As a parent, a female Cuckoo is either very lazy or awfully smart. Perhaps a bit of both! Instead of worrying about the responsibility of raising offspring she sneakily passes it on to some other hardworking bird. She hunts down a newly built nest, lays her egg and then flies off into the sunset, leaving the nest's owner to deal with the surprise new addition.
The egg hatches faster than others, so by the time the rightful occupants break free of their shells they are confronted by a very scary looking 'sibling' who is loud, strong and downright mean. This fat fledgling takes the crème de la crème of its foster parent's food labours, leaving only crumbs for the other weakening residents. In most cases it is the only one to survive.
We see in this fat fledgling a clear example of survival of the fittest: It's louder, so it gets more attention. It's stronger, so others are easily brushed aside. It uses every advantage it's been given to dominate the nest and be king of the hill.
When it comes to the principle that you have to look out for yourself first, because no one else will, I guess we should give the fledgling a gold star. It's strong, healthy and well on its way to becoming a fine Cuckoo.
However, look at the consequences. You have a home broken into, a parent's labour poured into raising an imposter; its own offspring wasted and rejected, destined to decompose under the shade of what could have been. It's an ugly and disgusting picture.
An upside down kingdom
The kingdom of God doesn't work on the principle that you look out for yourself. It goes so far as to suggest we should rescind our right to even what is lawfully and justly ours. At the heart of the gospel is a King who descended from his throne to become a servant, the lowest of the low.
Matthew chapter 20, verse 28—'The son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
Jesus didn't claim his rights as a King, He didn't ask for royal treatment or red carpet service. He walked alongside his disciples in the dust of the road. He stayed up late into the night healing the sick. He had compassion on the poor, dirtied himself with the tears of the grieving and said welcome to those shunned by others, taking pity on the detestable. He soiled his knees washing the feet of his own disciples.
Finally, he went all the way to the Cross, dying the cruellest of deaths reserved for the basest of criminals. Jesus was the fittest and greatest man ever to live, yet he gave his life away so that the most wretched and downtrodden of humanity could have the chance to rise out of their muck and be adopted as children of God. Now that is a beautiful picture.
I don't want to be like a fat fledgling, focused solely on my desires and forgetting the needs of the rest of the nest. Success and prosperity gained with no regard for others will only serve to ruin the only status that matters, that of where I stand in the everlasting kingdom. When I serve my interests first, I am not taking part in the beautiful picture Jesus painted.
Thomas Devenish lives in Hobart, Tasmania. He works as a motion designer and enjoys the diverse experiences life has to offer, from wake-boarding to curling up with a good book on a rainy day.
Thomas Devenish's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/thomas-devenish.html