Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, all the King’s horses and all the King’s men could not put Humpty Dumpty together again!
There is more than a nursery rhyme there. It is a parable of life, its injuries and the failure of human effort alone. This is an EGGsample of Folly.
I see a parallel to it in the experience of the Apostle Peter. We read in John’s gospel, “When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.’ The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, ‘Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.’ He, leaning back thus on Jesus' bosom, said to Him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.’ So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.’ Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, ‘Buy the things we have need of for the feast’; or else, that he should give something to the poor. So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night. Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ‘By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.’ Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, where are You going?’ Jesus answered, ‘Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.’ Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.’ Jesus answered, ‘Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.’” John 13:21-38 (NASB).
In a way, Peter was on a wall; one of his own making; the wall he erected was the wall of prideful self-confidence from which he viewed the 11 as less committed than he. He, too, was an EGGsample of folly.
He boasted, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” Matthew adds this detail, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, “I will strike down the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.” But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’ But Peter said to Him, ‘Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.’ Matthew 26:31-33 (NASB).
But, what, egg-zactly, do we learn from this Scripture and poem?
I. HUMPTY DUMPTY SAT ON A WALL:
A. Likewise, there sat Peter on the wall of proud self-confidence, feeling superior to the other 11 in commitment and courage. Like Peter, Humpty Dumpty also sat on the wall. The wall, of course, was not the wall of a room, but a garden wall, or rock fence. But, why was he on the wall in the first place? What did he hope to accomplish?
1. Was he merely showing off?
2. Was he bravely trying to overcome the fear of heights?
3. Was he paying for a lost bet?
4. Was he taking a dare?
5. Was he trying to get out of reach of people?
6. Was he seeking a loftier view than from ground level?
B. We may never have answers to those questions, nor do we need them. But we certainly can learn something from the fictitious event.
1. Sometimes we, too, sit on a wall.
a. The wall might be a barrier we erect between us and another person. We sit on that wall to keep them from breaching it. People build too many walls and not enough gates! But God is a wall breaker. “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups [Jews and Gentiles] into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, Ephesians 2:14 (NASB)
b. The wall might be fear that someone might get in and take what we have so we sit upon it to keep them out.
c. The wall might be pride which we think sets us above those others and we sit on it smugly looking down on them.
d. The wall might be our effort to escape from life and the world around us.
2. But when we sit on a wall, we become passive observers rather than active participants in life.
C. Sitting atop a wall is a poor way to deal with life, difficulties, fears and other people.
D. Let’s not be wall sitters.
1. Let’s be includers, not excluders. As the poem suggests,
“He built a wall to shut me out.
‘You keep away!’ I could hear him shout!
But God and I made a way to win:
We opened a gate and took him in.”
2. Let’s be generous and open rather than grasping and suspicious.
3. Let’s not elevate ourselves pridefully above others to look down upon them, as being inferior.
4. Let’s be participants in life, not merely observers from atop a wall.
E. Well, Humpty Dumpty sat on that wall probably feeling safe and secure. How like him was Union General John Sedgwick. During the Battle of the Wilderness in the Civil War, he was inspecting his troops. At one point he came to a low wall, over which he gazed out in the direction of the enemy. His officers suggested that this was unwise and perhaps he ought to duck while passing the parapet. "Nonsense," snapped the general. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist--." A moment later Sedgwick fell to the ground, fatally wounded. However secure we feel sitting on top of our wall, “let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NASB).
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall and:
II. HUMPTY DUMPTY HAD A GREAT FALL:
A. The fall was great in the sense of having a horrible result, or a life-changing impact.
1. Eggs don’t ordinarily survive being dropped.
2. You’ve probably dropped a cackle-berry now and then in your cooking. You know the mess it makes, and as you wipe it up, you find that the yolk is on you.
B. One might give consideration to the question, “Why did he fall?”
1. Did he get careless and lose his sense of balance and just topple over?
2. Did he get hit with a rock someone threw?
3. Did he go to sleep?
4. Did he try to show off by some daring action?
C. Peter was on the wall of pride and boastful self-confidence. But Jesus had warned him that all of the disciples would fall away, and that he himself would deny Jesus three times.
