Aesop’s Fables Month: The Horse and the Groom
I chose this fable a day before hearing about a preacher that lives up to the message here so drastically that my spiritual heart is really hurting today. I’ve experienced those who think that religious position or gender gives them a right to disrespect those “beneath” them and place extreme demands on them with not so many demands on themselves.
But, when a human takes on the mantle of minister or pastor, it’s very much like the groom in this story—he becomes responsible for both the outside and inside of his charges. And Scripture, in 1 Timothy 3:1 says an overseer is a noble task. Then, in verses 2-7, it describes the requirements of a good overseer. They include things like being above reproach, being gentle and not violent, having self-control, being able to manage their own households, and having a good reputation with outsiders.
When you read today’s “fable” and look for the moral truth within it, ask yourself who you have known on all sides of the scenario. From the groom who cleans up the outside and fails the inside, to the horse who languishes under the lack of heartfelt care, to the opposite of these two. And since we are just beyond the season of self-examination (Yom Kippur), look at your own ministry tasks and make sure you’re overseeing them rightly.
It is easy to polish a public reputation. It takes real devotion, humility, and the fear of the Lord to quietly nourish the souls placed in our care. Aesop captured the tragedy of this counterfeit caretaking thousands of years ago in a fable that cuts straight through religious performance to the heart of the manger.
The Classic Fable Retold: The Horse and the Groom (Perry 184)
Day after day, a stable groom spent endless, painstaking hours tending to his master’s prized carriage horse. With brush, comb, and cloth in hand, he worked tirelessly in the open archway of the barn where every passerby could see. He untangled every snarl of the mane, polished the hooves until they shone, and buffed the animal’s coat until its dark flanks gleamed in the midday sun.
To anyone looking on from the road, the man appeared to be a model of diligence—a devoted caretaker wholly invested in the splendor of his charge.
But behind the closed doors of the barn, under the dim flicker of the stable lantern, a sinister theft occurred each night. Instead of pouring the daily ration of oats and barley into the wooden feed trough, the groom stealthily shoveled the nourishing grain into coarse burlap sacks. Slinging them over his shoulder, he slipped into the shadows and sold the grain at the town market for his own pocket, leaving the horse’s manger barren, save for dry chaff and worthless dirt.
As the weeks rolled on, the inevitable toll became visible. Though the horse’s coat still held a superficial, combed sheen, the life within him was draining away. His proud stance gave way to a weary slouch, his ribs began to press sharply against his dull hide, and his strength failed him.
One morning, as the groom stepped up with his usual brisk brushstrokes and patronizing pats, the exhausted horse turned his head. Looking at the man with heavy, sorrowful eyes, he parted his dry jaws and spoke:
“If you truly desire to see me handsome and strong, cease all this empty outward grooming and give me back the grain you steal from my manger.”
The Hired Hand vs. The Good Shepherd
That groom was just a hired hand, and he didn’t have the horse’s best intentions in his heart. But we have a Good Shepherd who ALWAYS looks out for us because He loves us. Even when He found fault with the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, it was because He knew the end result of those who would sit under their care. It’s not His will for any to perish, so He became our Good Shepherd while also teaching others how to be the right kinds of shepherds—if they would listen.
YahShua (Jesus) did not mince words when confronting spiritual leaders who were obsessed with polishing the outward vessel while starving and exploiting the souls inside:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.”
— Matthew 23:25–26 (B.S.B.)
Religious brushwork can fool human eyes for a season. A man can preach passionately, dress impeccably, command respect from a platform, and present an outward veneer of strict orthodoxy. But the God who weighs the spirit is never deceived by cosmetic piety:
“The Lord says: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.’”
— Isaiah 29:13 (B.S.B.)
And as the Lord reminded Samuel when selecting a leader after His own heart:
“Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man sees. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”
— 1 Samuel 16:7 (B.S.B.)
Nourishing What Truly Matters
A true shepherd does not rob the manger to feed his own ego, appetite, or unchecked authority. A shepherd who reflects Christ feeds the flock with patience, protects the vulnerable, and ensures that the inner lives in his care are supplied with the pure, life-giving Word of God.
Today, as we walk in the afterglow of Yom Kippur’s call to honest reflection and repentance, let’s lay down the brush of self-promotion. Whether in our homes, our churches, or our private circles of influence, let’s refuse to be hired hands who settle for surface shine while starving the heart. Let us look to the Good Shepherd, receive His true bread, and care for those around us with gentle, holy, and authentic love.
