The Value of a Mayonnaise Jar
What good is a mayonnaise jar? Well, it contains mayonnaise, which is tasty when mixed with tuna, eggs, or potatoes. It also makes a great sandwich spread.
Of course, when the jar’s empty, it’s either recycled or thrown away, as useless trash.
But that’s not always true.
A Survivor’s Delight
Suppose a sailor became shipwrecked on a desert island. What if he found an empty, old-fashioned glass mayonnaise jar half buried in the sand? It would be life-changing. Even without a lid, the jar would be endlessly useful. A shipwrecked sailor could:
- Carry fresh water.
- Collect berries and edible plants.
- Perhaps focus the sun’s rays to start a fire.
- Boil unsafe water.
- Use it as a make-shift pot to cook soups and fish stews.
Even after the sailor got rescued, he might still value his mayonnaise jar because it helped him survive. But after he died? His relatives would toss the jar away, without a second thought.
After all, who would value an empty mayonnaise jar?
Unexpected Treasure
Thousands of years in the future, if an archeologist dug up an empty Hellman’s Mayonnaise jar with a lid and the label intact? It would end up in a museum, under glass, surrounded by high security.. Or sold at auction as a valuable artifact to the highest bidder.
And it would be valued because it was empty.
Because mayonnaise 1000s of years old might be a little disgusting.
My Spiritual Point
Every person on Earth is like this mayonnaise jar. Society values us only if we are useful in some way. So a homeless drug-addict is looked down upon, while someone like a professional singer or athlete or doctor is highly respected and honored.
Yet Jesus always honored the poor. Why? Because our Savior created us. He choose our parents—and His own. He gave us each gifts and a personality. We were hand-crafted by our Creator. He choose which country we would be born in and the time of our birth.
In Christ’s eyes we are each unique. Jesus sees each of us as infinitely valuable and His point of view is the only one that truly counts.
The digital image of the mayonnaise jar was captured by Maureen Hall Puccini.
Resources:
In emergencies, it is possible to boil water in a plastic bottle, over a campfire. Check out this short video.
