Divine Mercy

An Old Man and Jesus

An old man, about 70 years of age, a good friend to Jesus made an appointment with Jesus. He invited Jesus for a dinner at his home at 9pm. 9pm reaches and no one appears, waits for more 30mins, an old man in rugs came knocking at the door, well knowing that it was Jesus Himself, he went joyfully to open the door and when he set his eyes on the poor old man, he sent him away saying, “can’t you see, I’m expecting my God to visit and have dinner with me, not someone like you” and shut the door at him. 15mins later the same man knocks at the door again, “please offer me something to eat or drink, it’s been long since I had something to eat or drink” the poor old man said. The house owner once again chased him away and offered nothing to him. An hour later the same man knocks at the door again, the house owner frustrated and angered by the old man’s persistence, he angrily sent him away hungry and shut the door, well knowing that Jesus might not be coming that night, he turned off the lights and went off to bed. The following morning, he goes to meet Jesus again and he said, “Jesus, you disappointed me, how can you keep me waiting the whole night and you don’t turn up?” Jesus replied to him, “I came to your home and you sent me away, you didn’t offer either a drink or even something to eat. You expected me to come dressed in expensive garments and not as shubby as I came, you shut the door at me three times and angrily sent me away hungry” At this moment he remembered the old man he sent away, he then realised he sent Jesus away and he suddenly broke down into tears. Moral of the story, many times Jesus comes to us in unexpected ways and in people we least expect and we angrily drive Him away, we expect Him to come as a rich person not as someone in need,let us always be open to welcoming those who come to us for help, it might be Christ Himself coming to visit us. How many times have you shut the door for those in need? Reflect on this and make a genuine answer in your heart. God bless you all.