Jesus painted the ultimate contrast between those who view people as a paycheck or platform versus the Shepherd who lays down His life:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”
— John 10:11–13 (B.S.B.)
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Cliché Month: When the Cat’s Away, the Mice Will Play 🐈⬛🐁
We Love Our Black “Galaxy” Kitty
In honor of National Black Cat Appreciation Day, I couldn’t help but think about how our sleek, shadowed feline companions get a bad reputation—mostly as symbols of superstition. But if you’ve ever known a black cat, especially a tuxedo cat, you know how not-scary they actually are.
Currently, we have a black feral who won’t come in the house, won’t sit on our laps, and gets a bit haughty if she sees us feed another neighborhood cat, but she lives here most of the time. We call her Galaxy because of the white cluster of fur on her chest, sort of like a spinning space galaxy. She likes to be scritched, and sometimes, she will even jump up on the front porch glider and sit close (but not too close) while “making biscuits” in the air. We feel a strong victory when we get her to enjoy our company like that.
But When The Cat’s Away…
The core sentiment of this cliché originated in medieval Latin: “Dum felis dormit, mus gaudet et exsilit antro” (“When the cat sleeps, the mouse leaves its hole, rejoicing”). By the early 14th century, the French had framed it as “Ou chat na rat regne” (“Where there is no cat, the rat is king”), emphasizing the immediate shift in control. In 1599, William Shakespeare referenced the concept in Henry V, pointing out that an unguarded territory invites chaos by “playing the mouse in absence of the cat.”
The common denominator is, of course, that the mouse is very happy to have the house (or castle) all to itself. And after our last indoor cat left to cross the rainbow bridge in January of 2023, we experienced exactly what happens when you have no cats and a closed storage room with a window. (Actually, we still don’t know where they got in.)
After that experience, I’ve thought very strongly about getting another indoor cat to dissuade any new critters from moving in during the cold winter, but thankfully, we haven’t seen evidence of them for awhile.
What Kinds of People Play Cat and Mouse Games?
Real character isn’t proven when authority is standing in the room taking notes; it’s proven in the unchecked moments when nobody is looking over our shoulder. What we are on the inside will eventually come out in our words and our behaviors. Scripture says…
Luke 6:45 BSB
[45] The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/luk.6.45.BSB
Mice may be small, but they make big choices to invade, chew, nest, and poop (yuck) when they think they can get away with it. Some people also make big choices in the abundance of little things they do without caring how they affect the big picture. I think it’s actually that big-picture care that speaks most about the integrity of a person.
I found so many quotes about integrity and character, that I could never share them all with you. But here are a few I like:
“Character is built by thousands of small choices.”
“Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.” — Thomas Paine
“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.” — H. Jackson Brown Jr.
The Apostle Paul spoke of character to the Ephesian slaves (working class) in how they should obey their bosses…
Ephesians 6:6-7 BSB
[6] And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
[7] Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men,
https://bible.com/bible/3034/eph.6.6-7.BSB
But God Even Loves the Mice
My annual Bible study has had me in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah this week, and I’ve been amazed at the progression of the people as they learn about God’s law and about His grace. They’ve been in bondage due to sin and ignorance, so someone finds the Torah and begins reading it to the people. Many are moved to begin obeying it. This is followed by testimony of all the ways the people have abandoned The Lord and how, when things went bad, they would come back to Him. And what did He do? Over and over again, He forgave them and provided ways for them to come back into His holy presence.
There were some that just refused to be changed, whether by the law or by grace, and they made the prophet so angry that he beat them. But that’s an effect a person with no integrity can have on a person with integrity. They can push your buttons until you feel like pulling your hair out, or doing like the prophet and pulling out their hair. And when their lack of caring causes them to reject The Almighty, it feels even worse.
In case you want to see what The Bible Project says about these 2 Bible books, here’s their message on that subject:
But the goal of personal and spiritual growth is self-governance: deciding for and in ourselves that we WANT to do the right thing simply because it IS the right thing. We move beyond the fear of whether the “cat” is home or away, and we treat every moment as if we want to make the “cat” happy and proud. And we grasp the reality that God knows our (mouse) form and yet He still loves and forgives us. Now that’s a reason to get excited that we have freedom and time to play.
Psalm 103:14 BSB
[14] For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.103.14.BSB
I’ll wrap up with these encouraging words from Hebrews…
Hebrews 4:14-16 BSB
[14] Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. [16] Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/heb.4.14-16.BSB
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