Saturday, May 06, 2006

Parable of the Monkey and the Fish

I love this little parable.

A typhoon had temporarily stranded a monkey on an island. In a secure, protected place on the shore, while waiting for the raging waters to recede, he spotted a fish swimming against the current. It seemed obvious to the monkey that the fish was struggling and in need of assistance. Being of kind heart, the monkey resolved to help the fish.

A tree precariously dangled over the spot where the fish seemed to be struggling. At considerable risk to himself, the monkey moved far out on a limb, reached down and snatched the fish from the threatening waters. Immediately scurrying back to the safety of his shelter, he carefully laid the fish on dry ground. For a few moments the fish showed excitement, but soon settled into a peaceful rest.

Joy and satisfaction swelled inside the monkey. He had successfully helped another creature.

--Duane Elmer, in "Cross-Cultural Servanthood"

5 comments:

friend said...

That's a good one. I never heard it before.

Anonymous said...

Hi, or should I say, ciao! I'm sorry to hear about all your health problems, I had no idea you were going through all that.

How was your experience in Japan?

Anonymous said...

so i've been sitting here, trying to make sense of this parable, and i think i got it. the fish was immersed and now it is SAVED!

okay, so that may not be the point, but it is a wonderful parable all the same.

Anonymous said...

No, he wasn't saved, he can't live out of water. Silly monkey thought he was helping, but he killed the little fishy.It's a good story for missionaries because not knowing the culture, sometimes terrible blunders can be made that hurt more than help. And that's my two cents...

Anonymous said...

NICE ONE BUT CAN YOU PLS EXPLAIN WHAT U WANT ME TO LEARN FROM THE PARABLE. MY MAIL ADDY IS ajayijohnson68@yahoo.com.