By Randall Toye
In 1957, a monastery in Thailand was being relocated and a group of monks was put in charge of moving a giant clay statue of Buddha. In the midst of the move, one of the monks noticed a crack in the figure, so the work was immediately halted before more damage occurred. That night, one of the monks went to check on the statue. He aimed his flashlight all over the figure, but suddenly notice a reflected gleam from the crack.
His curiosity aroused, he procured a hammer and chisel and began widening the split. As he knocked off piece after piece of clay, the statue grew brighter and brighter - and after hours of work the clay was all gone, and in its place stood a golden image of Buddha.
Many historians now believe that the original statue had been covered with a layer of clay by Thai monks several hundred years earlier, to hide its worth before an attack by the Burmese army. All of the monks present on that occasion died in the battle, and it was not until 1957 that its great value was discovered.
I see a similarity between that old statue and most modern Christians. Afraid we might be cast out by society or deserted by family and friends, we hide behind a shell that makes us look like average people. But Jesus called us to be different - and he told us that our difference should be easily seen by others. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven."
Source:
Pulpit Helps, Aug. 2003, p. 11.
In 1957, a monastery in Thailand was being relocated and a group of monks was put in charge of moving a giant clay statue of Buddha. In the midst of the move, one of the monks noticed a crack in the figure, so the work was immediately halted before more damage occurred. That night, one of the monks went to check on the statue. He aimed his flashlight all over the figure, but suddenly notice a reflected gleam from the crack.
His curiosity aroused, he procured a hammer and chisel and began widening the split. As he knocked off piece after piece of clay, the statue grew brighter and brighter - and after hours of work the clay was all gone, and in its place stood a golden image of Buddha.
Many historians now believe that the original statue had been covered with a layer of clay by Thai monks several hundred years earlier, to hide its worth before an attack by the Burmese army. All of the monks present on that occasion died in the battle, and it was not until 1957 that its great value was discovered.
I see a similarity between that old statue and most modern Christians. Afraid we might be cast out by society or deserted by family and friends, we hide behind a shell that makes us look like average people. But Jesus called us to be different - and he told us that our difference should be easily seen by others. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven."
Source:
Pulpit Helps, Aug. 2003, p. 11.
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