Picture the scene: three athletic...
Illustration
Object:
Picture the scene: three athletic young people, standing side by side -- medals around
their necks, olive wreaths perched upon their heads, some of them holding (or even
wearing) their nation's flag. Often, there are tears. Always, there is pride: pride in
themselves, their teammates, their nation. It's a proud and thrilling moment, the Olympic
medal ceremony. For those athletes, it represents the pinnacle of their young lives: the
culmination of years of grueling daily practice, of physical and mental pain, of sacrifice.
On the Olympic medal dais, a national anthem plays and the cameras roll, as the world
honors the best of the best.
Of course we all know that for every talented athlete who stands tall on the medal dais, there are a great many more Olympians who never make it there. Some of these runners- up are so close, their failure is measured in hundredths of a second, or in the tiniest fraction of points awarded by the judges. Many times, the difference between a gold medal and the forgettable fourth place is less than the time it takes to snap your fingers.
It's very easy for any of us to become caught up in the chase for the gold: whatever that may mean in our lives. Achievement, recognition, the applause of others -- and yes, even the tangible rewards of money and property -- all these occupy probably too much of our attention throughout our waking hours (and even our dreams). Rather than scrambling to the top tier of the world's medal dais, Jesus suggests that we take the lowest place.
Of course we all know that for every talented athlete who stands tall on the medal dais, there are a great many more Olympians who never make it there. Some of these runners- up are so close, their failure is measured in hundredths of a second, or in the tiniest fraction of points awarded by the judges. Many times, the difference between a gold medal and the forgettable fourth place is less than the time it takes to snap your fingers.
It's very easy for any of us to become caught up in the chase for the gold: whatever that may mean in our lives. Achievement, recognition, the applause of others -- and yes, even the tangible rewards of money and property -- all these occupy probably too much of our attention throughout our waking hours (and even our dreams). Rather than scrambling to the top tier of the world's medal dais, Jesus suggests that we take the lowest place.
