If Not Higher
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series IV, Cycle A
"And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' " (v. 40)
There was once a rabbi in a small Jewish village in Russia. Every Friday he disappeared for several hours. Now, in some villages this would cause great alarm. After all, people like to keep tabs on their representative of God. However, in this village, the people were greatly pleased. They boasted that during the time the rabbi was missing he had ascended to heaven to talk with God.
A newcomer arrived in town, and he was highly skeptical that the rabbi was ascending to heaven every Friday during his absence. He was determined to discover where the rabbi went and what he was doing.
So early one Friday morning, the newcomer hid near the rabbi's house. He watched him get out of bed and say his prayers. The rabbi ate a piece of bread and then put on the clothes of a peasant. Then newcomer then watched as the rabbi took an ax and a small cart and headed into the nearby forest. The newcomer followed at a safe distance, making sure he wasn't detected. After going deep enough into the forest so as not to be heard, the rabbi picked out an appropriate tree and proceeded to chop it down. He cut it into sections and then split it into firewood.
The rabbi gathered the wood together and put it in the cart. He journeyed back into the village and proceeded to a shack in the poorest section of the village. The newcomer had not been in the village long, but he recognized the shack as the home of the community's oldest living resident - a widow. The rabbi quietly left her the wood, which was enough for the week. Then the rabbi silently returned to his own house.
After witnessing the gift of the firewood, the newcomer stayed in the village. He was so impressed with the actions of the rabbi that he became a disciple of his teaching. Occasionally, he will hear someone in the village say, "On Friday morning our rabbi ascends all the way to heaven." The new disciple will whisper, "If not higher."
There was once a rabbi in a small Jewish village in Russia. Every Friday he disappeared for several hours. Now, in some villages this would cause great alarm. After all, people like to keep tabs on their representative of God. However, in this village, the people were greatly pleased. They boasted that during the time the rabbi was missing he had ascended to heaven to talk with God.
A newcomer arrived in town, and he was highly skeptical that the rabbi was ascending to heaven every Friday during his absence. He was determined to discover where the rabbi went and what he was doing.
So early one Friday morning, the newcomer hid near the rabbi's house. He watched him get out of bed and say his prayers. The rabbi ate a piece of bread and then put on the clothes of a peasant. Then newcomer then watched as the rabbi took an ax and a small cart and headed into the nearby forest. The newcomer followed at a safe distance, making sure he wasn't detected. After going deep enough into the forest so as not to be heard, the rabbi picked out an appropriate tree and proceeded to chop it down. He cut it into sections and then split it into firewood.
The rabbi gathered the wood together and put it in the cart. He journeyed back into the village and proceeded to a shack in the poorest section of the village. The newcomer had not been in the village long, but he recognized the shack as the home of the community's oldest living resident - a widow. The rabbi quietly left her the wood, which was enough for the week. Then the rabbi silently returned to his own house.
After witnessing the gift of the firewood, the newcomer stayed in the village. He was so impressed with the actions of the rabbi that he became a disciple of his teaching. Occasionally, he will hear someone in the village say, "On Friday morning our rabbi ascends all the way to heaven." The new disciple will whisper, "If not higher."
