Does Monopoly Man live inside of you?
If there was ever a game that served to instill the concepts of capitalism into young minds, it’s Parker Brothers’ “Monopoly.”
With “Monopoly,” anyone can be a slumlord, maintaining houses for the impoverished along Mediterranean and Baltic Avenues, extending the low-income neighborhood to Oriental, Vermont and Connecticutt Avenues.
With “Monopoly,” a 10-year-old can relive the glory days of robber barons by buying up the Reading, Pennsylvania, B&O and Short Line railroads.
And adults who fancy themselves as Donald Trump can erect hotels all along the backstretch from Pacific Avenue to Boardwalk, laying in wait for the unsuspecting who happen to land on their empire.
As a youngster, I loved to play “Monopoly.” I especially liked it when I was rolling in the dough and had vast stretches of houses and hotels. When my opponents would land on them and be nearly bankrupt, ready to throw in the towel, I would talk them into hocking their property, loaning them the money with hopes of keeping the game going.
As an adult, no one in my family will play with me — despite the fact that we have two boards in the house. It’s been years since we’ve played, quite possibly because we have no time at all for such games. But then again, it’s probably a good thing.
Because somewhere deep inside of me lives “Monopoly Man.” Somewhere inside my psyche lives the spirit of the “Rich Young Man” whom Jesus confronted.
Jesus was walking down the street when the man came running up to him, asking, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”
Jesus told him what he already knew: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.
The rich young man said, “Teacher, I have — from my youth — kept them all!”
Jesus surely knew that was going to be the young man’s answer. This was a matter of the law, and the young man believed he had conquered the law.
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him, and took him to the place of the heart. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Those are words Monpoly Man just can't handle. Look through Community Chest and Chance and all you will find is Monopoly Man being given money, earning money, or having it taken away from him. Never do you see him give money away out of pure altruism.
In “Monopoly,” you can lose everything you have with the roll of the dice. It’s sort of like Las Vegas, when you think of it.
But you don’t have to travel that far to experience the same thing. Any one of us can be evicted from our lives of relative comfort with a mere turn of events.
Life is like that.
At that point, in the game of life, where do you turn? To whom can you turn but to God?
If you are a believer, and you live day to day outside of the Kingdom of Comfort that many of us know so well, you have no one to turn to but God … and you rely solely on His providential care.
If you are “Monopoly Man,” if you are the rich young man whom Jesus confronted, you likely see no need for God in your life … nor have you ever seen the need … and there is very little in the form of sacred history in your life.
Jesus knew that as long as the rich young man could rely on His possessions he would never see the Kingdom of God at work in his life … and so, he challenged him.
Sometimes I am certain “Monopoly Man” has built a hotel inside of me.
Sometimes I am like the rich young man, relying on my stuff ... my job ... my 401(k) … my whits … to get me through life in the here and the now.
Jesus calls you and me to chuck all of that and follow him.
We need to arrest “Monopoly Man” and tear up those "Get out of jail free" cards.
Grace and peace ...
With “Monopoly,” anyone can be a slumlord, maintaining houses for the impoverished along Mediterranean and Baltic Avenues, extending the low-income neighborhood to Oriental, Vermont and Connecticutt Avenues.
With “Monopoly,” a 10-year-old can relive the glory days of robber barons by buying up the Reading, Pennsylvania, B&O and Short Line railroads.
And adults who fancy themselves as Donald Trump can erect hotels all along the backstretch from Pacific Avenue to Boardwalk, laying in wait for the unsuspecting who happen to land on their empire.
As a youngster, I loved to play “Monopoly.” I especially liked it when I was rolling in the dough and had vast stretches of houses and hotels. When my opponents would land on them and be nearly bankrupt, ready to throw in the towel, I would talk them into hocking their property, loaning them the money with hopes of keeping the game going.
As an adult, no one in my family will play with me — despite the fact that we have two boards in the house. It’s been years since we’ve played, quite possibly because we have no time at all for such games. But then again, it’s probably a good thing.
Because somewhere deep inside of me lives “Monopoly Man.” Somewhere inside my psyche lives the spirit of the “Rich Young Man” whom Jesus confronted.
Jesus was walking down the street when the man came running up to him, asking, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”
Jesus told him what he already knew: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.
The rich young man said, “Teacher, I have — from my youth — kept them all!”
Jesus surely knew that was going to be the young man’s answer. This was a matter of the law, and the young man believed he had conquered the law.
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him, and took him to the place of the heart. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Those are words Monpoly Man just can't handle. Look through Community Chest and Chance and all you will find is Monopoly Man being given money, earning money, or having it taken away from him. Never do you see him give money away out of pure altruism.
In “Monopoly,” you can lose everything you have with the roll of the dice. It’s sort of like Las Vegas, when you think of it.
But you don’t have to travel that far to experience the same thing. Any one of us can be evicted from our lives of relative comfort with a mere turn of events.
Life is like that.
At that point, in the game of life, where do you turn? To whom can you turn but to God?
If you are a believer, and you live day to day outside of the Kingdom of Comfort that many of us know so well, you have no one to turn to but God … and you rely solely on His providential care.
If you are “Monopoly Man,” if you are the rich young man whom Jesus confronted, you likely see no need for God in your life … nor have you ever seen the need … and there is very little in the form of sacred history in your life.
Jesus knew that as long as the rich young man could rely on His possessions he would never see the Kingdom of God at work in his life … and so, he challenged him.
Sometimes I am certain “Monopoly Man” has built a hotel inside of me.
Sometimes I am like the rich young man, relying on my stuff ... my job ... my 401(k) … my whits … to get me through life in the here and the now.
Jesus calls you and me to chuck all of that and follow him.
We need to arrest “Monopoly Man” and tear up those "Get out of jail free" cards.
Grace and peace ...
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