By: Obed Pineda
If you have ever driven past an open corn field during the autumn time, there is a small chance that you have been fortunate enough to spot the figure that has now become the emblem of the fall: the scarecrow. Indeed, these hay stuffed decoy dummies have become synonymous with the autumn season in great part because of the original purpose they served ancient farmers, long before the arrival of pesticides. Historians have found that the ancient Egyptians were the first civilization to make use of a contraption similar to a scarecrow to scare away flocks of quail threatening their wheat crops. The practice of placing wooden frames draped with nets not only passed on to the Greeks but evolved in its design. Ancient Greek farmers at first would dress young men like scarecrows and position them around their fields where they had the task of hiding and yelling loudly at birds or animals to frighten them away from the crops. Later, these young men were replaced by wooden statues of their gods (particularly Priapus, Greek god of horticulture and fertility) to give the appearance of human presence in the field in hopes that it would deter all critters that could potentially damage their precious harvest. Yet, the traditional scarecrow that comes to the mind’s eye today did not come until Medieval times in Britain and western Europe. During the Black Plague, because of the great decrease in population, children were more valuable for farming the land instead of just sitting out in the fields, scaring animals away. Thus, landowners began stuffing old sacks or tattered clothing with disposable straw or hay and topped them off with old gourds with hats fastened to them, placing the gourd on top of the straw “body,” which (when finished) would then be tied to a pole, giving off an appearance of a man standing on the land. The eerie look of these hay men would later be advantageous for the farmers since scary tales of the boogeyman were linked to the scarecrow itself and aided in keeping children out of their field as well. Regardless of which type of scarecrow was employed by different societies throughout time, one thing is certain: they were unwelcoming figures that scare visitors away. Holy Writ alerts, “Better is dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred. A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention” (Proverbs 15:17-18). It is a travesty to learn that there are those among the living who frequently play the part of a scarecrow in civilization. Men and women whose unpleasant demeanor can turn anyone away from even daring to approach them. It is true that sometimes one’s unfriendliness can be a direct consequence of a myriad of unfortunate events that are happening in that moment. However, there are those who remain in a constant state of bitterness, daily exuding the contentious spirit. Those who dwell in a state of hostility are commonly the same who actively antagonize others with the purpose of starting a quarrel that can possibly make everyone around them become as rancorous as they are (cf. Proverbs 17:19, 26:21). Like the old saying goes, “misery loves company.” It is terrible that there are inhospitable people out in the world, but it is a tragedy to realize that there are Christians who ofttimes serve as hay men within the Church (cf. 3rd John 9-10). It behooves every servant of Christ to remember that the inspired commandment is “avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord mustnotquarrel but begentleto all, able to teach patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2nd Timothy 2:23-26). The apostle to the Gentiles’ exhortation reminds us as Christians of what our primary objective as the Church is: to save souls, not push them away! For this reason, it is vital to learn how to be hospitable to all men, by first learning to rejoice in the Lord (cf. Philippians 4:4). A wise woman once taught this humble author that joy, like sorrow, are choices one can choose to remain in. This sapient counsel does not aim to ignore that there are moments in a man’s life where these emotions will naturally occur; it’s focus is on what frame of mind do I desire to remain in. Furthermore, it is important to keep this in mind since one’s acrimonious attitude can become a stumbling block or an obstacle to another. Elymas the sorcerer serves as a warning of the danger of not esteeming someone else’s interest above one’s own selfish ambition (cf. Acts 13:4-12, Philippians 2:3-4). The Holy Spirit recorded, by the quill of Luke, that this Jewish false prophet had become discontent with the arrival of Barnabas and Saul since “Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man…called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the Word of God” (Acts 13:6-7). Bar-Jesus (his Jewish name) immediately recognized the threat to his social standing with the proconsul with the arrival of God’s servants at Paphos. Thus, he “withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith” (Acts 13:8). His unwelcoming reception of the servants of Christ had become an obstacle to the grace of God that was being made accessible to Sergius Paulus. Bar-Jesus served as a hay man because he was “full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord” (Acts 13:10)? Needless to say that this Jewish charlatan was only thinking about himself, but it is worth making the connection that the bitter man does the same when he chooses to ignore how his distasteful demeanor affects those around him, and worse, the integrity of God’s holy name (cf. 1st Peter 2:11-12). It is imperative to remember that if we become the source of discouragement to our brother or sister because of our unloving spirit, the Master warns, “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6, cf. 25:41-46). The apostle Paul reminded the Ephesians that one must learn how to “be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26, cf. Psalm 4:3-5). The Bible proves that the mood one remains in is the choice that individual has made. In other words, one can choose to stop being the lonely scarecrow (cf. Proverbs 18:1).