to his Philippian friends, Paul was in prison (house arrest) in Rome for preaching the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. Being considered a criminal would usually make a person feel dejected and defeated. Not Paul. He knew the secret of handling things that cause most people to feel depressed. He knew how to be abased.
Paul had a big problem which he called "his thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7). Some scholars think that it was epilepsy; others think that Paul had a problem with painful headaches and eye trouble. Some have theorized that Paul's thorn was carnal temptation. No one knows, but what we do know is that pain accompanied Paul wherever he went and threatened to limit his ministry. Others with similar problems succumb. Not Paul. He overcame his problem. He learned how to be abased.
Paul sensed that he was near the end of his road, near death. As people near this point in life, they often feel "lower than a snake's belly," as one dying patient told me. Not Paul. He not only knew the secret of overcoming death. He knew how to be abased.
At the end of his life, what did Paul have by way of the world's material goods? Not much. As a matter of fact, he had next to nothing. Not only did he have next to nothing by worldly standards; even most of his Christian friends seemed to have abandoned him. Only Timothy seems to be there when Paul needs him. "I have no one else like him (Timothy) who takes a genuine interest in your welfare," Paul wrote. "For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 2:20-21). Ever feel that you have been short-changed in the marketplace of money and things? Ever feel that you have been forgotten by family or friends or fellow workers? Paul felt that way, too, but he overcame resentments that defeat many people by turning to the secret of handling negative feelings. He knew how to be abased.
What is the secret of handling the really tough aspects of life? What is the secret of overcoming those times that cause the majority of people to give up? Paul puts it simply: "I have learned the secret of being abased ... I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me."
The secret of the Christian life is giving attention to God and his ways. What gets your attention, gets you. If you give your attention to the acquisition of material goods, material goods will get you. That, in the last analysis, is what coveting is all about -- giving inordinate attention to the wrong things.
Some demonic scoundrel has crawled into the show window of life and moved the price tags. The cheap things have been given high price tags; the valuable things low price tags. When you believe the devil's tricks and illusions, materialism becomes a way of life. When you see the devil's tricks and illusions for what they are, you get a proper perspective on the things of this world. The secret of being abased is giving your attention to God. What gets your attention, gets you. When everything around him was coming unglued, Paul turned his attention to good and godly things.
The secret of the Christian life is focus. Paul describes the focus that overcomes trouble like this: "... whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things" (Philippians 4:8-9). Paul's thinking was about Christ and his teachings. His thinking was about the high and the holy so he did not succumb to the temptations of the low and ungodly things of life.
"I know what it is to be in need," Paul wrote (Philippians 4:12). I didn't just read about it in a book or learn about it from others' experience. I have been there. That is where I am right now. But it makes no difference. My mind is on the high things of God and no one can take that from me. No one.
Paul knew the secret of being abased. He gave his attention and focus to Christ. He also knew how to abound.
How To Abound
"No one needs to teach me how to be rich and have things in abundance," a rich and stubborn business man once told me. "I know how to do that." Wrong. Most people can't handle success. Most are miserable when they get what they think they want. Most fumble the ball as they cross the goal line of prosperity. Covetousness sets in like a cancer. Covetous people no longer want what they have gotten. They want more.
Paul knew the secret of success. He knew how to handle prosperity. He knew how to abound. "I know what it is to have plenty," he writes (Philippians 4:12). To be copiously supplied with the world's goods generally works havoc on people. Many lose their way when the quantity of things goes way up. Many cannot handle abounding. Many forget to be grateful to God for what they have. They think, "My strong arm or mighty mind has gotten me this victory." Wrong.
The secret of success is gratitude to God. Without gratitude, every worldly success turns to dust. Without gratitude, prosperity turns to sickness. Without gratitude, treasures become burdens. Without gratitude, an attitude of griping enters the soul.
In my book Turning Griping Into Gratitude,14 the secret of the psalmists is revealed. They learned to focus on God in time of trouble and prosperity.
Gratitude is the heart of Christian stewardship. Stewardship is not primarily a matter of duty. It is not primarily a matter of giving money to a church budget. Christian stewardship is what we do with our lives after we say "Yes," to Jesus Christ. When Christ comes into our lives, we should become grateful givers.
