There are two seas in the land of Israel. The Jordan River flows into the the Sea of Galilee in the northern part of Israel. Its waters are clear, fresh and blue. The fish that are caught here provide a livelihood for many generations of people. Trees and other vegetation line its shores. Many living creatures make their homes here. The area if filled with beauty and life.

At the southern end of Israel, there is another sea: The Dead Sea, which is 47 miles long and about 10 miles wide. It lies 1286 feet below sea level – the lowest body of water in the world. 19 billion cubic feet of water flow into the Dead Sea every year from the Jordan River and other smaller streams. In some places, it is more than 1,000 feet deep. The water is more than five times as salty as ordinary sea water – so salty, in fact, that the human body can float on the surface. There is no life in the Dead Sea, except for a few kinds of microbes. Ocean fish planted here soon die. The Dead Sea is a picture of desolation and gloom, unlike any body of water in the world.

What makes the difference between these two bodies of water? All the water that flows into the Sea of Galilee also flows south in the Dead Sea – the receiving and giving go in equal measure. Every drop the Sea of Galilee receives, it gives. It gives and lives. But the Dead Sea has no outlet. The only water it loses is that which is lost by evaporation. Every drop it gets, it keeps. One might say it is shrewd, keeping to itself all that it receives. The Dead Sea is a symbol of selfishness.

In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and elsewhere, Jesus taught that we are responsible for how we use what is given to us. He instructed his disciples, “Freely you have received, freely give!” (Matthew 10:8).

There are two seas in the land of Israel. There are two kinds of people in the world. Which kind of you?