Aesop’s
Fables Found in The Bible
In reviewing a recent Bible lesson by Les
Feldick, I was drawn to comments made relating to Jesus as the “Stone of
Scripture”. (https://www.lesfeldick.org/lesbk78.html
) Les noted these comments made by our
Lord Jesus in His “Sermon on the Mount” as recorded in Matthew Chapter Seven
(Verses 24-27): “24 Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a
wise man, which built his house upon a rock 25 And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every
one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened
unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the
rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Underline added for emphasis.)
That scripture reminded me of the story I heard as a child about
the “Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf”. (https://americanliterature.com/childrens-stories/the-three-little-pigs ) In that
story the wise pig built his house of “bricks” / stone. In doing that he
was able to save the lives of his two brothers who had foolishly chosen
building materials of straw and sticks
respectively, after they were endangered by the hungry wolf.
With that background, I wondered whether any of the other stories or
“sayings” I could recall from childhood might have a similar moral or ethical link
to what the Bible teaches us. As a
starting point, Aesop’s Fables came to mind. At that time I had no idea
the list of “Fables” attributed to Aesop was as extensive as it seems to be. Further, many of the stories in the list I
had never heard. (See: https://www.read.gov/aesop/001.html , and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Aesop%27s_Fables ) Even so,
I did recognize some of those Fables that were familiar enough to investigate further.
For example:
·
The Story of the Tortoise and the Hare: (Read the
story at: https://www.read.gov/aesop/025.html ; and / or
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tortoise_and_the_Hare ). In that
fable, the tortoise had virtually no chance to defeat the hare in a race. But the impossible did happen. The lesson taught
in that story could be compared to the Bible verse of Ecclesiastes 9: 11, that
reads: “I
returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the
battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men
of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance
happeneth to them all.” (Underline added for emphasis) Perseverance and determination can be
rewarded, even in the face of practically impossible odds against
success.
·
The Ants and the Grasshopper: (Read the
story at: https://www.read.gov/aesop/052.html , and / or
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ant_and_the_Grasshopper#cite_note-14 ) In that fable the industrious ants worked
diligently to prepare for the coming winter. But the free-living grasshopper idled
his time away. The lesson taught could be compared to the Bible verse of Proverbs
30: 25, that reads: “The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in
the summer;” (Underline added for emphasis). Consider also another Bible passage from the
mind of King Solomon from Proverbs 6: 6-15, that reads: “6 Go to the
ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which
having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth
her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long
wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a
little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall
thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. 12 A naughty
person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. 13 He winketh
with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14 Frowardness
is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. 15 Therefore
shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. (Underline
added for emphasis) Note also
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose
under the heaven…” There is a time to work, and a time to play.
·
The Frogs Who Desired a King: (Read the
story at: https://www.read.gov/aesop/048.html , and / or
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Frogs_Who_Desired_a_King ) The lesson from that story could be compared
to the Bible passage from 1 Samuel Chapter Eight: (https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1-Samuel-Chapter-8/ ) Israel had long before been selected to be God’s “Chosen People”, a
holy nation and His Kingdom of Priests. (Exodus 19: 1-8) But Israel wanted to be like all the Gentile
nations and be ruled by “their own king.” Despite the warnings of the dire consequences,
the people of Israel insisted. Having been given the choice to follow the
LORD, they chose to reject Him. God then told His Prophet Samuel to do as Israel
demanded and give them a king. The hard lessons learned by Israel over the following
years have been warnings for mankind even until today. The consequences of choosing
the wrong leadership will invite evil to come forth. Be careful what you ask
for, because you might actually get it.
·
The Jar of Blessings (Also
known as “Pandora’s Box”): (Read the story at: https://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/pandoras-box-myth/ ; and / or
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora%27s_box ) The first reference above says: “In
Greek mythology, Pandora was created by the gods as a punishment to mankind.
She was given a box by Zeus and
told never to open it. Curiosity got
the better of her, and when she opened the box, she released all the evils and miseries of
the world, such as sickness, death, and sorrow.” Note that the writer places the blame for the
evils of the world on Pandora, the first woman. That fable
could be compared to the Bible passage from Genesis 3: 1-19. The Bible records
how the first woman (Eve) was deceived by the Serpent, and in doing so influenced
her husband Adam to sin against God. However it was Adam’s disobedience against
God’s command that opened the evils of Satan onto mankind and the world. [This example
was not listed as a “Fable” in the listing of “The Aesop for Children”, but it
was too good an example to ignore. 😊]
·
The Wolf and the Shepherds: (Read the story at: https://www.read.gov/aesop/110.html , and / or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolf_and_the_Shepherds ) This brief fable is worth
sharing in its entirety: “A Wolf, lurking near the Shepherd's hut,
saw the Shepherd and his family feasting on a roasted lamb. "Aha!" he
muttered. "What a great shouting and running about would there have been,
had they caught me at just the very thing they are doing with so much
enjoyment!" The lesson from that story could be compared
to the Bible passages cited in Matthew Chapter 23. The Pharisees were cited by Jesus for their
hypocrisy. They were supposed to be in the forefront of Israel’s leadership to
teach and practice God’s Laws. However, as
it met their personal needs they intentionally disregarded God’s standards that
they imposed for others. Note this and
other examples at: https://christianityiq.com/examples-of-hypocrisy-in-the-bible/ . The Fable noted in the
first reference above closed with the following statement: “Men
often condemn others for what they see no wrong in doing themselves.”
With those examples, I would encourage you to look for and / or
consider others from the secular literature. There are positive examples of moral and
ethical values in several places that reinforce the messages that the Bible teaches
Christians. They teach the positive thoughts and actions that the Holy Spirit
wants to guide us. However, there are also many negative examples that would undermine
God’s messages. This distinction is
especially important when we consider what young and impressionable children read
and hear in today’s social media devices. Aesop’s Fables are but one example.
Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson
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