The Gospel According to Once Upon a Time
#1 – The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Pigs
Matthew 7:24-27 and 1 Corinthians 3:10-13
By John Gill ~ July 7, 2024

“Daddy, would you please read me a story?” Back when we had three little ones at our house, hardly a night would go by that one of our children didn't ask me that question. And, just this week, our grandson, Arthur, asked me that question!

We all love a good story. Whether it's a sweet romance novel or a TV sitcom, a hit movie or a Broadway musical, everyone loves a good story.

Jesus must have known that, because whenever he wanted to teach the folks around him something really important, most often Jesus would say, “let me tell you a story… ‘Once Upon a time…"

Once upon a time

-there was a farmer who went out to sow seeds, or

-there was this man who had two sons, or

-once a man was traveling along the Jericho Road, or

-there was this king who was giving a great banquet…

and with great skill Jesus would mesmerize his audience, and before they knew it, he had taught them a great eternal truth.. using the simplest little story.

We call those teaching stories “parables,” and nobody told parables better than Jesus. I love the parables because I've always loved a good story. But, as I have now become a grandfather, I am re-familiarizing myself with the classic children's stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. I've been struck by just how many of them are really little parables, and that, if we listen closely, we can also learn eternal truths from the simplest of stories of our childhoods.

When I came to Tomoka the first time in 2002, I first stumbled upon this idea, since we had small children at that time. In 2003, unbelievably now 21 years ago, I preached a series of sermons similar to this on the theme of “Once Upon a Time.” Now that I am a grandfather, I thought it would be fun to revisit that series and see what biblical truths lie hidden in the stories of our childhood.

[By the way, when I announced this series, I assumed that no one here would remember this series now 21 years ago since so many of you are new to the church. But Inge Kuring pointed out that I had preached a series like that before! I'm flattered that Inge remembered. Preachers sometimes wonder if anybody's paying attention when we preach!]

Anyway, as I was considering this series again and was reflecting on the scriptures, I came across the two texts read a moment ago. They remind me of a familiar story we all learned at our mother's knee. I call it, “The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Pigs.” You may know it better as “The Three Little Pigs.”

Video 1 – end at 2.26 (before we see the wolf) https://www.google.com/search?q=three+little+pigs+video+disne&sca_esv=25c9fa5c60f43d7f&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWII_7AJrQyXz-50Aqq0NiVFz0Re7dQ%3A1719339945812&ei=qQt7ZsmiMdjLkPIP8eKcqAI&ved=0ahUKEwiJm9-1sPeGAxXYJUQIHXExByUQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=three+little+pigs+video+disne&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiHXRocmVlIGxpdHRsZSBwaWdzIHZpZGVvIGRpc25lMgUQLhiABDIGEAAYFhgeMgsQABiABBiGAxiKBTILEAAYgAQYhgMYigUyCBAAGKIEGIkFMiYQLhiABBiXBRjcBBjeBBjgBBj0AxjxAxj1Axj2Axj3Axj4A9gBAUiBE1DQB1jMD3ABeAGQAQCYAYsBoAHuBaoBAzAuNrgBA8gBAPgBAZgCB6ACugbCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgINEAAYgAQYsAMYQxiKBcICBRAAGIAEwgIIEAAYgAQYogTCAiYQLhiABBiXBRjcBBjeBBjgBBj0AxjxAxj1Axj2Axj3Axj4A9gBAZgDAIgGAZAGCroGBggBEAEYFJIHAzEuNqAH0mY&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:847dfa2f,vid:leAh00n3hno,st:0

Everyone is familiar with the story - but just in case you had a deprived childhood, here it is in a nutshell:

“Once Upon a time” … there were Three Little Pigs. And they wanted to leave home and get out on their own. So, they set out to build houses to live in. The first little pig built a beautiful house out of straw. The second, out of sticks. But the third little pig built his house out of bricks. They all seemed to live happily enough, until one day, a big bad wolf came to call. And this wolf was very hungry! So, he first went to the house made out of straw, and he cried, “Little pig little pig, let me come in!” And the pig called out, “Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin.” “Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down!” And so he did. And he ate the poor little pig.

