The Parable of the national park

And Christ gathered His disciples and said, “ The Kingdom of God is like a National Park.  In the morning the park ranger came to lead the people on a tour. ‘Come, see things as I do,’ He said, and took them down smooth trails to the beauty of the world.  He showed them the majestic mountains, the mighty trees, the gentles animals with their babies.  He led them into green valleys and stopped beside clear running waters for them to drink.  And He took them to a special meadow, filled with the most magnificent of cabins, where there was a great fountain, and gardens of all manner of good food.  But He turned to the group, for He was going to give them the cabins in which to live forever, and there were but a handful of all the people who had followed.  And He said to them, Where are your fellows?  And they said, They remained behind at the gift shop.”

So the Ranger returned to the gift shop; evening was well nigh.  And indeed, the people were still in the gift shop.  When He entered the shop, he who was at the cash register set up his “closed” sign and disappeared out the door.  The Ranger turned to the other workers and said, ‘Why did the people not come with me?  Did they not know?"’  And the workers said, ‘We tried to tell them.  We showed them the signs inside and out, which said to meet the tour guide at the appointed place and time.  And we reminded them, saying, the day grows late, you’ll miss the tour.  But they busied themselves buying food and drink, and the baubles money can buy, and the t-shirts that are far too expensive that read, “I have been to the National Park”, when in fact they have seen nothing.  Some have reasoned, “as long as he who is at the cash register remains, we have time.”  Others said, “I will catch the tour later; these baubles merit my attention now.”  Some have even said, “If there is really a tour guide, he will certainly show himself to me and bring me along.”  And when we pointed out the signs, they merely said, “You read it; I am busy.”

“So, the Ranger said to the workers, ‘Go then to your homes in the meadow, while I put these out and lock up the shop.’  And the people protested, saying, but we’ve not had the tour yet?  How shall we return to our cars in the dark?"’ And the Ranger said, ‘If you had followed Me in the day, you would not only have known the park as I do, you’d have a home here.  But now is the darkness; your day is done, and so My job.’ “

Simon Peter turned to Jesus and said, “Master, please explain this parable to us.”  And Jesus said, “The Kingdom is like the park, full of mighty wonders, as well as a home. I am the good Park Ranger.  The gift shop is this world, with its meaningless baubles and souvenirs of a moment.  The signs are the Word of God, and you are the workers.  The one at the cash register is the deceiver; and the moral of the parable is, you have to step outside the concerns of the world to see things in My perspective, and reach the home I prepared for you.  Otherwise, you will find yourself lost to the outer darkness, with naught but a t-shirt that says, “I went to the National Park and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.”