One day a snake oil salesman came to town. He was selling some kind of
bogus cure-all. His message was that it was all natural, edible, and would
make a better person out of those who took it.1 He passed himself off as a
messenger of human betterment.2 He was in business for himself,3 but very
soon he began to branch out.
An equal opportunity employer, his first customer, a woman, became his
first employee. The business grew as fast as the population.4 It seems that
everyone who tried it, became part of the organization,5 which became
known as the Damway Vitamin Co. Concentrating on food and clothing,
they set up a very effective pyramid sales organization.
The only one, who really understood what it was all about, was the head of
the company.6 He knew insecurity would sell cure-alls, and embarrassment
would sell clothing.7 He even had a sales incentive system; the more of the
product you bought into, the higher up you moved in the organization.8 Not
only was the staff hooked, but privately, the president of the company let
each one know that he was aware of their weaknesses, and was prepared to,
and often did, tell others.9 He did a land office business, enjoying 100%
market share in a total population market.10 Their was no problem on the
supply side either, as the raw materials came from a particular tree, the good
and evil tree, which could always be found right in the middle of things.11
Nothing like it had ever been accomplished by any other business.12
Back when he first went into business, a reliable source had said that this
tree was not designed for human consumption.13 There was nothing wrong
with the materials, they were just no good for food and clothing.14 But, since
they looked good, and she thought she could improve her station in life by
taking them, she took them anyway.15 She did not realize that they were not
edible,16 and even made, otherwise healthy people ill.17 People actually
became less attractive, which proved to be very embarrasing.18 This didn’t
hurt business however, as it was thought that the leaves from another tree,
would cover up the problem.19 So far from making people more attractive,
however, such garments were quickly stained by the very defects they were
claimed to cover.20
There would be a kind of short term “high,” when outwardly everything
seemed alright, but in the long run those who took them were robbed, of
their health or completely destroyed.21 In the end, everyone died of
embarrassment.22 By that time, no one understood the cause of death.
One day, a Government Agent came to town.23 He was an experienced tree
surgeon,24 now attached to the Food and Drug Administration,25 and the
Department of Agriculture. He proved to be untouchable. Nobody could get
to Him. Even the president of the company couldn’t make a sale.26 It seems
He was all too aware that the raw materials of the Damway Self-
Improvement Co. were not fit for public consumption.
Beginning with those at the bottom of the heap,27 the G-Man did everything
possible to educate the public.28 Very few would listen,29 and those that did,
couldn’t seem to retain the information.30 None the less, corporate
management was very concerned about His presence and the success He was
enjoying.31 They plotted a way to get rid of Him.32 Occasionally management
people or their followers would try to disrupt what He was saying and doing.
They would try to refute His claims,33 but always to their own
embarrassment.34
It soon became obvious, that the board of directors was not about to yield.35
Privately, the G-Man knew that the only answer was to deal with the
problem on the supply side, to cut off the source of raw materials, at their
root.36
One day there was a tremendous confrontation. The battle raged from the
center of town all the way to the outskirts. The Damway management
succeeded in driving the G-Man out of town, wounding Him in the foot.37 It
looked like they had won, but, by the time it was finished, the tree surgeon
had cut down the good and evil tree, and together with another tree near by,
made a public display just outside the city limit.38 The president of Damway,
who never got very far away from his source of supply, received a head
wound39 when the tree fell on him, and it appeared that he was dead.40 It was
not a pretty sight.41
The public display, including the cut down tree, open description of what
was happening, and who was behind it, served notice that the Damway Co.
was a fraud.42 On a good day, everyone could see it, from the lowest places43
as well as the highest.44 With everything out in the open, it was clear the
company no longer had a product to sell.45
With the president dead, it looked like Damway was out of business.46 Now,
it not only had to convince people that their products were still effective, but
that they were still available.47 After the public display, deception became
much more difficult.48 The conscience problem had been taken care of,49 so
that public disclosure was no longer a threat,50 and many people found a
better way of living.51 There were others who wanted to have the display
taken down.52 In fact, if they had known in advance what was going to
happen, they never would have gone after the G-Man.53
That was many years ago. Today there has been some success in removing
the display, at least from public places, and there are indications that they are
succeeding on other fronts as well. Doing business in the G-man’s name,54
they are circulating conflicting stories, and in some cases, claiming that the
whole thing never even happened. Many seemed to have forgotten. Virtually
everyone is fuzzy on the details. Holidays commemorating the events have a
fairy tale quality about them, even leaving out the major characters and the
essential message.
