“If any of you, fathers, a son asks for bread, will he give him a stone? Or for a fish, will she give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?”
The Greek word scorpios – scorpion – can be rendered “to be sharp”, “cut,” “to prick.” It expresses well the character of an animal called a scorpion, often found in Palestine, and considered a formidable enemy of man.
Scorpions are great in the dark and mostly feed on various types of insects, spiders and other scorpions. Poisonous scorpion’s bites, even if they usually do not lead to death, are very painful. The Apocalypse of St. John mentions “torments after the scorpion” (Rev 9: 5) – an almost proverbial expression.
The scorpion, next to the serpent, is in the Bible a classic symbol of the cruel world hostile to man. The Lord Jesus refers to this symbolism when He says to His disciples: “Behold, I have given you the power to walk on serpents and scorpions and in all the power of the opponent” (Lk 10:19). The journey from Egypt to the promised land is described in a similar way, “through a great and terrible desert, full of poisonous serpents and scorpions” (Dt 8:15). The Prophet Ezekiel calls his enemies scorpions. The Book of Syracides likens a wicked wife to a scorpion: “whoever takes her for himself, as if he had grabbed a scorpion with a hand.”
Christ explains to the apostles the meaning of prayer with three comparisons. He teaches that being a student is similar to the relationship of a son to a father who is asking for something to eat. While the first two comparisons seem understandable – the bread and the stone, the fish and the water snake – seem at least a bit similar to each other, the egg and the scorpion are rather difficult to confuse. The possibility of giving someone a scorpion instead of an egg is surprising, it is unlikely. What we are dealing with here is a gradation: these comparisons ultimately tend to compile a real thing with unreal, so as to the perfect degree indicate the trust we should have in God.
The attitude of child’s trust does not prevent us from praying to God persistently. Let the conclusion of today’s thoughts be the famous prayer:
“I asked God to give me the power to succeed,
Anonymous text in Rehabilitation Institute in New York
– He made me weak so that I might learn a humble obedience.
I asked for health to accomplish great deeds,
– He gave me a disability so that I could do better things.
I asked for wealth so that I could be happy,
– He gave me poverty so that I could be wise.
I asked for a power so that people would value me
– He made me feel helpless to need God.
I asked for a companion not to live alone,
– He gave me a heart so that I could love all my brothers.
I asked for a joy,
– and I received the life so that I could enjoy with everything.
I got nothing that I asked for
– but I got what I expected.
Almost in spite of myself
– my prayers not formulated were answered.
I am the most gifted of all people.”