A Modern Parable

 

Sadly, when using the expression, “It is a funny old world”, the reality is often quite the opposite.  

Watching the news the other day, I saw the vast array of soldiers, weaponry, missiles and tanks being displayed at a march-past in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. Memories may well come back to those who witnessed the young man’s protest against the machinery of warfare in that same square some years ago. His brave, simple protest was to sit down in front of a tank in a similar such display. So again, in this square, there was this display of power, might and strength.  

But, “the funny old world” bit was that on the same day there was a massive earthquake in Afghanistan and a huge mud slide in Nepal, where thousands of lives were lost and villages destroyed. On the one hand we had a vast display of wealth and on the other there were people who had very little in the first place, losing everything they had.

To me it spoke of a modern day parable; here we have a country, and there are others, who show off their power and importance and display all their possessions as if to say, “Look at me, aren’t I great!” Yet comparatively, just a few miles away, there is terrible devastation. I wonder how much support they gave to their neighbours who were struggling to utilise the meagre resources they had.

If you now look at the account of ‘giving’ in the temple in the Gospels of Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4 and what Jesus said, you may well see the modern parable. Can you picture the rich displaying their finery and showing how much they had and then see the widow giving her mite; she gave all she had. The rich gave an amount that was just a drop in the ocean to them, but the widow gave beyond measure.  

You have to ask, “where is the real heart when it comes to loving your neighbour?” With these powerful countries is it in what they have, or is it in their hearts of compassion.