WHY IS THERE AN ELEPHANT IN MY LIVING ROOM?
This morning I would like to tell you a story. It begins as does many stories with a very familiar phrase. Once upon a time on a fine spring day, a young mother sat through a very boring contract negotiation, while her son sat through a boring math lesson, and a bored baby elephant patiently allowed little children to stroke and caress her at a local petting zoo.
As the day lengthen the baby elephant broke loose from her restraints and escaped. Meanwhile, our young mother, Pat, broke free from her office and drove home from a long, hard, day at work. On this particular day she’d negotiated an important contract with a very important client. Indeed it had been a long day, longer than most for she was NOW three hours later than usual leaving the office. She was looking forward to getting home.
Earlier, when John, her seven year old son, broke free from school, he arrived home to find that his sitter was not there. Being very resourceful he found the spare key under the green porcelain frog in the front yard and let himself in the house. Like many seven year OLDS, or at least some seven year OLDS, John immediately began playing. Within half an hour the entire house was a mess.
Meanwhile, the baby elephant managed to elude capture and found herself in the back yard of our family where she sought refuge. She was no longer bored. She was simply hungry. At some point John happened to look into the back yard and see the elephant quietly eating the young tender leaves that arrive each spring on the dogwood trees in their back yard. I don’t know about you all but I would be quite excited to see a baby elephant in my back yard.
John certainly was excited. Being a very creative child, he went to the pantry to find some food that an elephant might like to eat. Scratching his head he looked at the various foods and decided to use crunchy Peter Pan Peanut Butter as bait.
Going to the double doors and throwing them wide open he approached the baby elephant. Getting within ten feet, he slowly began to drop spoonfuls of crunchy peanut butter on the ground in front of the elephant. The very hungry elephant would have eaten just about anything offered to her so eating peanut butter was O.K. by her.
John slowly walked back towards the house dropping the food as he went, trying to lure the baby elephant inside the house. As he dropped the last bits of peanut butter, the elephant entered the house. John quickly closed the doors. Next he began feeding vegetables to his new friend.
She ate very slowly, this baby elephant and she ate for quite a long time. It seemed to John that Christmas would arrive before the elephant was full, but at length she had enough to eat and found a spot to rest in the living room. As she lay down on the blue carpet, crushing a coffee table that Pat’s mother had given her, John momentarily thought that maybe this was not such a good idea. However, that thought left as his excitement grew.
Christmas morning has never been this exciting. As John’s mind raced he considered the wonderful possibilities of having an elephant as a pet. He could have his own circus, he thought.
At this point in our story Pat, his mother, turned off the highway on to the road that led to her home. Her only plans for the evening were to feed and bath John, put him to bed, and take a long hot soothing bubble bath.
As she pulled into the driveway she was alarmed because she did not see the babysitter’s car. As John heard his mother slam the car door he suddenly remembered that his mother had told him to never mess up the house. Recalling her instructions, he quickly ran outside, threw himself into his mother’s arms and pleaded with her, "please don’t get mad at me because the house is messy."
Pat was not in the mood to deal with a messy house, even so she tried to remain calm. However, entering the house, she realized that something else was more important than the mess. She knelt down to be on John’s level and said to him. "John, I really don’t care about the messy house. But please explain to me why there is an elephant in my living room?"
"Why is there an elephant in my living room?" This is probably not a question that we have ever asked. It is a rather unusual question. However It is similar to the RESPONSE Of Jesus TO THE QUESTION ASKED THIS MORNING.
v2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat." The scribes and pharisees want to know why the disciples don’t wash there hands before they eat.
All of our mothers would say that this is good advice. If I have heard it once I have heard it 1000 times, "Young Man, I told you to go wash your hands before dinner."
As far as my mother is concerned this is one of the most important rules in life. Doesn’t Jesus care about germs? Didn’t Mary teach him better than that? I SUSPECT THAT SHE DID.
Let’s listen again to Jesus’ answer. v3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ’Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ’Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say that whoever tells father or mother, ’Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,’ then that person need not honor the father. 6 So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: 8 ’This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’"
WHY IS THERE AN ELEPHANT IN MY LIVING ROOM? THE PHARISEES CONCERN IN THIS MORNING’S PASSAGE IS THAT JESUS’ DISCIPLES DON’T OBEY ALL THE LAWS OF MOSES.
WHY IS THERE AN ELEPHANT IN MY LIVING ROOM? JESUS’ RESPONSE TO THEIR QUESTION POINTS OUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE SYSTEM THAT THE PHARISEES SOUGHT TO PROTECT.
IT’S LIKE THE PERSON WHO HAS $10,000 DEBT ON THEIR CREDIT CARD IGNORING THAT AND BUYING A SONY PLAY STATION OR A NEW IMAC COMPUTER INSTEAD OF PAYING OFF THEIR DEBT.
THE PHARISEES WERE NOT KEEPING THEIR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT. THE PHARISEES ARE JUST LIKE THE CHILD IN OUR STORY THIS MORNING WHO IS MORE CONCERNED WITH THE MESSY ROOM THAN THE ELEPHANT SITTING IN THE LIVING ROOM.
