Stories Jesus Told Me: Jesus and the Crows
Excerpted from Stories Jesus Told Me
One day, while Jesus and I were walking across a large arid pasture we came upon a single noisy crow perched upon the horn of a giant bull that was laying dead on the dry grass. “Why did the bull die?” I asked Jesus.
“There has been no rain here for many weeks,” Jesus answered, “and the steer is far from any water. He probably died from thirst.”
“I suspect you are right,” I replied, observing the girth of the giant bull, “he doesn’t look as if he missed many meals.”
“I agree,” Jesus nodded.
“So what is that crow doing on the horn of that dead steer?” I asked. “And why is it making such a fuss?”
“Calling all his friends to tell them he has found fresh meat,” Jesus answered. “See them gathering in the tree tops along the far edges of the pasture.”
I looked around to see what appeared to be hundreds of crows perched in the trees off in the distance and what looked like thousands more flying in from every direction. “Why doesn’t it just start eating the bull,” I asked, “instead of calling all the others?”
“One crow cannot break the strong hide of an old steer,” Jesus explained. “It must have the beaks and claws of many crows to get the job done.”
“So the crow can only eat with the help of other crows?” I asked as we watched hundreds of crows land upon the bull to tear apart it’s leathery skin.
“That is correct,” Jesus answered.
“But won’t all the noise attract predators and other scavengers?” I asked.
“Oh they will come to investigate,” Jesus smiled, “but would you dare to walk into the middle of thousands of hungry crows?”
“Why they’d probably peck my eyes out,” I laughed, “there’s no way I would get that close to that many crows.”
“Nor would I,” Jesus smiled, “crows take care of their own.”
The next day we came upon a single crow quietly pecking at a few tiny morsels laying on a road. “Why is it not calling the other crows?” I asked.
“Because,” Jesus explained, “there are only a few bites. If the others come their energy will be wasted and they will leave hungrier than they came. It will call others when it finds enough to feed many, and leave nothing to waste. A wise crow knows it can only help others if it remains alive to do so.”
Jesus and I walked on as I pondered the events of the previous days. “So,” I asked, “the lessons you teach me are no good if I do not share them with my fellow man?”
“That is why I chose you to travel by my side,” Jesus confirmed, “as not all men have the ability to share these lessons with the world.”
Please continue reading Stories Jesus Told Me — The Unruly Child.