The Parable of the Bicycle - my response.

Yesterday someone told me about "The Parable of the Bicycle". Apparently a little boy wanted a bicycle. His dad told him that if he did all of the extra jobs he could and earned all of the money he could that Dad would make up the difference and the boy would get the bike. This parable is supposed to be an illustration of Jesus and the grace of God. I suppose in this illustration the bike represents our eternal salvation and Dad represents Jesus.

I don't believe this is an accurate picture.

What if the little boy decides to stay in and play Wii one day instead of mowing the neighbors yard to earn more money for the bike? Does he then lose hope of ever getting the bike? I can just see the torment of this boy. Not that I believe that doing chores for money is a bad thing at all, but if the boy is very driven for this bike he is going to forever be tormenting himself. "Why am I sleeping at night? Couldn't I be listing things on Ebay to earn money toward the bike?" "No, I can't come and play. I have to shovel the sidewalk because I need to earn all the money I can for my bike."

Let's rework the parable.

A little boy wanted a bicycle. This bicycle was the mac daddy of all bicycles. It had flames painted on it, it had a gazillion gears, it had every cool doodad on it you could imagine. This bicycle cost several trillion dollars. Seriously. The little boy told his dad, "I really want one of those bicycles, what could I ever do to earn enough money to get one of those bicycles? I could mow the lawn ever week the rest of my life, I could babysit every kid in the neighborhood every Friday and Saturday night. I could sell everything else I have." Even with all of these jobs, it was obvious that a small boy was never ever going to earn enough to even scratch the surface of the purchase price of this bike. (Isaiah 64:6 "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags")

So, the dad actually died so that, in exchange, not only that boy could have that bike, but any kid anywhere for all time who wanted a bike could have one, simply by accepting it.

So then what happens to the boy? Does he become a sluggard because he got this bike without working for it? I doubt it. The boy understands that although the bike was a free gift to him, it was not free. It was bought at a great price. The boy spends his life living his life in such a way that makes other people want a bike too. He tells everyone he sees about the bike and how to get one.


"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8