There is a tale that is often told of a man who made stone soup. Yesterday, as we sat together at Sydney’s table, talking after our dinnertime meal, Marieke exclaimed, “Oh, I know that tale.” She then began recalling the story……how this man possessed the one single ingredient–a stone.

As I listened, immediately I began to see This Man within my mind, the one who was intent upon His Stone Soup.

As I listened, I began to wonder, what if This Man, This One who held His Stone, the One I saw within my mind, what if This Man was Jesus. As Marieke retold the story, that thought made me consider how……

Often, we hear this tale, and we sense that this man’s soup is incomplete, un-flavorful, apart from the other ingredients, but we cannot make stone soup….Apart from Him.

Often, we hear this tale, and we learn of his desire to fill His cooking pot with a tasty soup, one filled with flavor from the ingredients, beyond His one stone, but truly we cannot make stone soup….Apart from Him.

Often, we hear how This Man pulled out his cooking pot, filled it with His water, and then placed His pot upon the heat, knowing we could never make stone soup….Apart from Him

Often, we hear about “the stone,” His one single ingredient, the One he possessed, the One he held. Yes, we hear of His Stone—-The One He placed into His pot, that which cannot become stone soup….Apart from Him.

Often, we soon hear how a stranger comes along, a person who does not know This Man, and we hear the stranger ask, “Hey, what are You making?”

“Stone soup,” This Man replies, “but I am seeking one more ingredient for My soup. Would you be interested in joining Me?”

“I’ve never tasted stone soup, the person responds, but I do have this one carrot.  May I place my carrot into Your soup, so that when the soup is prepared, I may share it with you?”

“This Man replies, “You may share My stone soup when it is ready.”  So the person (who had the one carrot) gave his one vegetable to This Man, trusting Him as He created His stone soup, fully realizing that his one carrot would be so much better because it was now going to become part of His Stone Soup.

Soon, another person stops by the cooking pot, the One being stirred by This Man with the stone, and this new stranger inquired, “Good day, sir.  What do you cook within Your pot?”

“Why, it is My stone soup, One filled with the Solitary Stone, One full of water, and now one that includes an added carrot,” He replied.

The other person leaned toward the cooking pot sitting upon the heat.
“Would my one potato be allowed into Your stone soup, that which You are cooking within Your pot?” the stranger asked as he dug into his backpack in search of his white potato.

“Here,” the stranger said, as he handed the Man the one white potato to be added to this simmering stone soup.”

So the one who had the one potato handed over his one vegetable to This Man, and now the potato became so much better because it was now blended in with the flavor of the One Stone, an added carrot, and now with one potato………Yet, The Man sought more ingredients to make His Stone Soup.

So, for a long time, this pattern continued, as His Stone Soup simmered on top of the stove, as This Man stood stirring His Stone Soup.

In recalling this tale yesterday, it seemed that we may often hear the tale and consider how This Man cooks His stone soup and how He desires His Stone Soup be filled with a variety of flavorful ingredients.

What should also be shared is the truth how This One Man, the One who owned the cooking pot, how He owned so much, everything necessary to make His Stone Soup.

Yes, what should also be shared is the truth that all of the other ingredients, those who inquired and brought This Man their one devotion, to join in what He was preparing, they needed what He offered, first.

Truly, what He possessed was the One essential ingredient, one particular ingredient that held the necessary flavor. Apart from His “cooking pot,” their one ingredient was not enough.

Truly, once each person sought the truth of what was being prepared inside His cooking pot, that was when their ingredient shared made them better.

Yes, truly, many ingredients blended together.

It is a truth that the cooking pot placed upon the heat, one filled with water, one filled with carrots, one filled with potatoes, one filled with onions, one filled with tomatoes, one filled with beans, one filled with cloves, one filled with morsels of meats, one filled with kernels of corn, one filled with leaves of cabbage, one filled with handfuls of salt, one filled with peppers, one filled with okra pods, one filled with celery stalks, one filled with this and with that……..TRULY the One essential ingredient….The One Solitary Stone, now held together with multiple flavors added, one-by-one, into His cooking pot.

Numerous ingredients, added one-by-one into His water, inside His cooking pot, blended into His Stone Soup that He was preparing. This was His Stone Soup, designed to become so flavorful because it was His Stone Soup filled with numerous ingredients……….clearly His intent from the day he began preparing His Stone Soup……the one filled with the most precious ingredient of all……..His Stone.

Without His Stone, then “His Stone Soup” would not exist.

Without this One Man, then “His Stone Soup” could not exist.

Without the presence of His cooking pot, then “His Stone Soup” most surely did not exist.

Without the existence of the choice to join with “This Man” and “His Cooking Pot,” one filled with “His Solitary Stone,” TRULY, there would never a be STONE SOUP.

Where are we today? What ingredient do we carry within us, an ingredient we could add (one we must add)?

Apart from the cooking pot, the Stone Soup does not exist.

Apart from Him, the Stone Soup does not exist.

Apart from the Stone, the Stone Soup does not exist.

APART FROM THIS MAN, THE STONE SOUP DOES NOT EVER EXIST!!!

In the Bible, found deep within the book of Ezekiel, we find these inspired words of God.

“For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers;  so you will be My people, and I will be your God.”  (Ezekiel 36: 24-28)

One man.  The man.  The cornerstone.

One place.  One nation.  One people, together in one place.

One person, a separate ingredient, but not complete apart from the stone.

One flavor, blended from many, blended together from all places, walking forward, each carrying his one ingredient.

Apart from This Man, His Stone Soup cannot, will not, ever exist. But with His existence, with this One Man’s presence comes….His Stone Soup.

With His presence, He stirs us as He creates us into….His Stone Soup.

With His clean water, we are cleansed and made into….His Stone Soup.

With His cleansing, He removes the stains, the blemishes, the imperfections, as He creates and blends us into something more complete….His Stone Soup.

Within His cooking pot, He gives us a newness, a new taste, a new outward flavor, one we could never become, separated from….His Stone Soup.

He takes our one ingredient, our solitary flavor, and as we trust Him, He brings us into a new place, a new land, a new faith, into “His Cooking Pot” creating….His Stone Soup.

We fully trust Him, knowing that He has the power to create a newness within us.

It is a truth…….Apart from Him, we are solitary, all alone.

It is a truth…….Apart from Him, we are far less.

But with Him……..We become blended into His Stone Soup.

BUT with Him……We are made into something new.

But with Him…….Our flavor is enhanced.

And with Him…….We are made complete.

And with Him…….We become something far better than we could ever be when we remain separated and all alone.

Come to Jesus.  Come to Him and Be Found.

Come to Jesus, the stone, the Solid Rock.  Come to Him and Be Complete.