Once
upon a time, there was a man who had a big garden. He had planted many fruit
trees and cared for them till they bore fruits. Now he wanted to harvest the
fruits and sell them to make money for his family.
One
fine day, while picking the fruits with his son, the man saw a stranger sitting
on the branch of a tree and picking fruits. The man became angry and shouted,. “
Hey you! What are you doing on my tree? Aren’t you ashamed of stealing?”
The
stranger sitting on the branch looked at the gardener, but didn’t reply and
continued picking the fruits. The gardener was very angry and shouted again, “For
a whole year I have taken care of these trees, you have no right to take the
fruits without my permission, so come down at once.”
The
stranger on the tree answered, “Why should I come down? This is the garden of
God and I am the servant of God. So you shouldn’t interfere with the work of
God and his servant.”
The
gardener was very surprised at this answer and thought of a plan. He told the
stranger to come down from the tree. As the stranger climbed down the tree, the
gardener tied him to the tree and began beating him with a stick. The stranger
began to scream. “Why are you beating me? You have no right to do this.”
The
gardener paid no attention and continued beating him. The stranger screamed, “Don’t
you fear God? You are beating an innocent man. The gardener answered, “Why
should I fear? This wood in my hand belongs to God and I am the servant of God.
You shouldn’t interfere with the work of God and his servant.”
The
stranger hesitated and then spoke. “Wait, don’t beat me, I am sorry for taking
the fruits. This is your garden and I should seek your permission before taking
the fruits. So, please forgive me and set me free.” The gardener smiled and
said. “Don’t use God’s name to justify your ill-conceived actions.”
Then
the gardener untied him and let him go free.
The
End.
