A Russian Parable

There once lived a woman who was selfish and mean her entire life. When she died she found herself in Hell. Her guardian angel sought to bring her up to Heaven by any means he could. He asked God if there was any way she might come to Heaven. God asked the angel if there was anything kind she had ever done. The angel replied that she had once given an onion to a poor peasant. God told the angel to visit her in Hell and hold out the onion to her. She was to grab hold of it and if she could keep hold of it the angel could carry her by the onion all the way to Heaven. The angel explained this to the woman and held out the onion to her. The woman grabbed hold and began to be pulled from the lake of fire. As she ascended people began to grab her legs and weigh her down. At once she yelled out at them, “let go, let go, I tell you, this onion in mine. Damn you all and let go, this onion is mine!” The very instant she said this the onion disappeared and the woman fell back into the lake of fire where she will remain for all time.

All of mankind been offered an onion (an escape from the separation from the Holy God that is the natural consequence of our sin); this onion was made available to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But unlike the woman we were not offered salvation because we had given an onion to another (we were not offered salvation because we have done some good deed that merited it), God offers salvation to us because God is good and merciful. Out of His goodness and mercy He made a Way for us out of the pit into which we had gotten ourselves.

Some of us have decided to take hold of the onion God has offered us; we have accepted His gift of salvation. Now that we have done this, what should our response be to those around us?

It is very easy to be like the woman and to want to hold unto this great gift we have been given. Those around us do weigh down on us and it is tempting to want to kick them away. And many have set up exclusive communities where they cloistered themselves off in such a way so as to be free from all that is of and all that are of this world. But the Lord told us we have been given the Light of the world. We are not to hide it, but rather to let it shine for all the earth to see.

It is messy living in this sinful world, but the one who has accepted the onion and really grasped the significance of it will be the first one to want to share their onion with everyone they meet—share it in such a way so that they too may grab hold of the onion offered them. But if one fails to really take hold of the onion offered them or if they fail to understand the importance of the onion, they will keep it only to themselves.

Our actions are determined by our beliefs. We must know the truth so that we may live rightly. The onion offered to us by God is not one of many ways offered out of our predicament, it is the only Way. The onion is offered now to all, but who knows how long the invitation to accept will last. We must live with a sense of urgency. We must live with a conviction that we have the Truth. And we must remember, that this Truth wasn’t given to us so that we may exclude, but rather so that we may draw others in and include them in the Glorious Work of God.