Next, he came to the house of sticks, and he cried, “Little pig, little pig, let me come in!” And the second pig called out, “Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin.” “Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down!” And so he did. And he ate that poor little pig, too.

Finally, he came to the House of brick. And he huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, -- but no matter how hard he tried, the House of brick remained standing. And that little pig was saved.

When we think about this classic children's tale, it causes us to wonder whether it might not have its origins in the little parable of Jesus we read a few moments ago… “A wise man built his house on the rock. The winds blew hard against that house. But it did not fall.”

As I was reflecting on these two very similar stories, I've discovered several things that each can teach us this morning:

The first truth both stories remind us of is that everyone builds a house – the house that we call “our life.”

Every person in this room has built, is in the process of building, or will build their “house” - this life. Like the pigs in our story or the men in Jesus’ parable, some of us have been wise in how we've gone about that task, while others of us have been foolish.

In Beachy Head, England, many of the houses in that coastal village have stood for centuries. The exteriors of those houses have remained unchanged, while generations of dwellers have modernized the interiors. It is a picturesque little village. But a visitor to that town noticed that there were some places where there were conspicuous gaps between the ancient homes. It seems that, originally in those places, there once stood houses that looked like all the rest on the outside, but they were built on unstable foundations, and they had collapsed.

The truth is that, to look at our lives, it is often hard to tell whose lives are well-constructed and on solid foundations, and whose are at risk of collapse. But one way or another, you are building your life right now - either on solid, or shaky, foundations. Both of our stories make that point very clearly.

The second truth we find in both stories is that every house will be tested to see what it is made of.

In our scripture from First Corinthians, Paul put it this way, “Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.”

You see, on that day of testing, you will find out if the ‘house of your life” that you have so carefully constructed was built wisely or foolishly.

Do you remember Hurricane Andrew? When Hurricane Andrew blasted into South Florida in August of 1992, we saw a powerful illustration of this truth. Were any of you living in South Florida and experienced the fury of that storm first hand? Or, perhaps you traveled through that area right after the storm hit?

I didn’t go down there, but I was amazed by the pictures I saw:-- similar to the images we have seen of Hurricane Beryl – total destruction! We saw expensive beach houses collapsed into the ocean and even far inland, miles and miles of homes blown right off their foundations.

But, you know what? Amazingly, some houses in South Florida survived. And, do you know which houses were left standing when all those around them were flattened? Those that were built --- by Habitat for Humanity! Those homes were built with love and care, and they weathered the storm well. In fact, the methods used by Habitat for Humanity have become the gold-standard in building codes in all hurricane-prone areas! This image is a Habitat home that survived Hurricane Michael unscathed.

Why were so many homes destroyed while others survived? Well, two reasons - the same two reasons many lives are destroyed. And we can learn these profound lessons also from our two stories this morning.

First, many houses failed because they were built on sandy foundations, --- and so do many of our lives fail for that same reason. What kinds of things have we depended on to give our lives meaning? What kinds of weak and sandy foundations are we counting on to see us through the stormy trials of life?

There are some of us who build our lives on a desire for social status. We want our friends to like us and our peers to respect us. We strive to look a certain way, dress in the latest styles, live in the right neighborhood, and drive a nice car so that others will look up to us. You know, I think people of all ages are guilty of this. This desire for status applies as much to eight-year olds as to 80 year olds. We hope that we can depend on our social status to see us through the tough times. But - you know what folly that is! The world is full of social climbers whose lives have collapsed around them.

Others fail because they base their lives on their careers. They build their lives around what they do to the exclusion of their relationship with their families or their relationship with God. Their main concern is getting ahead, in being successful.

But what happens if you lose your job for some reason? What happens if you are disabled or become ill? What happens when you retire from your career? Truly, if you build your life on your career alone, as many people do, you're a fool, because you can't depend on your career to be there for you when the hard times come.

Another mistake people make in building the House of their lives is to use relationships as their foundation. Now, don't get me wrong. Relationships are essential to life. But often, we depend too much on our relationships to give our lives a sense of purpose and identity. I think this is often true of women. Many women see themselves only as their husband's wife. They have wrapped up their very identity with that of their husband.