John was a church member, but he wasn't really grateful for what God had done for him until he had a heart attack. That woke him up. Emily, John's wife, was grateful for John's change of heart, but she had a problem. She won $3 million in the state lottery, and was afraid to tell John for fear that he would get excited, have another heart attack, and die. She asked for assistance from her pastor.
The pastor said to John, "In your mind, I want you to picture $3 million far away. John, do you see it?"
"Yes," John said. "I see it."
"Now, John, picture the $3 million coming closer. Do you see it?"
"No problem, Pastor. I see it."
"Now, John, what would you do with $3 million if you actually received it?"
John thought for a moment and then replied, "I'd give half of it to the church."
On hearing this, the pastor dropped dead with a heart attack.
Pastors rarely experience such generosity. Genuine gratitude to God expressed through giving to the church and the needs of other people is rare. It surprises us when it comes.
Most people cannot handle prosperity. It goes to their heads. In our day, coveting often includes a distorted evaluation of things like cars, boats, and recreational vehicles. On the back bumper of an expensive RV, this message appeared: "In the end, the one with the most toys wins." Wrong. In the end, the only thing that counts is whether or not we have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Most people turn in on themselves when riches come. A wealthy member of one of the churches I served was severely depressed in spite of the fact that she had everything most people want. Her husband made a good income as an executive with a large company. They lived in a beautiful new home. She had jewelry and clothes far beyond what others had. They drove big, expensive cars. Nevertheless, she was depressed and went to a psychiatrist for help. She told me, "The psychiatrist is not really helping me. Why don't you phone him and see if you can find out what you can?" I agreed to phone the psychiatrist. He said, "Nobody can help her. She is a faded, jaded narcissist." Wow! That's a condition that only God can correct.
There is a poem that describes the problem and the solution.
Said the Robin to the Sparrow,
"I should really like to know
Why these human beings rush about
And worry so."
Said the Sparrow to the Robin,
"Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me."
-- Elizabeth Cheney
In this chapter we have focused on the prohibitions and invitations of God regarding covetousness. Ask yourself, "How does all of this make a difference to me?" Then think about what materialism really means.
You plus money equals nothing in the end. You plus power equals nothing when you die. But you plus God -- that's an unconquerable partnership for this life and the next.
Questions For Your Personal Consideration And/Or Group Discussion
1.
Read Matthew 6:25-33. What do lilies have to do with real life?
2.
Consider Søren Kierkegaard's story of a lily and a bird.
A lily, growing in all it's natural beauty was quite content until a bird happened by and indicated that perhaps the open field just wasn't the best place for the flower to develop to it's full potential. The bird told the lily about a beautiful garden and the wonderful lilies that grew there. Since the little flower wanted to be the most beautiful lily in the world, a plan was conceived. One day the bird came and dug around the roots of the lily to free it. When the little lily was free, the bird took it in it's bill and began to fly to the beautiful garden. By the time it got there, the lily was dead.
3.
Consider the story of a caterpillar named Stripe.
Stripe crawled along the ground; yet he felt an urge to get up high. Stripe was aggressive, so he was uncomfortable with this unfulfilled urge. One day Stripe found something to climb. It was a caterpillar pillar. Other caterpillars were climbing this caterpillar pillar. Stripe decided to climb it, too. About half way up the climbing got rough. Stripe stepped on the head of another caterpillar.
"I'm sorry," he said. "What's your name?"
"My name is 'Yellow,' " she replied.
"I'm sorry, Yellow, I hope I didn't hurt you."
On up, up, up Stripe went. Then he heard a voice . The voice said, "The only way to get higher is to push others aside."
After a while, Stripe got tired of all the pushing, so he started down. When he saw Yellow, he invited her to come along on the descent. She agreed. They found a nice home in the soft grass and lived quite happily, but only for a short time. Stripe still felt the strong urge to go up.
One day when Yellow was basking in the sun, Stripe told her that he was going back to the pillar of caterpillars. Up, up, up, he went, this time more determined than ever to get to the top, no matter what the cost. As he pushed and shoved and stepped on other caterpillars, Stripe got closer to the top. Then he heard something strange. One of the caterpillars near the top said, "There's nothing here."
