The Theologian and the Farmer
A theologian and a farmer stood before an angel in an empty room.
“This exam will determine if you are ready to be used by God,” the angel told them.
“I have been studying for this my entire life,” thought the theologian.
The angel continued, “Let us begin. First question: in the door behind me, there is a man lying in a hospital bed who was unjustly beaten very badly. How many times does Jesus instruct this man to forgive his wrongdoers?”
The theologian glanced over at the farmer, saw that he looked uneasy, and thought, “How sad, even a man who plows in the field all day should know at least this much about the Bible.” He then stood straight with his chest out and answered, “In the book of Matthew, chapter 18, verse 22, Jesus tells Peter to forgive ‘seventy times seven times’, which is another way of saying to forgive without limits.”
“That is correct,” the angel responded.
The theologian smirked and folded his arms.
“Now I will proceed with the next question,” the angel said.
But the farmer, still feeling troubled, asked, “Is the man OK?”
“Who?”
“The one in the hospital bed.”
“He will survive, but he has sustained harsh injuries.”
“Then why are we standing here answering questions? Please let me go next door to find out how I may help him.”
The angel smiled and promptly moved out of his way.