Tiger Zhou & the Preacher

Bill Brown ... ... Xiamen University
The beautiful South China tigers, or Amoy Tigers, in West Fujian's Meihua mountain reserve (in Longyan), remind me of the story of Tiger Zhou, from the 1930s (told in "Twice Born--and Then?" by Andrew Gih).

Tiger Zhou was a gang leader, and so hardened in heart that he threatened to kill his own father (unimaginable in China, a land in which filial piety is the foundation of society). After hearing a Chinese pastor in the countryside preaching, Tiger Zhou angrily told others, "He makes us all out to be sinners! If he keeps this up, I'll beat him." When the Chinese preacher heard this, he was frightened, so he prayed, but felt strongly to continue preaching the same message.

After the next evening's message, furious gang members told the preacher, "Last night we did not talk to you, but now we tell you that if you do not behave yourself, we will attend to you tomorrow."

The preacher decided to preach anyway and put everything in his Father's hands. The next night the place was packed as people from all over came to see Tiger Zhou and his band pummel the preacher. But at the end of the sermon, the preacher heard a scream, and saw a man had fallen to the ground, crying, "My sin, my sin." He ran to him and found it was Tiger Zhou! He confessed to the preacher how he had threatened to murder his father, and on the Chinese preacher's urging, he walked the several miles to his home the next day and asked his father's forgiveness, and healed the relationship not only with his father but with his Heavenly Father.

Tiger Zhou returned to the services the following night, and Andrew Gih (of the Bethel Band) wrote,

"It takes the power of God to transform such a man's life. You may train the tiger; you may teach the tiger; but he will still be a tiger. It takes the power of God to transform livfes. Let us be faithful to God and to the souls before us."

You and I have probably not fallen as far as the murderous Tiger Zhou, but we still fall short in other ways. What can change us? We may faithfully follow the 3,305 rules of Confucius, but in the end, like the great philosopher himself, we will find that even a lifetime of faithful outward observances of ritual will not change the inner heart. We are still tigers--or worse.

Confucius resorted to systems and government to change people. The Taoists, such as Lao Tse and Mencius, appealed to principles. But as great as Confucius, Lao Tse and Mencius were, they all admitted that they were unable to tame the tiger within. No wonder that China's ancient classics wrote that the people anxiously awaited the coming of the "virtuous Prince" who would save them from the guilt and punishment of their failings.

Tiger Zhou met that Prince, face-to-face--and found that the Prince did not come to tame the tiger but to complete it.

No Tame Tigers We cannot change ourselves any more than the leopard can change its spots, but that is okay because our Father made us tigers for a reason. And our Father does not want "tamed" tigers but obedient tigers--and there is a big difference. Tamed tigers are cowed, listless, purposeless, and obey their master out of fear. But obedience is willful and purposeful, born of love and respect and, above all, trust. We obey not just a master but a Father, and we trust that our obedience will not only bring joy to our Father but also, in the end, greater happiness and fulfillment in our lives than if we went the way of Tiger Zhou.

So if you're a tiger, be a tiger! But don't waste your strength and purpose like Tiger Zhou. Be a tiger with a purpose.

Supplement

"Tiger and Fox"--ancient Chinese Story.
A tiger was about to kill a fox when the fox said, "Stop! You can't touch me! I'm king of the forest and all creatures fear me!" The tiger laughed in disbelief, so the fox said, "Follow me and you'll see that I am feared by everyone." So the tiger followed the fox as he wandered up and down the forest paths, and sure enough, all of the forest creatures shrunk back in fear.

"It is true!" said the tiger. "You are feared by all! You must be king indeed." And so the tiger left the fox, totally unaware that the animals had been in mortal fear not of the fox but of the tiger walking behind him.

We may be like the fox--a small creature in a vast threatening woods, but we can choose to walk with Him who made the tiger--or choose to go it alone.
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