A certain father had two sons, ages 9 and 10, and both were talented baseball players. The older son, Caleb, was a catcher and the younger son, Arnold, was a pitcher. Both could hit very well. The father coached a baseball team for kids and both sons were on the team. The father loved both sons equally and gave them both lots of praise whenever they did something well. When they made mistakes, he encouraged them and gave them advice about how to improve. Wanting to please his father, the younger son, Arnold, spent nearly all of his free time practicing. He went to the batting cages, threw the baseball at a board with a target on it, and played catch with himself by throwing the ball straight up into the air. Caleb on the other hand spent most of his time with his pals. They rode bikes, traded baseball cards, and talked a lot. Caleb loved to brag to his friends about how great of a baseball player he was, how he could hit home runs and pick off base runners who were trying to steal.
Naturally, over time, Arnold became the better player. As a pitcher he won lots of games and as a batter he got many hits including home runs. Caleb was good too but he could never be credited with a "win" since he was a catcher. Also, although Caleb had a strong swing, he tended to pop up and strike out too much. Their father, and coach, praised both children according to their abilities which meant that Arnold got more praise. Arnold's dad wasn't the only person dishing out the praise either. The other members of the team often gave Arnold high fives and head noogies. They would occasionally even chant his name from the dugout.
Naturally, over time, Arnold became the better player. As a pitcher he won lots of games and as a batter he got many hits including home runs. Caleb was good too but he could never be credited with a "win" since he was a catcher. Also, although Caleb had a strong swing, he tended to pop up and strike out too much. Their father, and coach, praised both children according to their abilities which meant that Arnold got more praise. Arnold's dad wasn't the only person dishing out the praise either. The other members of the team often gave Arnold high fives and head noogies. They would occasionally even chant his name from the dugout.
Arnold's abilities were a product of the effort he put into practicing. Caleb almost didn't practice at all. Instead of practicing more in order to improve his own abilities, though, Caleb allowed envy and jealousy to grow in his heart toward his younger brother. When Arnold got the big hits and everyone was cheering his name, Caleb sat alone in the dugout with his arms crossed and his teeth and fist clenched. When Caleb struck out, he blamed Arnold. When he dropped a fast pitch, he blamed Arnold. When he accidentally threw the ball into the outfield, he blamed Arnold.
As the end of the season came near, the players started ranking themselves according to who they thought would be selected for the all-star team that year. Everyone knew that Arnold would be selected for sure, but they figured that Caleb ranked perhaps third or fourth. When the time came, Caleb's and Arnold's dad picked the official ranking, first through fifth, but also warned that he didn't know how many would actually be picked. All he could do was rank them. Arnold, as expected, was ranked first, and Caleb was ranked fourth.
A few days later, the news came: their team was in second place. If they could win the game on Monday, the final game of the season, they would move into first place. If they went to first place, five players would be all-stars including Caleb. If they lost and stayed in second, only three would be all-stars. Caleb's heart dropped, but was hopeful for a win on Monday. He knew his brother would be pitching and Arnold almost never lost. The more he thought about his brother, though, the more bitter and resentful he became. He thought to himself, "If my stupid little brother wasn't on the team, I would be an all-star for sure."
That weekend, the two brothers were riding their bikes around the neighborhood, Arnold leading the way. Suddenly, Arnold's front tire hit a large rock and he and his bike came crashing down onto the pavement. One of Arnold's arms got caught in the spokes and one of his shoelaces got caught in the gears. Caleb watched it happen in front of him and quickly had a wicked idea! Caleb pretended not to notice the accident and continued riding... straight into his brother! The two collided with a crash. Except for the spinning of the wheels and a few whimpers, all became silent. Caleb got up and brushed himself off. He could see blood on his brother and smugly thought, "serves him right." Then, pretending to be friendly, Caleb tried to help Arnold up. But he couldn't because Arnold's arm was still stuck in the wheel spokes and it was broken!
Caleb wanted to hurt Arnold, but he didn't mean to break his arm! Arnold couldn't pitch in Monday's game, of course, and, although it was close, Caleb's and Arnold's team lost. They stayed in second place. Three players went to the all-star team, including Caleb. The all-star team lost their first and only game. Everyone blamed Caleb for the big mess. Everywhere he went - the arcade, school, the playground - the other kids picked on him and called him names, even kids that didn't know what baseball was. He was, as they say, a marked man. No one ever forgot what he had done.
Based on Genesis 4:1-16 (Cain and Abel)
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Parables, Fables, & More
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Jeremiah Jenkins
You can have all this world. Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world. Give me Jesus.