Stripe thought that the caterpillar who spoke was just trying to keep the others from getting to the top so he disregarded the remark. Again he heard the voice, "There's nothing here, nothing at all." Again, he disregarded the remark.
Then he heard another voice. "The only way to get to the top is to push those on the top off." Like the others near the top, Stripe pushed and pushed. He saw several other caterpillars falling. "Good," he thought. "Make room for me."
He looked down. He saw the mass of caterpillars on the pillar and on the ground. He looked out and saw caterpillar pillars everywhere. "What does this mean?" he asked.
Just then Stripe saw a butterfly -- a little yellow butterfly that seemed to be beckoning him down. Slowly he descended the pillar. The yellow butterfly led him over to the soft grass where he had enjoyed life with Yellow. Then she led him to a tree and a special branch with a cocoon on it. Suddenly, Stripe knew the meaning of the urge to go up. (Adapted from Hope For The Flowers by Trina Paulus.)
Digging Deeper
1.
Covetousness is a poison that enters the blood stream and then slowly kills us.
2.
Read 1 Corinthians 7:31. If this verse is true and the world as we know it is passing away, why would anyone devote himself/herself to it?
3.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).
4.
A pastor sat next to beautiful young woman on a 747 flight from one end of the country to the other. He asked her what she did for a living. "I'm a flight attendant," she said. "I'm just traveling across the country so that I can work on a plane out of Los Angeles."
Then the pastor inquired further about her life. "It wi l be a long flight across the country. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"
"Oh," she replied, "I live with my boyfriend in Los Angeles. We've been together three years now. What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a minister."
"Oh," she gulped. "I suppose you think it's sinful for me to live with a man who isn't my husband."
"I don't exactly recommend it."
Then something changed in the conversation. The flight attendant began reflecting on the fact that she had had a little religious training as a child, but had drifted away from it. Suddenly she turned to the minister and said, "Tell me about life after death. My boyfriend says that eternal life is just something people made up because they are afraid of dying. He says that this life is all there is."
For several hours the pastor told her about Jesus Christ and his gift of eternal life for those who believe. They talked about faith in God and what it really means.
"Thanks," the flight attendant said as she got off the plane. "You have really helped me with answers to many of my questions. I'm not sure how my boyfriend will react, but I am going to try faith in God and start going to church whenever I can."
The minister concluded about the experience: "Even people who have no apparent interest in religion are longing for some word of hope about the difference between the 'rat race' in this life and eternal life. That Jesus Christ gives us the last word, his word, about these matters has something to say to everyone, even apparently disinterested secularists."
5.
H. George Anderson, former Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, says that greed is often disguised as "a plea for fairness." An example he sites is when people are determined to get their "fair share" of an inheritance. This determination can become compulsive.
"Another disguise greed takes," he says, "is ambition." The normal drive to succeed can become blind ambition.
6.
Jesus said, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions" (Luke 12:15 NRSV).
About halfway down the aisle on the right side of the church, Charlie, a bold parishioner, raised his hand and shouted out an answer to my question. "I did it. I'm guilty. I looked at a herd of my neighbor's cattle on the way to church and coveted what he had." Charlie was the manager of the University of Arizona Dairy Farm in Tucson, Arizona. He is now my son-in-law. Thanks for the honesty, Charlie.
The original cultural context and the particulars of this Commandment may be different than the cultural context and particulars today, but the meaning is the same. Therefore, we will focus here on "... anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:17b) and "... beware of all covetousness ..." (Luke 12:15 RSV).
Let's Review
As noted earlier in this book, the Bible does not number the Ten Commandments. Jews and Protestants number the Ten Commandments in one way with two Commandments on idolatry; Lutherans and Roman Catholics number them in a different way with two Commandments on covetousness. Since I am a Lutheran, I stick with the latter numbering.
As noted in the last chapter, coveting is inordinate wanting or wishing for something, especially something that belongs to another. As noted, there are at least seven prohibitions against coveting in the Bible.
1.
Avoid desires gone astray.
2.
Check your motivations regarding covetousness.
