The Parable of the Ice Cream Sundae

By J.S. Smith

Hear the parable of the ice cream sundae.

A dieter happens into the ice cream shoppe, intent upon using her willpower to stay on her regimen while still enjoying time with her friends. She sees on the counter a clean ice cream dish with room for one scoop.

The glass is attractively cut, but as long as the dish remains empty, it only suggests its potential without providing real temptation. Her desire is present but is under control. The man behind the counter, more concerned about his profit than her poundage, takes the dish and fills it with a scoop of Mexican Vanilla ice cream. So creamy, so cold. But still, it’s just vanilla ice cream.

Tempted, but still strong -- not going to have any.

With a gleam in his eye, the man slides the dish a little closer and dips out a heaping mound of hot fudge, sprinkles it with nuts and adds whipped cream and, for good measure, two juicy cherries to the top. The temptation is intensifying. All her friends are having some. It looks so good. So. Very. Good. How can she have some without messing up her diet and disappointing herself? There has to be a way. After all, she’s been so good this week. Only a few cookies Sunday night and here it is Wednesday already.

How about if she doesn’t have any sweets for the rest of the ... the ... month?! Besides, wasn’t there something in the paper about chocolate being good for you? How many calories could one little, bitty sundae have anyway? 10? 20? Couldn’t be more than 500. Besides, you only go around once; live a little!

Okay, just one bite. Mmmmmm! Maybe just one more taste.

Where’d the sundae go? Did I eat the whole thing already? Wonder if I should have one more?

Hear the interpretation.

“Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).

Our desires for things both good and evil can open the door to temptation to pursue them in a way that is less than lawful. We desire food, sexual gratification, admiration, money and so on. Sometimes that ambition becomes an idol and other times, we consider short-cuts to achieve it.

We are tempted to sin. Tempted to lust, to fornicate, to steal, to overwork, to cheat. We haven’t done it yet, but we are thinking about it.

Satan recognizes the vulnerability and steps in to add some enticement

-- to put the cherry on top of the treat we are pondering. And then the desire is conceived -- we assemble our rationalizations so that sin appears to be the only logical step to take.

“No one will know.” “It’s only one time.” “I’ll repent tomorrow.” A sin is born.

We devour our illicit ice cream and suffer the heartburn of a guilty conscience, if we’re fortunate. Enough sin sundaes and the conscience become rather elastic. Guilt fades and we take on the weight and burden of an apostate lifestyle. Second, spiritual death then begins to threaten a fate far worse than a few extra pounds.

How could our fate have been different? We must find strength where we are weakest to avoid temptations and then to resist. Put down that spoon!