THE PARABLE OF THE OVERSEAS WORKER

THE PARABLE OF THE OVERSEAS WORKER

Not too many years ago there was a man who tried his luck in a foreign land as overseas contract worker. He worked in the Middle East and saved everything he got hoping to realize his dream  of having a comfortable life for his family.

The day came when he completed  his employment contract. He was very excited to come home. He finally stepped out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and hailed a taxi cab to take him to the house of his relative in Manila where he planned to spend the night and take his flight to Iloilo the following day. His pocket was literally bulging with cash.

The cab driver who turned out to be a crook,  knew  he was a probinsyano from abroad because of his Visayan accent. The driver robbed him of his valuables and cash and dumped him on the unfamiliar streets of the confusing Manila metropolis.

With his money gone, he walked the streets with heavy steps. Then along came a street dog snarling and  chasing him. In desperation he threw stones at the dog, not so much to scare the dog away but to vent his ire, not knowing that the neighborhood tough guy who owned the dog was watching him.

This time the whole band of neighborhood thugs ganged up on him because they accused him of being cruel to the dog. Injured he managed to get away and entered the nearest house where out of desperation he took  a child hostage. Police authorities were called. This poor miserable man finally gave up, a victim of a string of bad luck. He ended up in jail. The ABS CBN news crew interviewed him and he recounted his string of bad luck. He appealed to the President to bail him out of this mess.

What happened to this poor man may be hard luck or bad luck. But the message is clear. We live in a world where evil and unrighteousness abound. Man’s depravity is real.

More than any other the injustice and impartiality of life leads us to cynicism. The world is dark with the grievances of men who according to the world’s standards should have had a better deal.

The good as well as the evil are prone to grief. Those closest to God are not exempt. Many of the most faithful have no surcease from trials. This wrongness in life is very real.

Despite  these, it is comforting to know that the Christian faith centers on Christ the God of all Comfort, who took upon Himself the worst of man’s wickedness,  looked even death squarely in the eye and conquered it. A Christian can face  life when it seems most meaningless,  look at it squarely in the face claiming Christ’s victory and redemption.

Jesus Christ has a standing invitation which he proclaimed two thousand years ago and this offer is still good up to this day:

“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for you souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30.)

The biblical outlook is certainly far more optimistic than anything politics, psychology or science can provide.

Scottish Minister Bruce Milne wrote: “God’s providence is a profound comfort. He who is involved in the life cycle of the sparrow is profoundly involved in the life and circumstances of those whom He has made the special objects of His love hence we can live with confidence even in the face of such difficulties assured that as the Fatherly providence of God has permitted these things, for our good and His glory, so He will sustain us and watch over us in the face of them. We accept life as from him and we live life for his glory believing that in all things we are in His hands.”

In this earthly life joy and sorrow is real. The Lebanese Christian mystic Kahlil Gibran said that the eyes that can sparkle with joy are the same eyes often bathe in tears.

Jesus wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus. He wept in the garden of Gethsemane feeling completely alone as He knelt in prayer pouring out His agony. The greatest among us as much as the lowest among us have moments of darkness. But as Christians we have been promised to withstand. We do not say faith offers quick cures for suffering and trouble. We only say that in Christ there is new life, new strength to weather the adversities as they come.