Jack-in-the-Box

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13-21 ESV).

We all know the original jack-in-the-box as a toy that outwardly consists of a box with a crank. When the crank is turned, it plays a melody, often "Pop Goes the Weasel". At the end of the tune there is a "surprise." The lid pops open and a figure, usually a clown or jester, pops out of the box. Some jack-in-the-boxes open at random times when cranked, making the startle even more effective. These simple toys are making quite a comeback in our modern day of technology. No one really knows where the toy originated, but one theory is that it comes from the 14th century English prelate, Sir John Schorne, who is often pictured holding a boot with a devil in it. According to the folklore, he once cast the devil into a boot to protect the village of North Marston. I couldn’t help but think of this toy when I looked at today’s reading. Jesus tells us of the biggest fool. The parable was told to emphasize how important it is to get our priorities correct. Often, especially in the midst of “life,” the routine determines our focus. When things are going well it is altogether too easy to imagine that they will always go well. In fact, we can come to believe that nothing but good can come into our lives. This position keeps us from being able to recognize the need for the presence of God in our lives. Crisis will call us back to God’s presence; however, it is always easier when we rely on him in the first place. The truth is all of us are going to have a “jester” pop up in our lives from time to time. The key is our focus. I hope you are not merely pursuing bigger barns and dreaming of how to fill them up. Pause to think about the real reason you need bigger barns! Every good thing originates in the heart and mind of our heavenly Father. Trust in him for today and tomorrow. The surprises will much less startling when we trust in Him.