Parable of the Lost Penguin

In recent weeks the nation has been gripped by the rich, compelling tale of an intrepid Emperor Penguin who left his home in Antarctica to see the world, and washed up around 4000 kilometres away in small-town New Zealand.

It’s a modern day fable that theologians might dub ‘The Parable of the Lost Penguin’, and that Jesus may have told something like this:

‘Which of you, if a penguin got lost far from his homeland, would not do everything in your power to save the penguin?’ Jesus continued:

‘There was an Antarctic Emperor Penguin who wanted to see the world. He swam far away and found himself lost in a distant land. Crowds gathered to see him and he became an international sensation. They appointed a bodyguard to keep the penguin safe from wolves, bears and youths. The people loved the penguin.

But the penguin was far from home and grew sick. He longed to fill his tummy with white snow and sink his toes into ice to keep him cool. The nation’s finest conservationists, zoologists, veterinarians and penguin specialists (who even knew we had those?) put their heads together to save the penguin. They performed lengthy and costly operations, and no expense was spared to save him. A wealthy benefactor even offered the penguin a first-class voyage home. And a special penguin advisory committee was formed …’

At this point, with the story beginning to sound a little far-fetched, Jesus may have reminded his listeners that this parable was based on actual events.

‘The penguin advisory committee devoted themselves to the penguin’s well-being. He was lavished with Party Ice and the finest salmon in the land. Until, finally, the penguin was restored to health and set free to swim in the deep cool waters towards home. All the people in the land rejoiced and celebrated, “For he was lost, but we found him.”

‘If you who are evil,’ concluded Jesus, ‘and really seem to know very little about penguins, would do all this to save one penguin, how much more will the Father not do for you?’

‘But how can this be?’ asked the disciples, ‘Are we penguins? How do we tell whether we’re boy or girl penguins? What are those wings for?’

‘Are you so dull?’ replied Jesus. ‘You love one penguin extravagantly. But how much more lavish, wide, deep and rich is the father’s love for you. I tell you, he would give his very life, to see you restored home.’

… But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him … ‘Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ (from The Parable of the Lost Son, Luke 15:11-32)

By Ingrid Barratt (abridged from War Cry, 30 July 2011, p3)