Onion-Flavored Watermelons
by Oliver Carlos
When I was in Grade 1, I didn’t have a baon. My Mom made sandwiches for me and put them in a Tupperware container which I bring out every recess time. When I entered Grade 2, she started giving me cash for my baon.
I remember my first baon was just 25 centavos per day. That’s good enough to buy a few pieces of candy, but not enough for a heavy snack. I had dream items to buy during recess: a chocolate tetra-pack drink worth P1.80 or a juicy slice of watermelon worth 50 centavos. With my 25 centavo-allowance, it was obvious that I needed to save in order to buy my coveted snack.
Not having enough taught me how to budget my resources. It also taught me to be content with whatever is given me. I never complained to my Mom nor asked for an increase.
I did some mathematics. If I wanted to have that ice-cold yummy chocolate drink, I would not eat for 8 schooldays. But as for the refreshingly cold and juicy sweet watermelon slice, my sacrifice would only be for 2 days. It’s more feasible, so I did away with my chocolate drink fantasy and just focused on the watermelon.
I didn’t eat for 2 days, and on the 3rd day I had my 50 centavos ready. I went to the school canteen with an excited toothy smile, my heart was throbbing swiftly with happiness. I lined up properly and when my turn came to give my order, I proudly pointed to the watermelon slices on display. I felt like I was so rich, I can now afford what I wanted. The “kuya” storekeeper handed me a slice of deep-red watermelon, I could still fill its chilly temperature in my tiny hands. I walked away to a corner in the canteen to savor my dream-come-true snack.
The euphoria of having something you worked hard for is indeed sweet. I expected a sweet satisfying taste from the watermelon slice I just bought. But it didn’t turn out that way. When I took a bite on my precious watermelon, I got disappointed. The watermelon tasted like an onion!
Years later, when I learned how to cook, I figured out why my Grade 2 watermelon tasted like an onion. The kuya who prepared the watermelon slices must have used an unwashed kitchen knife. Most likely, he used the knife for slicing onions first, then used it for slicing the watermelon. The kuya should have washed the knife first before using it on the watermelon, or he should have used a different knife which is fresh or unused.
This experience reminded me of a Bible verse Jesus taught in Matthew 9:17 (ICB):
“Also, people never pour new wine into old leather bags for holding wine. If they do, the old bags will break. The wine will spill, and the wine bags will be ruined. But people always pour new wine into new wine bags. Then the wine and the wine bags will continue to be good.”
In Jesus’ time, winemaking was a big industry. People used bags made of goat skin as containers for the wine they were manufacturing. The wineskins when new, are soft and flexible; when old, they become brittle. If people put new wine in an old skin bag, the new wine would cause the old bag to burst because the wine is not yet fully fermented. It will take some time yet for the wine to be fully fermented, and thus the wine would expand in volume, thus destroying the brittle bag. But if they put the new wine in the new flexible bag, there would be no problem.
The point in this parable is this: A person who wants a new life in Christ must leave behind his old sinful life. True repentance means giving up one’s old sinful desires. When you let Jesus in your life, he wants to reign over 100% of you. He is going to be your new Lord who will rule over the new you.
If you truly want the new life Jesus is offering, you must not cling anymore to the old bad things you do. Otherwise, you would be like an onion-flavored watermelon. Remember, a new Lord and an old life don’t mix together. Heed God’s promptings for you to make that decision to surrender to him 100% of you, so he can let you taste and see the fullness of life he has promised to those who are his.
