3rd Pig Thinking
Colossians 1:11-20
A month or so ago, my folks sent to me a book that I apparently read as a little boy. It’s Harriette Taylor Treadwell and Margaret Free’s First Reader.[1] This book is basically a collection of stories and poems that many of us grew up with. Poems like Little Boy Blue and Baa, Baa, Black Sheep have allowed me to re-live old memories as I read them to Ainslee’s fresh ears. But Ainslee likes the stories in this book the best. In particular, she likes “The Three Little Pigs.” The first time I read this story to her, I came to the part where the first little pig’s about to get it, and I did some creative editing. Instead of reading, “So he huffed and he puffed, and he blew the house in. Then he ate up the little pig.” I read instead, “So he huffed and he puffed, and he blew the house in. Then he chased the little pig outside and they had a snack together.” I guess I wasn’t ready to explain the powerful wolf blowing through the defenseless little pig’s attempts to life a co-existent life with domineering forces. It’s easier, isn’t it, to soften the harsh realities of life? If we can politically correct the jagged, sharp, edge off of these stories, and life, then things aren’t as bad as they sometimes seem, and we can zap some crippling experiences of their power.
I want us to think about this story for a moment in terms of power. In the unedited version of the story, the wolf eats the first pig, eats the second pig, but gets eaten by the third pig. Dr. E. Max Case, who works with campus ministers in Indiana, used this story to challenge people to use “3rd pig thinking.”[2] What’s 3rd pig thinking? Well, basically it’s taking on the wolves in our midst instead of seeing ourselves as merely victims of forces beyond our control.
This is Christ the King Sunday. Just the name of this Sunday in the liturgical year tells you something. It’s our last chance before Advent to build up the power and strength of Christ before we’re plunged into the messiness of barn, and weakness of the baby Jesus. Even our text today oozes with the power of Christ. If you look through verses 15-20, the dominance of Christ as creator (v. 16) and maintainer of all that is (v. 17) should give all Christians confidence. Yet, Colossians was written to a church that wondered if Jesus was enough to withstand the problems and complexities that come in life. Is faith in Jesus enough when wolves are huffing and puffing against your house?[3] Some Colossians apparently thought that outside help was needed. Oh, they believed in Jesus alright. But the Colossians often supplemented their basic Jesus with a splash of some other gods as well. It’s kind of like adding a little Biz to your Tide. It gives your stain-fighting power an extra kick. Colossians was written to say, “Jesus is enough. You don’t need to hold hands with other gods. Just hold onto Jesus.”
And this brings me back to “3rd pig thinking.” In the story of the Three Little Pigs, all three pigs are discerning enough to see the wolf as a danger to life. But it’s the 3rd pig that uses successful strategies to overcome steep odds when up against the wolf. How so?
First, the 3rd little pig knows that wolves live in the neighborhood. It might seem wise on the pig’s part to get out of town once he finds out the wolf’s nearby but how many times can you run away from problems? The writer of Colossians doesn’t talk about packing up and taking off, but verses 11-12 say, “May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father…” Wolves, in their many forms, are going to always be in the neighborhood. You know what wolf, or wolves, you are facing right now. And the good news is that Jesus knows too. We have strength in Christ to persevere.
Second, the 3rd little pig’s successful strategy involved trying something no pig had tried before. Instead of merely running from the wolf once the wolf came down the chimney, the 3rd little pig had a pot of boiling water ready for him! And instead of being supper, the 3rd little pig had supper. It takes a good deal of courage to call a wolf’s bluff when you can feel the hot breath of trial on your neck. It takes an even greater amount of faith to simply grab the hand of Jesus when the temptation to try some other “god” is right there. When wolves enter our lives, everybody’s got a solution. The words of encouragement to the Colossians emphasized a super-sized portion of Jesus as King, with some God-given creative thinking. How might this work for you?
Third, the 3rd little pig didn’t let wolves in his midst smother out the rest of life. One of the greatest dangers I face when confronted with wolves is their crippling power in the rest of life. A known wolf can hamper relationships, joy, and generally make life miserable. I guess that’s why we call them wolves. But the 3rd little pig demonstrates that life can be lived in the midst of wolves. While struggles at work, in relationships, with illness, or finances, can be daunting, Jesus wants us to know and remember that He is still Lord.
So what wolf are you facing today? Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know Who holds the future.” With our hands firmly clenched in the hands of Jesus, and a little 3rd pig thinking, we’re going to be alright. Amen? Amen!
[1] First Reader adapted and graded by Harriette Taylor Treadwell and Margaret Free, illustrated by Frederick Richardson, (Chicago, ILL: Row, Peterson & Company, 1911).
[2] E. Max Case, “A Modern Adaptation of a Fairy Tale: The Wolf as Teacher.” This is an unpublished manuscript. The basics of the story were referenced in an article I found in my research for this sermon.
[3] Lewis R. Donelson, Westminster Bible Companion (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996), p. 7, argues that this question, “Do we need outside help against the evils of the world?” is the primary question that Colossians was written to address.