3.
Watch out for envy. Envy can consume you.
4.
Don't let jealousy rule. Jealousy is a fact of life, but it is dangerous.
5.
Check the level of your selfishness. Covetousness is based on selfishness.
6.
Re-evaluate your creed. Greed as a creed has become a way of life for many modern Americans.
7.
Show wisdom as you examine the difference between wants and needs. Some things that you feel you must have, are only wants without which you can get along fine.
All of these prohibitions apply to the Tenth Commandment as well as the Ninth. In addition, the four invitations discussed in the last chapter apply to the Tenth Commandment as well as the Ninth. The Bible invites us to:
1.
Know that our real home is with God.
2.
Be content with what we have instead of lusting after what someone else has.
3.
Set priorities with God's kingdom in first place.
4.
Remember and practice the biblical secret of doing all things in Christ who strengthens us.
In this chapter we will focus on the meaning of the biblical secret of doing all things in Christ who strengthens us.
How To Be Abased
Saint Paul learned the secret of being abased. To be abased means to be lower physically or in the minds of others as to office, place, rank, prestige, or esteem. That happened to Paul. As he wrote the letter to his Philippian friends, Paul was in prison (house arrest) in Rome for preaching the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. Being considered a criminal would usually make a person feel dejected and defeated. Not Paul. He knew the secret of handling things that cause most people to feel depressed. He knew how to be abased.
Paul had a big problem which he called "his thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7). Some scholars think that it was epilepsy; others think that Paul had a problem with painful headaches and eye trouble. Some have theorized that Paul's thorn was carnal temptation. No one knows, but what we do know is that pain accompanied Paul wherever he went and threatened to limit his ministry. Others with similar problems succumb. Not Paul. He overcame his problem. He learned how to be abased.
Paul sensed that he was near the end of his road, near death. As people near this point in life, they often feel "lower than a snake's belly," as one dying patient told me. Not Paul. He not only knew the secret of overcoming death. He knew how to be abased.
At the end of his life, what did Paul have by way of the world's material goods? Not much. As a matter of fact, he had next to nothing. Not only did he have next to nothing by worldly standards; even most of his Christian friends seemed to have abandoned him. Only Timothy seems to be there when Paul needs him. "I have no one else like him (Timothy) who takes a genuine interest in your welfare," Paul wrote. "For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 2:20-21). Ever feel that you have been short-changed in the marketplace of money and things? Ever feel that you have been forgotten by family or friends or fellow workers? Paul felt that way, too, but he overcame resentments that defeat many people by turning to the secret of handling negative feelings. He knew how to be abased.
What is the secret of handling the really tough aspects of life? What is the secret of overcoming those times that cause the majority of people to give up? Paul puts it simply: "I have learned the secret of being abased ... I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me."
The secret of the Christian life is giving attention to God and his ways. What gets your attention, gets you. If you give your attention to the acquisition of material goods, material goods will get you. That, in the last analysis, is what coveting is all about -- giving inordinate attention to the wrong things.
Some demonic scoundrel has crawled into the show window of life and moved the price tags. The cheap things have been given high price tags; the valuable things low price tags. When you believe the devil's tricks and illusions, materialism becomes a way of life. When you see the devil's tricks and illusions for what they are, you get a proper perspective on the things of this world. The secret of being abased is giving your attention to God. What gets your attention, gets you. When everything around him was coming unglued, Paul turned his attention to good and godly things.
The secret of the Christian life is focus. Paul describes the focus that overcomes trouble like this: "... whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things" (Philippians 4:8-9). Paul's thinking was about Christ and his teachings. His thinking was about the high and the holy so he did not succumb to the temptations of the low and ungodly things of life.
"I know what it is to be in need," Paul wrote (Philippians 4:12). I didn't just read about it in a book or learn about it from others' experience. I have been there. That is where I am right now. But it makes no difference. My mind is on the high things of God and no one can take that from me. No one.
Paul knew the secret of being abased. He gave his attention and focus to Christ. He also knew how to abound.
