Man’s Best Friend Is Not His Dog but His Truck

Ed, my neighbor next door, is determined that I should get a Ford pickup truck. He claims that since I’m preaching at the far ends of the province this winter, I need a truck or a dog sled. According to Ed, Neudorf, Springside, and Kamsack are all remote destinations in the winter. Mind you, Ed says that no one should leave Melville in the winter. He adds, “Get stuck and snowed in at home – don’t travel out of town for the aggravation you can get right here.”

I learned quickly that Ed cannot see any harm in trash talk. He wants me to buy a Ford, but he knows I’m a GM fan. As soon as, he saw my GM van when we moved next door to him, he told me right then that the only way to improve the appearance of a Chevy, is to park it between two Fords. He also had to inform me that GM stands for Glued Metal. I could have given back the trash talk that Ford stands for ‘Found On Road Dead,’ but I restrained myself. I did say to Ed that friends don’t let friends drive a Ford. This of course he totally ignored. Owning a pickup truck is the ultimate experience of life according to Ed, even if, a person isn’t smart enough to drive a Ford.

Ed is sure that a dog is considered man’s best friend only because not every man drives a pickup. If everyone drove pickup trucks, the dog would no longer be man’s best friend. Ruby, Ed’s wife, says she isn’t jealous of Ed’s affection for his truck or his dog, in fact, she often likes them best herself. She claims they can be a lot less trouble than Ed.

Trash talk can become common place between rivals in sports, but there is a danger it can cross over the line to mockery and ridicule. This happens most when someone is at a distinct disadvantage. People are quick to scoff at, criticize, mock and condemn those that appear as powerless prisoners. When Jesus was arrested, put on trial, and crucified everyone seemed get in on ridiculing him, and scoffing at him. His enemies scoffed at Jesus on the cross, “He saved others let him save himself if he is the Christ of God the Chosen One!” Even one of the two criminals, being crucified on a cross near Jesus, railed at Jesus saying, “Are you, not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

It is wise to hold our tongues when ‘trash talk’ is being leveled at another. The truth may seem to be obvious, but we tend to see only one side of a person or situation. Yes, Jesus did save others, but he could not come down off the cross to save himself. He was on the cross as a divine sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Thankfully, some recognized Jesus as being innocent. One of the criminals crucified with Jesus said, “This man has done nothing wrong. Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Jesus replied to him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

 

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