An old man was
walking through the land pulling a small, two-wheeled cart behind him. At last,
he came upon a village. As he entered the little hamlet, the villagers moved
toward their homes, locking doors and windows. The stranger smiled and asked,
“Why are you all so frightened? I am a simple traveler, looking for a soft
place to stay for the night and a warm place for a meal.” “There’s not a bite
to eat in the whole province,” he was told. “We are weak and our children are
starving. Better keep moving on.” “I have everything I need,” he said. “In
fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you.” He
pulled an iron cauldron from beneath a tarpaulin in his cart. He filled the
huge pot with water and built a fire under it. Then, with great ceremony, he
drew an ordinary-looking stone from a silken bag and dropped it into the water.
By now, hearing the rumor of food, most of the villagers had come out of their
homes. As the stranger sniffed the “broth” and licked his lips in anticipation,
hunger began to overcome the villagers’ fear. “Ahh,” the stranger said to
himself rather loudly, “I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup
with cabbage ––that’s hard to beat.” Soon a villager approached hesitantly,
holding a small cabbage he’d retrieved from its hiding place. He added it to
the pot. “Wonderful!” cried the stranger. “You know, I once had stone soup with
cabbage and a bit of salt beef as well, and it was fit for a king!” The village
butcher managed to find some salt beef. And so it went, through potatoes,
onions, carrots, mushrooms and other vegetables until there was indeed a
delicious meal for everyone in the village to share. The village elder offered
the stranger a great deal of money for the magic stone, but he refused to sell
it. As he was leaving the village, the stranger came upon a group of village
children standing near the road. He gave the silken bag containing the stone to
the youngest child, whispering to the group, “It was not the stone, but the
villagers who performed the magic.” —Melanie Silva
[Romans 12:21]
“Do not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Several teens were
posed the question: “If you were a superhero, what super-power would you want
to have?” Answers range from extreme speed to flight, and from x-ray vision to
great strength. Everyone wants to be in control and not beaten back by the
villains of the world. So, on the surface, everyone agrees wholeheartedly that
we shouldn’t be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good – like ‘good’
is some sort of super-power to wield.
But Jesus tells
us that only God is good (Matthew 19:17). And yet, we are to add goodness to
our faith (Galatians 6:9-10) in “increasing measure” to “receive a rich welcome
into the eternal kingdom.” This shows the fruit of the spirit to be rare but
certainly growable in our lives (Galatians 5:22-26).
The key to
having goodness is found at the beginning of Romans chapter 12. We are to offer
our bodies as living sacrifices, not conforming to the pattern of this world
but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. Then we can be like God,
who alone is good, to overcome evil with good. Spiritual super-powers don’t
come as gifts to be given but as fruits to be grown. Don’t wait until you’re
hungry to plant a garden. The seeds of faith and hope are found in the Word of
God – Jesus’ parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15). The seeds of life (Luke 8:11)
can be planted from God’s Word into the heart of every living being to grow
into the spiritual fruit God desires that we all produce in this life. If such
a garden were growing in the hearts of everyone, we could be living in a
spiritual Garden of Eden. Love and peace exist in the heart of those who love
one another (1 Corinthians 13:4-13).
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