Is it That Obvious?

In a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago, a small business owner owed a large sum of money to a loan-shark. The loan-shark was a very old, unattractive looking guy that just so happened to fancy the business owner’s daughter.

He decided to offer the businessman a deal that would completely wipe out the debt he owed him. However, the catch was that we would only wipe out the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter.

Needless to say, this proposal was met with a look of disgust, but the daughter agreed.

The loan-shark said that he would place two pebbles into a bag, one white and one black.

The daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a pebble. If it was black, the debt would be wiped, but the loan-shark would then marry her. If it was white, the debt would also be wiped, but the daughter wouldn’t have to marry the loan-shark.

Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the businessman’s garden, the loan-shark bent over and picked up two pebbles.

The daughter noticed that he picked up two black pebbles and placed them both into the bag. He then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one.

The young lady had three choices:

1 - Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag.

2 - Take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the loan-shark for cheating.

3 - Pick a pebble from the bag fully well knowing it was black and sacrifice herself for her father’s freedom.

She drew out a pebble from the bag, and before looking at it ‘accidentally’ dropped it into the midst of the other pebbles. She said to the loan-shark, “Oh, how clumsy of me. Never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”

The pebble left in the bag is obviously black, and seeing as the loan-shark didn’t want to be exposed, he had to play along as if the pebble the daughter dropped was white and clear her father’s debt.

Moral of the story: It’s always possible to overcome a tough situation through out-of-the-box thinking, and not give in to the obvious options. - Author Unknown

This would be a problem for me.

I have a really hard time seeing the most obvious of solutions. I think the solution revealed in this story is brilliant…I’m just not sure I would have thought of it. I don’t think of the easy, little, simple, in-your-face, answers. They just aren’t there. I feel a bit stupid at times. Let me give you an example.

I have two cats, a brother and sister. When they were still quite small I fed them a good brand of wet cat food. They were small cans with pull tabs. As I began using these cans I would soon discover that several of the tabs would break off the lid before I could get the lid opened. I would set them aside (the seal was not broken).

Soon I was out of cat food and found myself wondering how I was going to get these open without demolishing the very small cans.

I grabbed a couple of cans and walked next door to my very helpful and sort of brainy neighbor and asked if he had any suggestions on how I could get these lids off.

He looked at the cans in my hands, looked at me and asked, “Have you tried using the can opener?”

I stared at him as I began to laugh, because, no, no, I had not tried using the can opener, nor had I even thought about using the “can” opener to open these cans. Turns out, it worked just fine.

I don’t think of the easy thing; the small thing; the obvious thing. It took my neighbor pointing out the obvious for me to see the obvious.

My sister is visiting from California. She is a math professor and as we were visiting last night, she mentioned that she likes to start each new quarter or class with a couple of riddles, as an ice breaker of sorts; get students thinking and interacting with each other.

I’ve written about riddles before, and they are a great way to engage the brain, until it hurts.

I read a meme that made me chuckle, only because it is so relatable to me at times. It read: “Ya know what I hate about the obvious? Missing it!”

You know what would be really bad? If we missed the obvious.

Paul tells us to look at what is obvious.

“For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ…Look at what is obvious…” 2 Corinthians 10:3-7 HCSB

Look at the obvious.

Paul went on to write:

“I don’t want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters. For it is said, “His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak, and his public speaking is despicable.” Such a person should consider this: What we are in the words of our letters when absent, we will be in actions when present.” 2 Corinthians 10:9-11 HCSB

What is Paul’s message in this chapter? Why does he write this letter?

“False apostles and other critics were challenging Paul's role as a true apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul tackles one of their arguments against him in this chapter. Their attack implies hypocrisy, cowardice, or both. Detractors say Paul was brave when he was away writing letters, but lacking confidence when face to face. Put even more bluntly, Paul quotes them as saying, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is of no account.”

“The gist of their accusation seems to be that a true apostle should be more impressive in person. Apparently, the false apostles vying for the hearts and minds of the Corinthians were accomplished and forceful speakers. They implied that the Corinthians could ignore Paul's strong letters because he would not be strong enough to back them up when he came in person.” (bibleref.com)

What would we do if Paul was preaching today? How would we receive him? It sounds like, at least to this group of people, that he is held in a bit of contempt. At the least there is little respect for him.

“Paul does not…deny that he is not impressive in person. Instead, he begins by pointing to the meekness and gentleness of Christ. In doing so, Paul suggests such traits should not be mistaken for weakness. Christ, after all, humbled himself to the point of death, but He was not weak. Along those lines, Paul begs the Corinthians not to make him show how bold and confident he can be in person when he next comes to visit them. He is prepared to be surprisingly brash with those who are accusing him of a lack of integrity (1 Corinthians 10:1–2)…(Source: bibleref.com)

He was not held in high regard. How would we respond today?

Paul was not going to engage in a popularity contest. His only mission, his only goal, was to lead others to Jesus. And it was obvious that he knew his place. He was a mission for God.

Do we know our place? Is our mission obvious?

Obvious: easily perceived or understood; clear, self-evident, or apparent.

This is obvious: …“he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.” 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 NKJV

by Jeanette Stark – Monday, March 27, 2023