In the gospel from John today, we move from last week’s image of the Good Shepherd, to the image of Jesus Christ as the entrance to His Father’s house. Jesus makes it clear that He is the way and the truth and the life, and in His Father’s house there is a place prepared especially for each of us. In this time, how we prepare ourselves is key, and how we prepare the gifts God has given us is also key. A story to illustrate this point:
An Emperor of a great land in the East had arrived at old age childless. He wanted to be sure to select just the right member of his kingdom to succeed him, so he invited all the children to the palace. He told them there would be a year long test to select the next emperor, and it would begin today. They would each be given a seed, one special seed. The following year they would bring back what they had grown, and the Emperor would judge them and choose the next emperor.
A young boy named Ling took his seed, and with the help of his mother planted it in a pot, watered it, and began to care for it each day. Every day he watered it, and waited for the seed to grow. After about three weeks, the other children were already talking about their seeds and plants beginning to grow. Ling kept on checking his, but nothing grew at all. Others were now talking about their plants, how different each one was, how some were appearing to be trees, or other beautiful plants. Ling felt like a failure.
Six months went by, still nothing in Ling’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees, flowers, and other magnificent plants, but he had nothing. Ling said nothing to his friends; he just kept waiting for his seed to grow. After a year all the children of the kingdom brought their plants to the Emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother he was not going to bring an empty pot. His mother asked him to go and be honest about what had happened. Feeling sick to his stomach, but knowing his mother was right, Ling took his empty pot to the palace.
When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by all the children. They were beautiful, in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Ling put his empty pot on the floor, and many laughed at him, others said, “too bad”, and some felt sorry for him. When the emperor arrived, Ling tried to hide in the back, as the Emperor announced, “What beautiful plants and trees you all have, today one of you will be the next Emperor!”
The Emperor spotted Ling’s plant at the back, at least his empty pot, and ordered him brought to the front with his pot. Ling was terrified, and thought he would be punished. When he got to the front, the Emperor asked him his name. “My name is Ling.”The emperor quieted down the crowd and their laughter, and announced to them all, “Here is your next Emperor, and his name is Ling!” Ling could not believe it; he hadn’t even grown a seed.
The Emperor said, “One year ago I gave each of you a seed, told you to plant it, and return with it today. I gave each of you a boiled seed, one that could never grow. Each of you, when you found your seed would not grow, substituted another in its place. Ling was the only one with the honesty and courage to bring back what I had given him. He must be the new Emperor!” We must all grow in the faith of the true vine, and plant ourselves in the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Then we will be destined to have a place in the Father’s House. Our deeds and truth must show who we are as Christians, not just what we speak of. It is a good time of year to plant; try planting these seeds this week:
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap rewards.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.
Be careful what you plant. It will grow tomorrow. What we plant will make it better or worse for those who come after. Rooted in the true vine, Jesus Christ, we will bear much good fruit. Jesus begins in the gospel today: “Do not let your hearts be troubled”. Let the truth of God’s gift help us each to grow, and we can look forward to that place prepared especially for us.