Understanding human nature helps you separate people from their actions, and that helps you separate you from what happened to you.
Verse 7: Jesus said, “Blessed is the lion that the human will eat, so that the lion becomes human. And cursed, is the human that the lion will eat, and the lion will become human.”
Anyone who has spent time with animals knows that they feel emotion, the same as we do, but animals don’t; at least, as far as I know, they don’t think in the same way that we do; they act on instinct. The ability to think is both a blessing and a curse because thinking allows us to experience life, but it can also keep us weak and afraid.
I’ve written many times about what I call the mind’s process and how unresolved past hurts can interfere with the present. We tend to hold on to those past hurts because we think that in doing so, we are protecting ourselves from further pain, but what we’re actually doing is preventing ourselves from experiencing life.
A lion is said to be the king of all animals. They are strong and fearless. Lions aren’t preyed upon by any other animals—except humans—until they’re old and weak. That’s when hyenas and cheetahs are brave enough to take on a lion. Sometimes, other animals will try to steal a lion’s food. That doesn’t usually work out well for the would-be thief.
When we feel less than others, preyed upon, weak, and afraid, we dream about being strong and fearless. We always want what we think we don’t have, but what if we had everything we think we want? Every experience would be the same. It would be like eating at the same buffet every single meal, every single day. Eventually, that would get boring. Wouldn’t it?
Verse 8: And he said, “Humankind is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of little fish. Among them the wise fisherman discovered a fine large fish. He threw all the little fish back into the sea and with no difficulty chose the large fish. Whoever has ears to hear should hear.”
What are we to learn from verse 8? At first glance, I’d say Jesus was talking about abundance versus greed, but if I think about the verse in Matthew where Jesus comes across Simon and Peter and tells them to follow him for he will teach them how to be fishers of men, then this verse takes on a slightly different meaning.
When we think that others have more than we do, and we focus on what we think we are lacking in our lives - that could be anything from friends, lovers, material items, or money - that causes us to want more than recognize what we already have. That breeds greed. The idea behind being grateful for what we have is that being grateful brings you more, but there’s that pesky little catch of the truth behind the belief. If we only think we have everything we need as opposed to actually believing it, then we will either stay the same or gradually decline.
In the New Testament, in Matthew and in Luke, Jesus says: Wherever your treasure is, the desires of your heart will also be. In the first post of this series, I shared that the heart is the part of us that communicates with God and with all living things on this planet. It’s been scientifically proven by the researchers at the HeartMath Institute. It only took a couple of thousand years for science to catch up to the teachings of Jesus, but hey - better late than never!
In verse 6, Jesus warns us not to lie or to hate because God will know. He knows because we communicate with Him 24/7 through our hearts. If we believe we are without, lacking, and less than, then life will present itself to us in that way. If we believe that there is plenty for everyone and that we won’t be left out, then we won’t take more than we need.
Greed is balanced by the recognition of abundance. It is safe for us to throw back all those little fish and keep the bigger fish because the big fish will feed our family and maybe even a few neighbors. When we can recognize that we are always provided for, and have faith in that belief, we just might find that we dream a little less about all those things we think we’re lacking.
As for the fishers of men, well, that’s why I’m here writing!
I appreciate your thoughtful insights on this topic. When it comes to trauma, it’s such a delicate subject. I particularly like the following quote from your post
“If we believe we are without, lacking, and less than, then life will present itself to us in that way. If we believe that there is plenty for everyone and that we won’t be left out, then we won’t take more than we need.”
I think this is a much deeper prevailing truth than most of us realize. At first it can feel somewhat negative to think that we have such a profound role in our lives experience. But once we truly grasp the truth of it, it has the power to set us free!
Thank you for your encouraging us to see from the perspective of wholeness and abundance. Your words encouraged me today. Thank you.