HERE IS THE SON OF GOD HEALING PEOPLE, TEACHING ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND ALL THE PHARISEES ARE CONCERNED ABOUT IS SOME ARCHAIC RITUAL LAW THAT’S NOT BEING OBSERVED. ISN’T IT SAD THAT THEY CAN’T SEE THE ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM.
IS THERE AN ELEPHANT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM TODAY? IS THERE SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU ARE OVERLOOKING THAT IS ULTIMATELY MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE THINGS YOU GIVE YOUR ATTENTION TO? WHAT DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME DOING? WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES? WHAT GET’S YOUR ATTENTION? IS YOUR ATTENTION ON THE THINGS OF GOD OR OTHER THINGS?
WASHING YOUR HANDS BEFORE YOU EAT IS VERY IMPORTANT. IT KEEPS YOU FROM GETTING GERMS AND GETTING VERY SICK. HOWEVER, JESUS IS SAYING TO THE PHARISEES AND TO US THAT THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS IN THAN SIMPLY NOT GETTING GERMS. THIS PASSAGE TELLS US WHAT THINGS ARE MOST IMPORTANT. WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT? HOW WE TREAT OTHERS. HOW WE TREAT OUR FATHERS AND MOTHERS, OUR SISTERS AND BROTHERS, OUR EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYER. HOW WE TREAT THE GROCERY CLERK, THE MAN WHO FIXES OUR AUTOMOBILE, THE CABLE GUY, AND THE CLERK AT THE CHECKOUT COUNTER IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAT LET’S SAY IF WE ATTENDED THE MEN OF THE CHURCH BREAKFAST OR THE WOMEN OF THE CHURCH BIBLE STUDY.
PLEASE DON’T GET ME WRONG. LISTEN, THESE ARE GOOD AND IMPORTANT THINGS. I AM A PASTOR. I VALUE THESE THINGS. I ENJOY THEM AS MUCH AS ANYONE. BUT THEY ARE NOT THE BE ALL AND END ALL OF CHRISTIANITY.
SIMPLY ATTENDING CHURCH IS NOT THE BE ALL AND END OFF OF CHRISTIANITY. WHAT YOU DO AFTER YOU LEAVE THIS CHURCH IS THE BE ALL AND END ALL OF CHRISTIANITY. GOD WANTS MORE OUT OF YOU THAN SIMPLY GIVING ONE HOUR A WEEK OF YOUR TIME TO COME HEAR SOME LOUSY SERMON.
GOD WANTS MORE. GOD NEEDS MORE THAN YOUR PRESENCE ON SUNDAY MORNING. BEING HERE ON SUNDAY IS IMPORTANT JUST LIKE WASHING YOUR HANDS BEFORE YOU EAT IS IMPORTANT. HOWEVER, I THINK GOD EXPECTS US TO ALSO TREAT OUR FELLOW MAN AND WOMAN BETTER THAN WE TREAT OUR CATS, DOGS, AND HORSES. GOD EXPECTS US TO DEAL TRUTHFULLY WITH OTHERS. GOD DEMANDS US TO NOT LIE, CHEAT, STEAL, OR GOSSIP. GOD CALLS US TO VISIT THE SICK, THE POOR, THE LAME, AND THOSE IN PRISON.
JESUS TELLS THE STORY OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS. LISTEN TO THESE WORDS FROM SCRIPTURE. Matthew 25 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ’Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’Then the righteous will answer him, ’Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’And the king will answer them, ’Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ’You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ’Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ’Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
IS THERE AN ELEPHANT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM? CHRISTIAN FRIENDS, GOD CALLS US TO DO MORE THAN WASH OUR HANDS. GOD CALLS US TO MORE. WHAT IS GOD CALLING YOU TO DO? MAYBE GOD IS CALLING YOU TO BEING IN A BIBLE STUDY AT THE JAIL? MAYBE GOD IS CALLING YOU TO GIVE UP A HALF DAY A MONTH AND VISIT PEOPLE AT THE NURSING HOME. MAYBE GOD IS CALLING YOU TO SPEND A WEEK ON A MISSION TRIP SOMEWHERE. MAYBE GOD IS CALLING YOU TO GO A VISIT THAT SHUT IN.
IS THERE AN ELEPHANT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM?
GOD CALLS US ALL TO DIFFERENT THINGS. LISTEN FOR GOD’S VOICE AND LEADING. READ THE BIBLE. YES YOU CAN READ THE BIBLE SOME PLACE OTHER THAN THE CHURCH. READ AND FIND OUT WHAT GOD IS CALLING YOU TO DO.
I HOPE THAT EACH OF US CAN SEE THE ELEPHANTS IN OUR LIVING ROOMS. WHEN YOU SEE THE ELEPHANT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM. TAKE CARE OF IT. GET IT OUT. ONCE YOU HAVE DONE THAT YOU CAN THEN CLEAN UP THE MESS. BUT PLEASE GET THE ELEPHANT OUT OF THE HOUSE FIRST.
