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The pencil parable

“I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me.”- Luke 3:3

I would like to share with you a parable I received through the e-mail from a friend in the US. It is entitled, The Pencil Parable”. It says,

In the beginning, the Pencil Maker spoke to the pencil saying, “There are five things you need to know before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and you will become the best pencil you can be.”

First: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone’s hand.

Second: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but this is required if you are to become a better pencil.

Third: You have the ability to correct any mistake you might make.

Fourth: The most important part of you will always be what is inside.

And fifth: No matter what the condition might be, you must continue to write. You must always leave a clear, legible mark no matter how difficult the situation might be.

The pencil understood what was said, promising to remember it always, and went into the box, fully understanding its Maker’s purpose.

Now, I would like to reflect on this parable in the light of the Biblical story found in John 15:1-17. First of all, I would say that we are like the pencil made by the Pencil Maker. God created us and called us with a purpose. In the Biblical story, Jesus said to his disciples, “You did not choose me; I chose and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures”(v.16).

And so, as we live our lives and fulfill our calling, there are at least five things that we must remember always so that we would be good, faithful and fruitful servants of the Living God.

Firstly, always remember that we will be able to do many great things in life, but only if we allow ourselves to be held in God’s hands.

The pencil could make great masterpieces of art, only if it allows itself to be held in the hands of the artist.

In our Biblical story, Jesus said to his disciples, “I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me”(v.5). It is important to note that the word “remain” or “abide” in other translations, is repeated at least ten times in our Biblical story. This would underscore the importance of remaining in Christ in order to become good and faithful servants of the Living God.

The great missionary to the Gentiles, Apostle Paul, recognized the importance of being held in God’s hands. Throughout his missionary journeys, he experienced all sorts of sufferings and persecutions. Yet, he realized that he had nothing to boast, other than what God through Christ Jesus had done in his life (2 Cor.10:17). In his letter to the Philippians, he said: “I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me”(Phil.4:13).

Truly, the strength in the Christian ministry is not in our hands; it is in the hands of the Living God, who has called us to be His good, faithful and fruitful servants, and has promised to be with us till the end of the age (Mt.28:20).

Secondly, always remember that we’ll surely experience a painful sharpening from time to time by going through various trials, problems and difficulties in the ministry, but we need all these to become a stronger person.

The pencil could not write nor draw beautiful pictures without being sharpened from time to time.

Certainly, the Christian ministry is never a bed of roses. For at the very center of it is the cross of Christ. In our Biblical story, Jesus said to his disciples, “I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener. He breaks off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch that does not bear fruit, so that it will be clean and bear more fruit”(vs.1-2).

In another occasion, Jesus also said to his disciples, “If any of you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me. For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it” (Mt. 16:24-25).

Thirdly, always remember that we’ll be able to correct mistakes we might make or even grow through them.

The pencil has its own eraser. The Pencil Maker has to place eraser in every pencil, because he knows that mistakes may be committed along the way.

Our Biblical story was originally addressed to the Johannine Community. It was not a perfect Christian community. They had their own weaknesses and limitations. Their unity as a community had been marred by misunderstandings and dissentions. As a matter of fact, the church later on was divided between those who remained and those who left the fellowship of the church. That’s why Jesus said in our Biblical story, “My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you” (v.12).

Indeed, it is love that redeems a redeeming community. It is love that makes us transcend our human limitations and make us learn from our mistakes and grow through them.

Let the attitude of Apostle Paul be ours when he said to the Christians in Philippi, “I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect, I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself”(Phil.3:12).

Fourthly, always remember that the most important part of us will always be what is inside.

The pencil’s kernel is the most important part of the pencil, because that is the one used for writing.

In our Biblical story, Jesus said to his disciples, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love” (v.10). Our obedience to God’s command is the one that would leave an indelible mark in the lives of people whom we serve.

In another occasion, Jesus warned his disciples not to imitate the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, because they do not practice what they preach (Mt. 23:3). To the Scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said, “How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine in the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside. In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sins”(Mt.23:27-28).

For Jesus Christ our Lord, our obedience to God is not for a show; it must come out of a sincere and loving heart. Apostle Paul said, “I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned – but if I have no love, this does me no good”(I Cor.13:3)

And finally, always remember that on every surface we walk, we must leave our mark. No matter what the situation might be, we must continue to serve God in everything we do.

The pencil is made for writing, and it must continue to write in order to have meaning and purpose for its existence.

In our Biblical story, Jesus said to his disciples, “You did not choose me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures” (v. 16).

In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Apostle Paul also said, “I have no right to boast just because I preach the Gospel. After all, I am under orders to do so. And how terrible for me if I did not preach the Gospel!” (I Cor. 9:16).

In his Second Letter to Timothy, Apostle Paul said, “I solemnly urge you to preach the message, to insist upon proclaiming it (whether the time is right or not), to convince, reproach, and encourage, as you teach with all patience”(2 Tim.4:1-2).

In my own experience in the Christian ministry, when God calls a person, he will also provide the resources needed to fulfill that calling. What we only need to do is to be faithful to him and to be diligent in our work.

When we started our Seminary in Baguio in 1996, we didn’t have any resources at all, not even a place to hold our classes. What we only had was a calling and a vision from God for his church. For almost a year we have no support at all. Yet, we together with our students did not starved. We shared our vision for the church with our friends and partner churches here and abroad. And by the end of the year, we already had more than enough to run a seminary.

Indeed, God has always a way of providing for our needs as we remain faithful to him. #

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