What Can You See?

What Can You See?
Dr. John E. Morgan
Dr. John E. Morgan, Pastor-Collinsville Baptist Church

By Dr. John E. Morgan

Pastor–Collinsville Baptist Church

You’re going to see lots of pictures in the paper next week of adults reading stories to little children.  They will have on silly hats or other costume items.  Wednesday is Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

It would be fun to read one of his stories to children, but I would have a lot of trouble choosing just one.  I once led an entire youth retreat based on Seuss stories.  My children had Seuss books even if they only had peanut butter for supper.  Which one to choose?

Today I am thinking about Yertle the Turtle.  I always liked that one a lot.  Since some of you are too mature for Seuss (how sad for you), I will tell Yertle’s story.

Yertle the Turtle was the king of the turtles in a small pond.  It was a very nice pond, and all the turtles were quite happy.  Yertle ruled from his throne, a rock on the side of the pond.  He proclaimed that he ruled all that he could see.

One day, Yertle decided that his kingdom was too small.  He needed to be higher to see further so he could be ruler of more.  His solution – he had nine turtles form a pile with him on top.  On the bottom was a simple turtle named Mack.

Yertle was quite happy.  He could see a mile.  His theme – “I’m Yertle the Turtle!  Oh, marvelous me!  For I am the ruler of all that I see!”  He could see a cow and a house that he now felt that he ruled.

What Can You See?Except for poor Mack’s sighs, all was well until noon.  When Yertle ordered 200 more turtles to make his throne higher.  He could now see forty miles.  Oh, how marvelous for him.  He proclaimed that there was nothing higher than him.  Down below, Mack proclaimed that all the turtles were hungry, starving.  And their shells were cracking.

Yertle saw the moon.  How dare it be higher than him.  He ordered 5,000 turtles over.  And then little Mack burped.  And the throne of King Yertle collapsed.  He fell into the pond.  He was now King of the Mud only.  “And the turtles, of course…all the turtles are free.  As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.”

I hope that you will think about Yertle next Wednesday when you see lots of Cat in the Hat hats on people reading to children.  And I hope you will think about Yertle on Tuesday when you go to vote.  There will be some people on the ballot who are a lot like Yertle.  Who are willing to ignore or use the Macks of the world – regular people who are hungry, tired and sore from carrying too much around on their backs.  Do any of the candidates for president remind you of Yertle?  Don’t vote for them.

There were lots of Yertles in the world of Jesus.  Caesar far away in Rome.  Herods in Israel.  And, yes, religious leaders who worried more about power than the people.  More about power than about God.  They didn’t mind standing on the backs of the Macks of their world.

Jesus told people to deny themselves.  To lead by serving others.  And then he showed us how by giving all of himself as he died on the cross.  Paul would say, “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves…the same as that of Christ Jesus…who humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name…that Jesus Christ is Lord.”  Philippians 2:3-11

Don’t vote for Yertle.  And don’t be Yertle.  Yertle always ends in the mud.  You follow Jesus instead.  And bring Mack with you.