Trying to fool the Master....

There was something about the scriptures we were discussing in Bible class yesterday morning that made me think of one of my favorite illustrations from my father’s sermons. In case you did not know, he was a preacher.

There was a wise old man who sat on his porch and entertained questions from people of all walks of life. All day long, he would expound wise sayings that could come only after many years of observing life.

One day, a young man caught a bird and thought to himself "I will fool the old man. Then I will be considered wiser than he; and people will then come to me for advice."

So he placed the bird in the palm of his hand and held it with his thumb pressing on its neck. He pondered how he would approach the old man and ask him whether he thought the bird in his hand was alive or dead.

If the old man answered that the bird was alive, the lad would use thumb pressure to break its neck so that he could prove the man of wisdom wrong.

However, if the old man declared that “Alas. The bird is dead.” He would release the bird to fly away. Either way, people would think him wiser by far.

So…the young man approached the porch with his hands behind his back and told the old man he had a riddle for him. He brought his hands around in front of him and said, “Can you tell me if this bird is alive or dead?”

The old man squinted his eyes and thought for a minute. Then he stated his answer, “Son. It all depends on you.”