How To Abound
"No one needs to teach me how to be rich and have things in abundance," a rich and stubborn business man once told me. "I know how to do that." Wrong. Most people can't handle success. Most are miserable when they get what they think they want. Most fumble the ball as they cross the goal line of prosperity. Covetousness sets in like a cancer. Covetous people no longer want what they have gotten. They want more.
Paul knew the secret of success. He knew how to handle prosperity. He knew how to abound. "I know what it is to have plenty," he writes (Philippians 4:12). To be copiously supplied with the world's goods generally works havoc on people. Many lose their way when the quantity of things goes way up. Many cannot handle abounding. Many forget to be grateful to God for what they have. They think, "My strong arm or mighty mind has gotten me this victory." Wrong.
The secret of success is gratitude to God. Without gratitude, every worldly success turns to dust. Without gratitude, prosperity turns to sickness. Without gratitude, treasures become burdens. Without gratitude, an attitude of griping enters the soul.
In my book Turning Griping Into Gratitude,14 the secret of the psalmists is revealed. They learned to focus on God in time of trouble and prosperity.
Gratitude is the heart of Christian stewardship. Stewardship is not primarily a matter of duty. It is not primarily a matter of giving money to a church budget. Christian stewardship is what we do with our lives after we say "Yes," to Jesus Christ. When Christ comes into our lives, we should become grateful givers.
John was a church member, but he wasn't really grateful for what God had done for him until he had a heart attack. That woke him up. Emily, John's wife, was grateful for John's change of heart, but she had a problem. She won $3 million in the state lottery, and was afraid to tell John for fear that he would get excited, have another heart attack, and die. She asked for assistance from her pastor.
The pastor said to John, "In your mind, I want you to picture $3 million far away. John, do you see it?"
"Yes," John said. "I see it."
"Now, John, picture the $3 million coming closer. Do you see it?"
"No problem, Pastor. I see it."
"Now, John, what would you do with $3 million if you actually received it?"
John thought for a moment and then replied, "I'd give half of it to the church."
On hearing this, the pastor dropped dead with a heart attack.
Pastors rarely experience such generosity. Genuine gratitude to God expressed through giving to the church and the needs of other people is rare. It surprises us when it comes.
Most people cannot handle prosperity. It goes to their heads. In our day, coveting often includes a distorted evaluation of things like cars, boats, and recreational vehicles. On the back bumper of an expensive RV, this message appeared: "In the end, the one with the most toys wins." Wrong. In the end, the only thing that counts is whether or not we have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Most people turn in on themselves when riches come. A wealthy member of one of the churches I served was severely depressed in spite of the fact that she had everything most people want. Her husband made a good income as an executive with a large company. They lived in a beautiful new home. She had jewelry and clothes far beyond what others had. They drove big, expensive cars. Nevertheless, she was depressed and went to a psychiatrist for help. She told me, "The psychiatrist is not really helping me. Why don't you phone him and see if you can find out what you can?" I agreed to phone the psychiatrist. He said, "Nobody can help her. She is a faded, jaded narcissist." Wow! That's a condition that only God can correct.
There is a poem that describes the problem and the solution.
Said the Robin to the Sparrow,
"I should really like to know
Why these human beings rush about
And worry so."
Said the Sparrow to the Robin,
"Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me."
-- Elizabeth Cheney
In this chapter we have focused on the prohibitions and invitations of God regarding covetousness. Ask yourself, "How does all of this make a difference to me?" Then think about what materialism really means.
You plus money equals nothing in the end. You plus power equals nothing when you die. But you plus God -- that's an unconquerable partnership for this life and the next.
Questions For Your Personal Consideration And/Or Group Discussion
1.
Read Matthew 6:25-33. What do lilies have to do with real life?
2.
Consider Søren Kierkegaard's story of a lily and a bird.
A lily, growing in all it's natural beauty was quite content until a bird happened by and indicated that perhaps the open field just wasn't the best place for the flower to develop to it's full potential. The bird told the lily about a beautiful garden and the wonderful lilies that grew there. Since the little flower wanted to be the most beautiful lily in the world, a plan was conceived. One day the bird came and dug around the roots of the lily to free it. When the little lily was free, the bird took it in it's bill and began to fly to the beautiful garden. By the time it got there, the lily was dead.
3.
