Parable 17 - Life and Death

Henry was excited when he won his guppy at the school fair. He wanted a fish, but his parents hadn’t let him have one. But now he had won it in the ring toss game. He and his parents had to accept the prize fish.

“Henry,” said his mom, “it’s not that we don’t want you to have a fish. It’s just that it’s a big responsibility to care for it. Are you really ready to give it the right amount of food each day, and to carefully change the water once a month?”

“You’ll see,” Henry said. “I’m in the third grade. I’m going to take great care of my guppy. I think it is a female, because it doesn’t have a colorful tail. I’m going to call her Princess.”

Every day Henry gave Princess just a little pinch of fish food. He was amazed how quickly she ate the food. Her belly seemed to be getting bigger with each feeding. On the tenth day after Henry got Princess, when he went to feed her, he noticed little things swimming in the bowl. Henry pushed his face next to the glass to see it more clearly.

“Baby guppies!” he screamed.

His mom came running into the room. “Are you OK? Why are you screaming?”

“Princess had babies. Look at them all.” There were about 20 little babies with Princess. Henry spent hours looking at the little fish as they slowly grew over the next couple of months.

His parents bought him an actual fish tank since the little bowl he had Princess in was too small.

It was hard to keep the water clean. Sometimes the fish didn’t eat all their food. The water got cloudy. Some of the little fish died.

“More babies!” shouted Henry one day.

He and his mom were delighted to see the new little fish. Somehow, Princess had given birth again. And the next month, there were more new babies.

And then, every week there were more babies. There were too many babies. Henry had to do something. They were overcrowding the tank. It was too much to take care of. There was only one thing Henry could do. He had to get rid of Princess. She was having too many babies.

Henry used the net that had come with his aquarium. He scooped up Princess, the biggest of all his fish. He took her to the toilet, flipped her into the bowl, and flushed her down. As the toilet tank refilled, he said a teary goodbye. He imagined Princess being set free and now able to swim in the river.

Meditation

We know something Henry didn’t know. His trouble with having too many guppies to care for is not over. It is just beginning. Getting rid of Princess does nothing to stop the power that is going on in his fish tank.

Our faith is like this. A certain situation is one aspect of something that is much greater. Addressing one issue does not solve everything.

Our scripture for today comes from the parable Jesus told about the tenants in the vineyard that kill the servants rather than give the landowner his share. Now the tenants kill the son, thinking the land will be theirs if there is no heir. The reality of the story is that the tenants will now be killed themselves, and the land will be leased to those more trustworthy.

In our story, Henry is about to find out that Princess was not the only guppy that could have babies.

Perhaps we think that if we don’t eat meat today that we will be pure and God will be pleased. Or maybe we have not been fasting at all during Lent, and we think God is displeased.

There is more to it than that. No matter our situation, there is always something bigger going on. A deeper truth to realize.

Water the seed and ask yourself...

What do I know about life and death?