Tuck Everlasting

Matthew 13:34

The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”

Natalie Babbitt's novel Tuck Everlasting is one of my favorite works of literature. I read it for the first time in sixth grade, and it changed the way I think about many things, most notably the notion of eternal life and the concept of immortality. In the book, the titular family gains their immortality through drinking from a spring nestled within the woods in the fictional town of Treegap, New Hampshire.

Throughout the book, which has gone on to gain a Disney movie adaptation and even a Broadway musical adaptation, the protagonist and antagonist, Winnie Foster and the man in the yellow suit, respectively, have differing attitudes towards the discovery of the spring which has allowed the Tucks to live an eternal life on earth. Winnie vows to help the Tucks protect their secret. When asked by one of the sons, Jesse Tuck, if she will drink from the spring upon her seventeenth birthday, she considers the notion but ultimately decides not to as she is warned by the other members of the Tuck family that immortality is not as glamorous as it may seem. As a result, she lives the life the Tucks were unable to.  We can infer that she also discovered the Kingdom of Heaven in the same way they were unable to, as they will never die.

On the other hand, the man in the yellow suit is consumed with finding the spring and profiting off it. He knows that the spring is on Winnie Foster’s family’s property and thus believes that only they know about the spring. He plans to purchase the wood so he can sell the water and allow everyone to live life in the way that the Tucks do, making this his primary aim. In each adaptation, however, the Tucks and Winnie prevent him from being able to profit off the water and allow everyone to become immortal like the Tucks. 

Much like in today’s verse, the spring can be likened to the Kingdom of Heaven located on earth in a small way. While in the eyes of the Tucks, it may not be ideal for them to be living in a situation in which they now know they will never die, being exposed to the clashing ideals of Winnie Foster and the man in the yellow suit have undeniably shown them how they deal with encountering this “treasure” hidden in the woods, either as a wonder that can remain hidden or as something exciting that the world should see and should be sold so everyone can experience the same life they do.

Let us pray: Dear God, may we always remember that our time in Heaven will come as you will it. While we may wish to be immortal and remain in “heaven on Earth” like the Tucks, help us remember that we are on your time. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Grace Jonas.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.