People who try to base their life exclusively on a relationship are building on awfully shaky ground! Human relationships are not dependable to build your life upon. What happens to your world if you built your life on your relationship with your spouse and you become divorced, or your spouse passes away? Then where is the foundation that will hold the house of your life up?

I mention these examples of what I consider to be some of the faulty foundations I've observed in others and in myself, and there are countless more. But they all have the same qualities. Like those houses built too close to the coastline, they are all sandy foundations that are unpredictable and undependable. And if we try to build our lives on them, then we are fools.

Jesus warns us in his parable to be careful what we use as the foundation of our lives. Yet, most people seem not to be too concerned and then are surprised when their lives begin to crumble around them. Yes, it is important to build on a solid foundation.

The other reason houses in South Florida were destroyed we find illustrated in our other parable - the one about the wise and foolish pigs - and that is shoddy construction. Many investigations proved that shoddy construction caused most of the devastation in Hurricane Andrew. Thankfully one of the legacies of Andrew was a complete upgrade of our building codes all across our state. In fact, just two weeks ago, as Terri and I are in the process of changing homeowners insurance companies, we had to have a Wind Mitigation Inspection to make sure our roof was well-constructed for Florida hurricanes. Thankfully, it is.)

But back in the late 20th century, in Florida’s attempt to keep up with the booming growth, houses in South Florida were carelessly and sloppily constructed - thrown together hastily with no thought of the monster storm that was certain to strike one day.

And, doesn't that describe the way many people build their lives? They throw them together carelessly. They just can't be bothered with spiritual things.

I'm afraid that most of us are like the bomber pilot during World War 2 who's assignment was in the South Pacific. Shortly after he arrived at his base, he was sent to a class in jungle survival. He later confessed to a friend, “I slept through those classes. I'd never have to land a plane in the jungle! I was too good at flying to have to do that!” But one night, as he is returning home from the mission, his plane was shot to pieces. The only place he could find to land was a small island 200 miles from his base.

The plane came to a halt. The pilot looked back and saw that his crew had been badly injured in the crash. “Then I realized,” the pilot later told a friend, “that I knew absolutely nothing about living in the jungle. How foolish I had been. I had the chance to learn how to live, but I slept through the classes.”

Too many of us have been sleeping through the classes that prepare us for life, and therefore we won't be prepared when we are tested. We haven't done our spiritual homework. We haven't made our house ready to meet the challenges to come.

My friends, what kind of workmanship have you put into building your life? What types of materials have you used? Have you been more like the wise pig, or the foolish pigs? How prepared are you to face “the big bad wolf” when he comes to call?

The answer, as always, we find in scripture. Jesus, and his little parable of the wise and foolish builders, reminds us that there is only one foundation strong enough to build a life upon - and that is Jesus himself. Jesus is the solid rock - the Rock of Ages. It is only on Jesus that you and I can build our lives with confidence, knowing that, in his strength, we can withstand any attack, or whether any storm.

I once knew a very wise man- he was the father of my best friend in college. Mr. McLellan's life was battered by one of the fiercest storms there is - he was dying of cancer. But he was a man who had built the House of his life out of brick, and anchored it on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Sure, he was scared of dying, but he was able to face his future with the confidence and hope in the resurrection.

His pastor, Anne Godbold, was so impressed by how strong Mr. McLellan’s faith was, that she was moved to go out and find a big rock. She brought it into his sick-room and placed it on a table – as a visual witness to the strength of his faith.

You see, Mr. McLellan had been a wise builder, building his life upon the Rock. And his house stood strong against the storm, -- even in the face of death.

In the Disney cartoon of the Three Little Pigs, the pigs dance a little jig and sing, “Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?”

One of the pigs was wise, and had no need to fear the wolf. But the other two… the other two were foolish.

Which little pig are you?

© 2024 by John B. Gill, III

Footnote:

1 Under the fair use doctrine of the U.S. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports. There are no legal rules permitting the use of a specific number of words, a certain number of musical notes, or percentage of a work. Whether a particular use qualifies as fair use depends on all the circumstances. See, Fair Use Index, and Circular 21, Reproductions of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians. https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html