My Own Take on a Parable

I was thinking about Robert Mugabe this morning, feeling some "righteous anger" at what he has done and how he has led his people, when I suddenly got a glimpse of how God sees Him. Imagine that you are a creator and you made the most exquisite piece of art. But the art ran away and was put to lesser uses, did not thank the creator for its beauty or purpose. How would you feel - you who had put so much of your heart into this masterpiece? I imagined how God must feel when one of us turns our backs to Him, lives for selfish gain, rejects the very One who made us. I decided to "rewrite" Luke 18:9-14 in my own words to help get a better perspective:

"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 'Two people went up to church to pray, one a mission worker, and the other a lonely immigrant. The mission worker stood up and prayed about herself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men - Robert Mugabe, Hillary Clinton, Jacob Zuma - or even like this misfit immigrant. I pray every day, buy food for orphans, serve at my church, and love my neighbours.'

"But the immigrant stood at a distance. She would not even look up to heaven but sank to her knees and poured her heart out to God: 'I am lonely. I do not understand the people here. I am frustrated and sometimes angry. I have so many faults; have mercy on me, a sinner.'

"I tell you that this woman, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who thinks they're better than others will be brought down, and he who demonstrates a spirit of humility and meekness will be raised up.' "

In God's eyes we're all equal. He doesn't love one of us more than another. I am not any better or worse than the Mugabes, Hitlers, or Mother Theresas of the world. Which is why, if you noticed, I made myself both characters in my parable. I am the mission worker and the immigrant. I am the pharisee and the tax collector. I am the prodigal son and the jealous older brother. And I am captivated by the grace of Jesus.