A PARABLE FOR THESE DAYS

 

  I have been told that on one of the more obscure of the 7107 Philippine Islands the natives have a novel, but very effective, way of catching monkeys, which are one of their main protein sources.

  The start by removing the outer husk from a coconut, boring a small hole on it, putting a bit of rice inside the coconut through that hole and leaving it on the ground where a monkey is likely to find it.

  The inquisitive monkey senses there is something in that hole. He thrusts his hand inside, grasps that rice, and then finds that because he has made a fist he cannot remove his hand from the coconut.

   Also, he cannot climb a tree with a coconut on his hand. He stubbornly will not let go of the rice. The hunter comes along directly and harvests his catch. He just picks the monkey up the by the tail and carries him to the cook pot.

  When I first heard of this I immediately thought of how Satan catches some of his prey. He puts something tempting in the victims path: drugs, liquor, immorality of various sorts, love of money, pride, unforgivenes, or dozens of other similar coconut traps.

  The victim will not let go of his sin.  Satan comes along at his will, picks his monkeys up by the tail and carries them off to the cook pot.

  Now is the time to release that sin which has had such a hold on you. The time is very short.

from John Mikkelsen