Monkee Business

“I am the Lord, the ONLY God.  There is no other God except me.” - - Isaiah 45:5

Your parents probably remember the Monkees.  They recorded albums from 1966 to 1970, briefly outselling the Beatles and the Stones combined.  But the wheels came off the Monkeemobile when it became public that the 4-member quartet was “manufactured” by a TV producer and had hit songs that were acoustically performed for them by others. 

On a cold January nearly four decades later at a Metro Station in Washington D.C., a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about forty-five minutes.  During that time, over 1,000 people went through the station, most on their way to work.  In took only a couple of minutes for a middle-aged man to notice that there was a musician playing.  He slowed his pace and stopped momentarily, before hurrying on to meet his train.

About 5 minutes passed before the violinist received his first dollar.  A woman tossed money in the case and, without stopping, continued walking.  Moments later, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then glanced at his watch and continued walking again.

At the 10 minute mark of his impromptu performance, a toddler stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly.  Intrigued, the boy stopped to watch the violinist again, but Mom pressed harder and the child had no choice but to walk on, looking back over his shoulder the entire time.  This scene played out several times by other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their kids to move along quickly.

The musician played continuously for three-quarters of an hour.  Of 1,097 people who walked by, exactly seven stopped and listened for a short while.  Twenty more gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.17.   He finished playing and silence took over.  No one noticed; no one applauded.  There was no recognition at all.

Unbeknownst to the passersby, the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians of our time.  He had played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.  Two days before, this same virtuoso sold-out a Boston theater where patrons paid an average of $100 apiece to listen to him play the same music.

You and I would likely have done the same thing - rushing by and missing one of the greatest musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . . because we were too busy.   I wonder though, if we would have stopped to catch a glimpse of Monkee-type media, no-talent celebs like Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, or Lindsay Lohan?   Be honest!

Holy One, protect us from the plague of false cults and phony prophets.  Show us Your way – the path toward perfect self-giving, the only one that leads to eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.   Amen.