Grasping Versus Giving

You may be familiar with the story of the monkey trapped with its hand in a jar, grasping a banana which it would not let go.  This story has been attributed to at least the Greeks (Aesop or Epictetus), the Sufis (Khwaja Ali Ramitani, died 1306), and Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.  In The Greek version, the story portrays a boy clutching "filberts" (i.e. hazelnuts): 

A Boy was given permission to put his hand into a pitcher to get some filberts. But he took such a great fistful that he could not draw his hand out again. There he stood, unwilling to give up a single filbert and yet unable to get them all out at once. Vexed and disappointed he began to cry. "My boy," said his mother, "be satisfied with half the nuts you have taken and you will easily get your hand out. Then perhaps you may have some more filberts some other time."  The Aesop for Children

The lesson is that greed for more than what we need leads to entrapment.  It seems correct...almost.  However, Jesus offers more than general wisdom on how to be happier in the long run; rather, he offers a different way to live altogether.  He says that our movements aren't shaped by grasping at all, but by giving--even giving everything we have: 

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

What creates such movement?  What causes our hands to open and our resources to flow?  What does life look like when we are free from grasping and freely giving? 

This text provokes many challenging questions for me and I hope it does for you, too.  It will make our engagement with Jesus' words together all the more productive this Sunday and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Steve Engstrom+