Jesus Defends
A Man
Convicted Of
Stealing
Bread
By
The
Twelve Apostles
Jesus Defends A Man
Convicted Of Stealing Bread
A Multitude of people crowded the streets. The officers were on
the way to court with one, a man accused of stealing bread. And in a little while the man was
brought before the judge to answer to the
charge. And Jesus and the twelve
were there. The man showed in his face and hands the hard drawn lines of toil
and want. A woman richly clad,
the accuser of the man, stood forth and said, “I caught this man myself. I know
him well, for yesterday he came to beg for bread. And when I drove him from my
door, he should have known that I would harbour not a man like him. And then
today, he came and took the bread. He is a thief and I demand that he be sent
to jail.”
The servants also testified against the man. He was adjudged a thief, and
officers were leading him away. But
Jesus standing forth exclaimed, “You officers and judge, be not in haste to
lead this man away. Is this a
land of justice and of right? Can you accuse and sentence men to punishment for
any crime without giving them chance to speak for themselves? Justice will not permit such mockery
of human right, and I demand that you permit this man to speak.”
And then the judge recalled the man and said, “If you have anything to say, say
it.” And in tears, the man stood forth and said, “I have a wife and little
ones, and they are perishing of hunger, and I have told my story often, and
begged for bread. But none would hear. This
morning, when I left our cheerless hut in search of work, my children cried for
bread, and I resolved to feed them or to die. I took the bread, and I appeal to God, Was it a crime?
“This woman snatched the loaf
away and threw it to the dogs, and called the officers and I am here. Good people, do with me whatever you
will, but save my wife and little ones from death.”
Then Jesus said:
“Who
is the culprit in this case?
I charge this woman as a felon (offender, lawbreaker) in the sight of God.
I
charge this judge as criminal before the bar of human rights.
I
charge these servants and these officers as parties to the crime.
I
charge the people of Capernaum with cruelty and theft, because they heeded not
the cries of poverty and want, and have withheld from helpless ones that which
is theirs by every law of right.
And
I appeal unto these people here, and ask, are not my charges based on
righteousness and truth?”
And every man said, “Yes.”
The accused woman felt ashamed. The judge shrank back in fear. The officers
threw off the shackles from the man and ran away. Then Jesus said, “Give this man what he needs, and let him go and
feed his wife and little ones.” The
people gave abundantly. The man went on his way.
And Jesus said, “There is no standard law to judge of
crime. The facts must all be stated before a judgment can be rendered in
a case. You men with hearts, if
you were in this man’s condition, and answer me, what would you do?
The thief thinks every other man a thief and judges him accordingly. The man who judges harshly is the man
whose heart is full of crime. The
courtesan who keeps her wickedness concealed by what she calls respectability,
has not a word of pity for the honest courtesan who claims to be just what she
is. I tell you, men, if you
would censure not till you are free from sin, the world would soon forget the
meaning of the word, accused.”