HAVE YOU HEARD THE ANECDOTE about the monkey who found a hole in a coconut just big enough to put his hand in? As he did, he discovered something inside and wrapped his fingers around it. But then he couldn't get his hand out, because holding onto the treasure, his hand became a fist—too large to remove from the hole. This was the monkey's dilemma: Hang onto the treasure and be stuck in the coconut, or let go of the treasure and be free.
That story reminds me of an account in the New Testament, which maybe we could say is a variation on the coconut theme. A wealthy man came to Jesus and asked him what to do to inherit eternal life (see Mark 10:17–22). Jesus answered that the wealthy man should follow the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20:3–17). The man told Jesus that he was already living in alignment with them: Don't commit adultery, don't kill, don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat, and honor your father and mother.
Then came the clincher. Jesus said, "Sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." But this rich guy couldn't do it, and he walked away "grieved." He apparently felt that he just couldn't let go of his material possessions to follow Jesus.
