The Ocean and the Bucket


"I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?" (Luke 19:22)

In the parable, three people receive minas: ten, five, and one. Two of them doubled what they were given, but the one who received only one said, "I knew you were a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow" (v. 21). The owner grew angry—not simply because of the money, but because of the servant's skewed knowledge of him. Where did this "knowledge" come from?

We only see what we are prepared to see. We tend to perceive others, and especially God, through the lens of our own character and the size of our own "vessel."

A.W. Tozer once spoke of us as buckets dipped into a vast, great ocean. While the bucket is submerged in an immeasurable volume of water, it can only contain a small amount. Yet, how often do we look at the tiny bit of seawater in our own bucket and act as if it represents the entire ocean? We explain, describe, and sometimes even dogmatically insist that our "bucket" is the whole truth. When I look back at how often I have done this, I feel deeply humbled.

The man with one mina viewed God through the narrow filter of his own experiences and standards. His knowledge of God was distorted, and ultimately, that false knowledge led to his ruin.

Who is my God? Is He truly the Self-Existent, Self-Sufficient, Eternal, and Infinite One? Is He the Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent Lord?

How big is my God? And how small is my bucket?

Lord, today I pray that by faith, I may see a God who is much greater than my own understanding.

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