1. Of course, Peter denied that, thinking himself sufficient to the challenge.
2. We know that just as Jesus predicted, Peter did deny Him and even with an oath.
3. Whoa!" Relying on himself, Peter fell.
D. It's inevitable:
1. Pride always goes before a fall.
2. Those who elevate themselves will be humbled.
3. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
4. Listen to what the Bible says about falling:
a. "People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall." Proverbs 10:9 (NLT).
b. "The godly are directed by their honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin." Proverbs 11:5 (NLT).
c. "Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring." Proverbs 11:28 (NLT).
d. "Those who lead the upright into sin will fall into their own trap, but the honest will inherit good things." Proverbs 28:10 (NLT).
e. "Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble." Proverbs 28:14 (NIV).
f. "He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall." Proverbs 28:18 (NIV).
g. "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NASB)
E. I remember when I was about 6 years old falling off an inner tube while floating in Berkley Lake near Arvada, Colorado. As I descended into the deep, I could see the bubbles floating upward. It seemed to me that the descent would never end and that I would die. All my puny efforts to swim to the surface were just flailing of arms and legs, getting me nowhere. Suddenly, I found myself being lifted to fresh air. Dad had been keeping an eye on me and though l had fallen and could not save myself – Dad saved me.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall; Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and
III. ALL THE KING’S HORSES AND ALL THE KING’S MEN COULDN’T PUT HUMPTY TOGETHER AGAIN:
A. There was no 9-1-1 but was there no medic amongst them? Could they not call for a L’eggs container to scoop him into? Could they not call Henny Penny? Well, before we scoff we ought to consider,
1. “How well would I do putting a splint or cast or bandage on a broken egg?”
2. “How well would I stitch up an egg white?”
3. “How well would I put each piece of shell back into its proper place?”
4. “How well would I do CPR on an egg?”
B. The failure of all the King’s horses and men represents the futility of human efforts to save the fallen and heal the broken.
C. You see, that's how it is:
1. Sinful man cannot save sinful man.
2. Mere human efforts to lift the fallen are doomed to failure.
a. We, who are fallen and broken, are far beyond human remedy.
b. We, who are fallen and broken ourselves, in our own efforts cannot heal ourselves nor other broken people.
3. “Truly, no man may get back his soul for a price, or give to God the payment for himself; Because it takes a great price to keep his soul from death, and man is not able to give it.” Psalm 49:7-8 (BBE).
D. Yet there is hope for the fallen and healing for the broken became Jesus is able to give it. For, when Jesus comes to the rescue, no matter how severe the fall, no matter how great the damage, He can take care of all of it!
E. On New Year's Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played University of California in the Rose Bowl. In that game a man named Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for California. Somehow, he became confused and started running 65 yards in the wrong direction. One of his teammates, Benny Lom, outdistanced him and downed him just before he scored for the opposing team. When California attempted to punt, Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety which was the ultimate margin of victory.
That play came in the first half, and everyone was asking: "What will Coach Price do with Roy Riegels in the second half?" The men filed off the field and went into the dressing room. They sat down on the benches and on the floor, all but Riegels. He put his blanket around his shoulders, sat down in a corner, put his face in his hands, and sobbed. Coach Price was quiet. He was trying to decide what to do with Riegels.
Coach Price looked at the team and said simply, "Men the same team that played the first half will start the second." The players got up and started out, all but Riegels. He did not budge. the coach looked back and called to him again; still he didn't move. Coach Price went over to where Riegels sat and said, "Roy, didn't you hear me? The same team that played the first half will start the second."
Then Roy Riegels looked up and his cheeks were wet with a strong man's tears. "Coach," he said, "I can't do it to save my life. I've ruined you, I've ruined the University of California, I've ruined myself. I couldn't face that crowd in the stadium to save my life."
Then Coach Price reached out and put his hand on Riegel's shoulder and said to him: "Roy, get up and go on back; the game is only half over." And Roy Riegels went back, and the crowd had never seen a man play football as Roy Riegels played that second half.
Like Roy, Peter, who had fallen badly when he denied Jesus, was restored. In John’s Gospel we read, after His resurrection, Jesus met with His disciples. “So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My lambs.’ He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Shepherd My sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’” John 21:15-17 (NASB). Peter fell from the wall of pride, but the King Himself lifted and restored him.
In this silly little poem, we have a snapshot of our fallen and broken human condition; we see ourselves sitting on some wall and falling and breaking. And we see also the futility of human efforts to fix us.
You can turn to all king's horses and all the king's men if you choose to, but they will never be able to put you back together again. The cure for brokeness isn't our greatest work or most heroic effort. It is surrender by faith to Him who is able to save us EGGactly as we are.
And when we do, we will discover that, even when all others give up on us as hopeless, He, to Whom no one is too damaged, can take us broken eggs and make an omelette.
