Something More

Recently I visited Tarus Theological School in Kupang, Timor, an eastern island of Indonesia. Tarus Theological School has fifty-five students and is located outside the city. As you enter you see many chickens because the school runs a poultry farm and students also breed chickens for their personal income. When I met the students I began my lecture by asking them:

What do you see when you see chickens?

Student A: When I see chickens I see eggs. I can sell them and make money. (good

      businessman! We need this kind in our church).

Student B: When I see chickens I see God. God created chickens. He created them for us

       to eat. (A good theologian, and lover of “fried chicken.” Of course he must

      study the eaning of this great word ‘creation’)

Student C: When I see chickens I see a good family life. A hen impresses me always as a

      good mother who takes care of her chicks. (A good family man. He will

      practice family planning. He will make a good minister).

Student D: When I see chickens I see the difference between man and animal. A chicken

      doesn’t have understanding as I do. We are very superior to chickens. (A good

      philosopher).

I continued: Splendid. We have found out so many interesting things (interesting to us, not to chicken, I mean) from which we can begin our theological discussion.  We all see something more when we see a chicken. A chicken is not just a chicken. Rice is not just rice. The sun is not just the sun. Rain is not just rain. A house is not just a house. A water buffalo is not just a water buffalo. Everything has something more. When we see chickens and see only chickens, then our life is dry and uninteresting.  People do not come to us and listen to the message of Jesus Christ if we are ‘dry and uninteresting’ persons.

An interesting person means a person who always sees something more and is able to communicate something more to his neighbours.  You are now studying theology. Theology, it seems to me, requires the mind to see something more in the ordinary things.  Indeed, we must be able to see the power of  the Creator himself in a chicken, even though a few hours later it will become ‘fried chicken.’  Now if God so clothes the flowers of the field, which are alive today and burnt in the stove tomorrow…(Matthew 6:30). This is the way Jesus saw something more in the wild flowers.

Will it not change our life if we have more and more of this kind of mind? The mind which sees an extraordinary message in an ordinary thing. Wait! What is an ordinay thing? Is there such a thing as an ordinary thing? Name one. Isn’t everything amazingly extraordinary - for the ‘extraordinary God’  creates them and redeems them?

Student: Professor Small Mountain. We will look at chickens more carefully and eat them

  more carefully.

Right! Eat them carefully, taste them carefully.

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you are doing do all for the honour of God!! (I Cor 10:31).