Consider the story of a caterpillar named Stripe.
Stripe crawled along the ground; yet he felt an urge to get up high. Stripe was aggressive, so he was uncomfortable with this unfulfilled urge. One day Stripe found something to climb. It was a caterpillar pillar. Other caterpillars were climbing this caterpillar pillar. Stripe decided to climb it, too. About half way up the climbing got rough. Stripe stepped on the head of another caterpillar.
"I'm sorry," he said. "What's your name?"
"My name is 'Yellow,' " she replied.
"I'm sorry, Yellow, I hope I didn't hurt you."
On up, up, up Stripe went. Then he heard a voice . The voice said, "The only way to get higher is to push others aside."
After a while, Stripe got tired of all the pushing, so he started down. When he saw Yellow, he invited her to come along on the descent. She agreed. They found a nice home in the soft grass and lived quite happily, but only for a short time. Stripe still felt the strong urge to go up.
One day when Yellow was basking in the sun, Stripe told her that he was going back to the pillar of caterpillars. Up, up, up, he went, this time more determined than ever to get to the top, no matter what the cost. As he pushed and shoved and stepped on other caterpillars, Stripe got closer to the top. Then he heard something strange. One of the caterpillars near the top said, "There's nothing here."
Stripe thought that the caterpillar who spoke was just trying to keep the others from getting to the top so he disregarded the remark. Again he heard the voice, "There's nothing here, nothing at all." Again, he disregarded the remark.
Then he heard another voice. "The only way to get to the top is to push those on the top off." Like the others near the top, Stripe pushed and pushed. He saw several other caterpillars falling. "Good," he thought. "Make room for me."
He looked down. He saw the mass of caterpillars on the pillar and on the ground. He looked out and saw caterpillar pillars everywhere. "What does this mean?" he asked.
Just then Stripe saw a butterfly -- a little yellow butterfly that seemed to be beckoning him down. Slowly he descended the pillar. The yellow butterfly led him over to the soft grass where he had enjoyed life with Yellow. Then she led him to a tree and a special branch with a cocoon on it. Suddenly, Stripe knew the meaning of the urge to go up. (Adapted from Hope For The Flowers by Trina Paulus.)
Digging Deeper
1.
Covetousness is a poison that enters the blood stream and then slowly kills us.
2.
Read 1 Corinthians 7:31. If this verse is true and the world as we know it is passing away, why would anyone devote himself/herself to it?
3.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).
4.
A pastor sat next to beautiful young woman on a 747 flight from one end of the country to the other. He asked her what she did for a living. "I'm a flight attendant," she said. "I'm just traveling across the country so that I can work on a plane out of Los Angeles."
Then the pastor inquired further about her life. "It wi l be a long flight across the country. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"
"Oh," she replied, "I live with my boyfriend in Los Angeles. We've been together three years now. What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a minister."
"Oh," she gulped. "I suppose you think it's sinful for me to live with a man who isn't my husband."
"I don't exactly recommend it."
Then something changed in the conversation. The flight attendant began reflecting on the fact that she had had a little religious training as a child, but had drifted away from it. Suddenly she turned to the minister and said, "Tell me about life after death. My boyfriend says that eternal life is just something people made up because they are afraid of dying. He says that this life is all there is."
For several hours the pastor told her about Jesus Christ and his gift of eternal life for those who believe. They talked about faith in God and what it really means.
"Thanks," the flight attendant said as she got off the plane. "You have really helped me with answers to many of my questions. I'm not sure how my boyfriend will react, but I am going to try faith in God and start going to church whenever I can."
The minister concluded about the experience: "Even people who have no apparent interest in religion are longing for some word of hope about the difference between the 'rat race' in this life and eternal life. That Jesus Christ gives us the last word, his word, about these matters has something to say to everyone, even apparently disinterested secularists."
5.
H. George Anderson, former Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, says that greed is often disguised as "a plea for fairness." An example he sites is when people are determined to get their "fair share" of an inheritance. This determination can become compulsive.
"Another disguise greed takes," he says, "is ambition." The normal drive to succeed can become blind ambition.
6.
Jesus said, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions" (Luke 12:15 NRSV).