All of this confusion about something which was once so clear is really very
dangerous to our health, as we have it on good authority that the president of
Damway wasn’t killed after all, and that he is about to go back in business.55
It is even predicted that he is going to be more successful than ever, if that
were possible.56 In the end, one wonders if anyone will still remember
exactly what did happen.57
INTERPRETATION
The devil used law against us from the begining.58 It was a three pronged
attack: One, God is the source of our image, the devil says, “Who do you
think you are?” Two, we are shaken in our sense of divine origin and
destiny, the devil offers us a way to be like God. Three, we are embarrassed
by our own efforts, the devil offers us a cover up. The knowledge of good
and evil represents the law, and the law energizes all of this. Because law is
the power of sin, the devil uses the law to empower sin.59 In doing so, he is
able to enslave sinners.60
God had spoken in the garden.61 He wanted us to take his word to heart, to
make it our own. We failed to do so. So he sent his word in the flesh,62 but as
long as It was in the flesh, we could still not take it to heart.63 When Jesus
was nailed to the tree, the Word in the flesh was cancelled.64 Jesus came full
of divine expectations, and they all died in Him. He Himself was the notice
posted on the tree.65 As a result the devil could no longer use law as a
weapon, either to cause man to fall, or against fallen man.
The devil had deceived us into thinking that we were nobodies, who could
become some bodies by our own doing. God bound the “self made man”
deception at and by the cross.66 In doing so, God set a certain period,
between the cross, and the revelation of the man of sin,67 calling it “Today,”68
for the nations to respond to the Gospel.69 At the cross, God clearly revealed
that the only way to be somebody was in Jesus,70 by faith in Him.71 The good
news is: God loves us so much, that Jesus died for us even on our worst day,
and that we can be as God in Him.
1 GEN 3:1-5, 2 2CO 11:14, 3 ISA 14:12-14, 4 GEN 3:6, 1JO 3:12, 5 ROM 5:12, 6 EZE 12:2-5, 7 GEN 3:7, 8 PHI 3:5-7, 9 REV 12:10, 10 1JO 5:9, 11 GEN 2:9, 12 JER 18:12-15, 13 GEN 2:17, 14 ROM 7:7, 13, 15 GEN 3:5,6, 16 2CO 11:3, 1TI 2:14, 17 ROM 7:9-11, 18 GEN 3:7,10, 19 GEN 3:7 20 GEN 3:7, ISA 64:6, JUD 23, REV 3:4, 21 JOH 10:10, 22 GEN 3:7, 24 MAL 3:1, 2, MAT 4:17, JOH 1:29, 24 DAN 4:13,14, LUK 3:9, 25 EPH 3:8-10, 26 LUK 4:13, JOH 14:30, 27 LUK 4:18, 28 MAR 1:45, 29 LUK 11:30-32, 30 MAT 8:26, 14:31,16:8, 17:17, 20, LUK 12:28, 31 JOH 12:19, 32 MAT 12:14, 26:4, JOH 11:53, 33 MAT 22:15-18, 34 LUK 20:26, JOH 8:44, 35 MAT 13:15, JOH 8:37-47, 36 MAT 21:19, LUK 3:9, JOH 12: 27, 37 3:15, PSA 22:16, 38 JOH 19:20, 39 GEN 3:15, PSA 74:14, HAB 3:13, MAT 21:44, REV 13:3, 40 REV 17:11, 41 ISA 52:14, 42 COL 2:15, 43 1PE 3:18, 19, 4:6, 44 EPH 3:10,4:9, 10, 45 ROM 8:2, 46 ACT 4:1-5, 47 REV 22:3, 48 REV 20:3, 49 1CO 4:4, 1TI 1:19,3:9, HEB 9:9,10:22, 1PE 3:21, COL 1:21, 50
REV 12:10, ROM 8:1, 31-34, 51 ACT 2:14, 52 MAT 28:12-15, 53 1CO 2:8, 54 MAT 24:4, 5, 1JO 2:18, 19, 55 REV 13:12, 17:8, 20:7, 56 MAT 24:15-25, 57 MAT 24:12, 22, LUK 18:8, 58 2CO 11:3, GEN 3:1-5, 59 ROM 6:14, 7:5, 8-11, 21-23, 1CO 15:56, 60 HEB 2:14, 15, 61 GEN 2:16,17, 62 JOH 1:14, 63 JOH 16:7, 64 COL 2:14, 65 GAL 3:13, 66 REV 20:2, 3, 67 2TH 2:3-12, 68 HEB 7-13, 69 MAT 24:14-25, 70 JOH 14:6, 71 JOH 1:12, 13, 6:28, 29
Jay Ferris – 2/14/91
