Mr. And Mrs. ...

"Mr. and Mrs. Thing"

John MacArthur, in his book titled Overcoming Materialism, offers this analysis:

Mr. and Mrs. Thing are a very pleasant and successful couple. At least, that’s the verdict of most people, who tend to measure success with a “thingometer.” And when the “thingometer” is put to work in the life of Mr. and Mrs. Thing, the result is startling.

There he is, sitting down on a luxurious and very expensive thing, almost hidden by the large number of [other] things. . . . Things to sit on, things to sit at, things to cook on, things to eat from, all shining and new. Things, things, things.

Things to clean with, things to wash with, things to clean, and things to wash. Things to amuse, things to give pleasure, things to watch, and things to play. Things for the long, hot summers, things for the short, cold winters. Things for the big thing in which they live, things for the garden, things for the lounge, things for the kitchen, and things for the bedroom. Things on four wheels, things on two wheels, things to put on top of the four wheels, things to pull behind the four wheels, things to add to the interior of the thing on four wheels. . . .

Well, Mr. Thing, I’ve got some bad news for you. What’s that? You can’t hear me? The things are in the way? . . . But then, that’s the problem with things. Look at that thing standing outside your house. Whatever its value to the secondhand thingdealer, it means a lot to you. But then, an error in judgment, a temporary loss of concentration, and that thing can be a mass of mangled metal being towed off to the junkyard.

In spite of how silly this sounds, we are basically committed to acquiring things.

Sadly, the people in Jesus’ day were not that different from us. They were also basically committed to acquiring things. They had their hearts set on investing in themselves.

From a sermon by Freddy Fritz, Wholehearted Contribution, 11/24/2009