Panting heavily, a boy stood at outskirts of a small village. He had been running away from an angry crowd who wanted to beat him to death. He looked behind to check if they are still chasing him. When he saw no one, he heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he sat down and took out a loaf of bread which he had stolen. He tore a piece of it and tried to swallow it. But he could not eat it. Something stopped him. Tears started rolling out of his eyes. He knew he had sinned. How could he eat from stolen bread? He would have never stolen in life, but circumstances left him no choice. His new mother had kicked him out. She was beautiful but without any mercy. She loved her own children and had often abused and beaten him, who was her stepson. He went from shop to shop and house to house to get some work. No one offered him any help. To save himself alive he had but to steal. But alas they found it out and ran after him to beat him to death. Tears started rolling over his cheeks.
He stood up and began walking into the woods. Tall oak trees looked down upon the young thief in disdain. Deep inside the dense forest, he found remains of a tree trunk, hewn down by crooked men. He sat on it in despair. Soon he fell asleep. He woke with the sound of many voices in his ears. How eyes awakened to find him surrounded by a group of thieves. Little thief was surrounded by big thieves. They asked him money who had no money. Terrified, he gave the bread he had plundered. Innocently he spoke of the crime he committed. “This is all I have – a stolen bread!” Thieves knew the kid is not lying. The cruel men felt pity in their hearts.
“You need not fear us kid. You are one of us – a thief! And we never hurt those who are thieves. Every thief is our brother. We become thieves because the world has forced us. We are thief not by choice but by desperation! How cruel it would be if we rob them who were robbed by the world around us?” -said so the king of thieves! A wild forest full of big and little thieves began wondering in amazement at the deep philosophy of unlearned thief! Who was evil – the cruel world which forced the thieves to take a wrong path or the thieves themselves whose cruelty robbed the world of their possessions?
When the little boy finished eating, he joined the thieves into their abodes. Next day, as they were walking through the dense forest, they heard the footsteps of a man. They hid behind the tall oak trees. A man was seen dragging his donkey. He was cursing his fate as he dragged the tired animal. Donkey, on the other hand, was cursing his own fate under his tyrant master. The sound of dried leaves getting crushed under the feet of tyrant master and the donkey made a chirping sound as of they were moaning their fate begin trodden down under feet of men and animals. In no time the thieves grabbed the man by his collar.
“I am a priest!” replied the man. There was both fear and pride in his claim. “I have no money”
“You are lying,”
“Look at my dress. Don’t you see a priest’s dress? ”
The thieves looked up and down at the monk.
“So you are a priest then?” asked the thief
“Don’t kill me,” said the priest. “God will be angry if you hurt me.”
The thieves laughed hearing his sacred threats. The woods joined the thieves and echoed back the laugh with them. Their wicked laughter echoed back and forth until their leader began to speak.
“We don’t fear your gods. If there was a God he would have never let my children die. What did my little girl do to him that he allowed men to murder her and my beloved wife? They blamed her that she is a witch. She was not. You religious men, your religion deprived me of my family.”The thief was very angry. The little boy, who had stolen bread, was a firm believer in God. He knew if he didn’t do something the thieves would kill the priest. The boy immediately asked the leader of thieves, “Sir, did not I heard you say that you do not hurt people who are thieves like you?”
“Yes,” replied the head thief.
“Then he is like you,” said the young boy
“Like us………….?” We are thieves. He is a priest….! We are sinners; he is a saint. We are earth; he is heaven. There is no similarity between us!”
“Ah… you are mistaken, sir! He is one like us. He has the same pair of hands and legs as we have. He has the same eyes as we have. His skin is like us. He is as human as we are! He eats bread and drinks water, just as we do. How is he different?”
The big questions of the little boy made the big thief think a little while. Then he spoke to the boy.
“Hey kid, look at him. What do you see? ……… Look at me! What do you see? Do we appear the same? He has a full shaven face. I haven’t shaven for years! He wears a white dress and I wear a black one. His face is shiny and fatter with oil, and I have scars and wounds. He has a holy book in his hand. I have this knife.”
A question to the Reader
“Tell me o courageous and wise reader. Was the priest a thief? And if he was, then who was the biggest thief of all the three – the little boy who stole the bread, the group of thieves who comforted the despised orphan kid, or the saint in the tall woods of oak?
Answer the question by clicking the right answer. Additional details and your logical explanations can be given in the comment section.
My answer is the priest is greatest thief.
Little boy became thief due to circumstances. But he knew his mistake. He could not eat the stolen bread. His conscience was alive.
The thieves in jungle became thief to take revenge. They became thieves because they were first persecuted by people. They are guilt indeed.
But the priest is greatest thief among all. He stole people from other churches. In absence of other priests, he went to the house of people of other churches, and spoke ill about their pastor and spoke high words about himself. He wore white dress and shaved clean, to deceive people by his outward appearances. He threatened people with divine curses, if they paid him not the money for his prayers. He used poor donkey and made him work for him night and day.
So my answer is that the priest is the biggest thief of all the thieves in this world.”
Priest is the thief as he is not honest and trying to show that he is a saint. The boy and thieves are honest by admitting that they steal. In God’s eyes honesty is most important, and God will forgive them if they repent. Spiritual pride is the most God hates and its very difficult for those to repent unless they humble themselves and God give them grace.
Beautiful parable indeed ! I too scored 1 out of 1
BUT IN THE MODERN CONTEXT SHOULD WE
NOT REPLACE THE TIRED DONKEY WITH LATEST
GADGET THEY HAVE — – TATA SUMO WHICH IS DOING
OWESOME JOB FOR THE SPREADING OF CULT KINGDOM OF TPM .
Without the use of the TATA /MAHINDRA HIGHLY tehnologically innovative vehicles ,this BEAST would would not have been made this much of progress
So,hats off to these automotive manufactureres of 21 st century.
@EE.
For me donkey is picture of slaves who does heavy job for his master. So donkey in this parable is junior tpm workers, who do menial & heavy work for seniors. For example a senior sister will command junior sister to wash her clothes, starch it, iron it, cook food, wash vessels, broom faith home, etc while she herself rests on her comfortable bed ordering and commanding her. She will use her power to make her juniors life hell. She will gossip all day on telephone about junior sister having affair with brother incharge/ believer. So junior sister is like donkey to her senior sister. Both curse each other as in parable.
Nath brother,I am on the same page of yours ,and there s’ no iota of doubt in that.
I only depicted in a poetic way that the other side of the coin looks like it– for the pure merriment of Sisters like ELINAS, & MANJU WARRIORS. After all they ‘ve started participating in a big way nowadays.My poetic version is a piece of encouragement for MANJELINAS in the language of dear brother NMSTF.
@Elina,
What do you say? I think the donkey is the TPM believers and the priest is obviously one of the chief pastors of TPM. Both are trapped and they are dragging themselves to TPM’s eternity on their own righteousness. The kid and the thieves are better off, ain’t they?
BTW how come all your warriors are deserting you.
The most from it able were the poor faith home children. I was one of them.
We worked like slaves. We were physically and sexually abused. I even have permanent marks in my body. Now that I am father, and grand father, if my children were abused like I was , I could have become violent, to put it mildly
Has the TPM changed?
@sam Alan
Please do share your story sir, that could help someone…
This link is his story
https://www.stas-afke.com/blog/2016/11/18/testimony-faith-home-child-now-78-years-old/