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How's This For Hyperbole?
Joe Killian • Sep 24, 2015
Maria and I got a text from Joshua this morning that made us smile. He had just finished the first big exam of his freshman year at the University of Dayton. “So I breezed through it (Calculus) until the last question, and then I waged war for about 25 minutes on the last question, but I think I got it.” Waged war?!? What an interesting way to put it. Hyperbole. Josh emphasized his point by exaggerating his challenge.
Jesus uses hyperbole in this week’s Gospel. Keep that in mind as you read this passage from Mark because it should challenge you.
At that time, John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'" Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
John's report prompts an interesting reply from Jesus. As we sift through the hyperbole of Jesus’ reply, we need to understand why He chooses to use exaggerated statements to make His point. Jesus obviously wants his disciples to clearly understand what is at the core of the issue. The answer is in the end of the first paragraph. “…will surely not lose his reward.” What is the reward? Jesus mentions it in the second paragraph when He says, “enter into the kingdom of God”.
Keeping this in mind we see how Jesus’ hyperbole points to the core issue. Temptation! Jesus has prescribed drastic measures intended to inspire the disciples to resist temptation. That should stop you and me in our tracks! The challenge for us is that we are not always aware of the things that tempt us.
Joshua was aware last night. I knew he was nervous about this test in spite of all the hours he had studied. He wondered if he should continue to study. He asked if I thought it was okay for him to have some down time before going to bed. What Josh was really asking me was if I thought it was okay for him to play some FIFA, his favorite PlayStation soccer game. He knew he was tempting himself by doing so. In the past, Josh has stayed up half the night playing entire soccer seasons on the PS4. My advice to Josh was to take a break and enjoy himself for a little while before going to bed early. He did and I expect a good grade on his calculus exam will be his reward.
Now with Joshua's help I'll try some hyperbole of my own.
WAGE WAR against your temptations because victory will be heavenly!
The story continues...I'm still working on the pondless waterfall in our front yard. I shared this project with you two weeks ago in Playin' In the Dirt. Since then I've had to rework sections of the stream three different times because we were losing too much water. I am now an expert on evaporation rates and excessive splash, two causes of water loss. This morning I tore the whole thing apart and I'm starting over.
Have you ever watched DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda? I stumbled across it recently and thoroughly enjoyed Jack Black's performance as a bumbling, noodle selling, kung fu enthusiast, giant panda named P o. Set in ancient China, it is more than a humorous slapstick comedy. The core message of the story jumped out at me as I have been focusing recently on the concept of being. Po is shockingly identified as the Dragon Warrior and he reluctantly enters training. The goal of the training is to receive the Dragon Scroll, which is believed to hold the secret to limitless power. Now I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I will say that what Po realizes is the same as what I speak to in the concept of being and authentic identity. So, where do we find the secret to our "power?" I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works! My very self You know. Psalm 139:14 God knows it; and we must seek Him with all of our hearts in order to find it. As it was in the movie, the answer is stunningly simple. Our authentic identity is already within us. The challenge for Po in the movie was in seeing himself accurately and not the way others saw him. Even his teacher scoffed at the idea that Po was anything more than an underachieving dreamer who overate when he was anxious. Po's problems are rooted in the fact that he believes the lie of his false identity much more than he does his authentic one. Is it possible that you do the same? Who could have imagined that beneath all of Po's girth lived the Dragon Warrior? What's hidden from view in you? Seek God for understanding as to who He created you to be. Spoiler Alert: the secret of your limitless power is already in you. God placed it there and He wants you to be who He authentically created you to be.
Maria and I have been playing in the dirt a lot recently. First we replaced our French drain and then we embarked on a creative project intended to change the entire look of our front yard. My brother Jeffrey and I installed a new front step.
