An Allegory...

[Ovedya]

A man seeking answers to life's deepest questions was inspired to travel to India to seek out a wise holy man. After several days' travel he finally reached the peak of a high mountain where the holy man lived, and found him sitting on the edge of a large boulder. The man told the wise seer, "Oh wise one, I am seeking the answer to life's deepest questions. I have traveled a long distance and spent many days climbing this tall mountain just to seek your council. Oh wise one, what are the steps to heaven, and what must I do to acheive eternal life?"

In order to attain eternal life," said the holy man, "You must climb back down this mountain by the steps that I've carved from the steep side to the south. The conditions are, you must not miss a single step. If you do miss a single step, you must climb back up to the top and begin again. Also, your right foot must fall upon each step first, so that each of your feet is placed upon each step at a time, and then the next step receives first your right foot and then your left. Again, if you fail to step upon each step with the right foot first, you must climb back to the top and begin again; and if both feet do not fall upon each step, then you must start over. Next, as you proceed down the stone steps, you must bend down and write you name upon the step from which you previously walked upon, with this piece of chalk. If you fail to write your name upon each step, or if you fall, or if you fail to place your right foot upon each step, then you must climb back to the top and begin again. But if you follow each of these conditions and you make it down to the bottom of the mountain, there will be a well there filled with water. Drink from that well and you will receive eternal life."

The next day the man found the steps which the holy man had carved into the steep southern side of the mountain, and began his journey. He began with the first step, with the chalk that the wise holy man had given him. But instead of stepping down to the second step with his right foot, he had begun with his left. No big deal, thought the man, it's only the first step. So he started again. This time the man had gotten about 1/4 of the way down the mountain before he tripped upon a step and missed the next one down. So he climbed back up (It was equal the distance of about half the mountain, considering that he had to climb back up and start again) and began again, a little frustrated. On the third try the man got about halfway down before forgetting to bend down and write his name on the previous step with the chalk. Even more infuritated than the second time, the man climbed back up the mountain and began again.

For four straight days the man tried in vain to take each step according to the conditions that the holy man had laid out for him to gain eternal life: Each time he tried he had either forgotten to step with his right foot, to place each of his feet on each step, to write his name on the previous step, or he fell and missed one, two, or three steps in a row. Frustrated to the uttermost, the man climbed back up the mountain and went back to the holy man, who was still sitting on the same boulder.

In tears the man told the wise holy seer what had happened to him over the previous four days, and then asked finally, "Why is salvation so hard to acheive?" To this the holy man told the seeker, "Indeed, salvation is not hard to acheive at all. You see, the water which brings eternal life is still at the bottom of the mountain. All one need do is climb down and drink it. "But I can't climb down the mountain. I can't follow all those conditions in order to get down there. It's just too hard!"

Raising his hand, the holy man pointed to a small fountain some distance off, and giving the seeker a small wooden cup told him, "Draw from that fountain." The seeker obeyed the holy man, and went to the fountain and filled the cup. "Now drink," called the holy man. The man drank and returned with the cup.

Said the holy man, "The water from that fountain is pumped from the well at the bottom of the mountain, therefore, you have drunk from the well at the bottom of this mountain. You will now have eternal life." The man was shocked. He raised his fists and shook them in anger and frustration, "Well if all I had to do was to drink from that fountain in the first place, why did you make me suffer for four days trying to acheive my own salvation!"

The holy man replied, "When you came here seeking the answers to life's deepest questions you had already travelled a great distance, and you had already climbed this high mountain. If I had told you that all you need do was drink from this fountain, would you have believed me?" "Well, no," said the man, "Not exactly. I mean...I guess it woudn't have seemed so simple."

"Yes," said the holy man, "You were expecting to have to work for your salvation, when in reality salvation was merely a few simple steps away. You could have merely taken the cup - which I would have given freely - and taken a drink from the fountain. But you would not have wanted to. You would have wanted salvation as a reward for an impossible task. Such is the lesson for all who pass this way. Not one man who has undertaken this task had acheived his salvation by the steps. But each has received the free gift of salvation by drinking from the same fountain from which you just drank."

[Matthitjah]

You mean Jesus Christ died for my sin so that I could gain eternal life?

Pish posh I ain't having any of it.

Where's the stairs?

Beau,

Good allegory brother.

Love ya bro.

Peace,

Dave

[Old Timer]

Pardon me, Ovedya, but I couldn

[Ovedya]

Pardon me, Ovedya, but I couldn