Tony Compolo tells a story about a friend of his who had to take a bus trip across central India. He was in an old model bus which was packed with people, packages, furniture and even animals. Sitting across from Tony's friend was a tired man whose neatly wrapped packaged was sitting on the luggage rack over his head. The man kept dozing off and each time he would wake up in a panic fearing that his package had been stolen. This went on for hours. But then eventually he fell asleep. When he awoke his package was gone. Momentarily he panicked as he realized he had been robbed. But, being relieved that the thing that caused him constant worry was now gone, he settled back in his seat, totally relaxed and with a sense of joy he fell into a prolonged, wonderful sleep.

The man was now free of the one thing he was holding on to. I believe that is what Jesus is attempting to illustrate in this story. By letting go of the things that worry us, the things that obsess us, or the things that consume us, we discover we are free.