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Once in a certain village, there lived a peasant who was miserly. He never gave anything to anyone. He maintained a safe distance from any charity activities. He also seldom went to church. His wife however, had a heart of gold. She always gave whatever she could to the needy. Any person who arrived at her doorstep would not go empty handed. She would find something in the house to donate. So she was loved in the neighborhood but because of her husband’s miserliness, she often had to cut a sorry figure in front of people. The peasant knew about all these events, yet he never even tried to rectify his habit.
Once, Jesus decided to test the generosity of the peasant’s wife. When the peasant was not at home, he disguised himself as a beggar and approached his house. He asked for some food. The peasant’s wife invited him into the house and served him her share of the lunch. He was so pleased with her generosity that he decided to bless her. He revealed his identity and also informed her that she would have a dream that night. He also advised her to act according to her dream as she would become rich.
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After saying this Jesus disappeared. The peasant’s wife was very happy after this incident and when the peasant returned, she informed him. He was also pleased and praised her generosity. That night, she dreamt that below their yam plant were some golden yams. She at once woke the peasant and asked him to dig underneath the yam plant. They discovered the golden yam and soon became rich. Despite their wealth, the peasant continued to be miserly in nature. He continued to give nothing away to the poor and needy people who approached his doorstep.
Jesus was aware of all these. He disguised himself as a beggar and approached the peasant for some food. The peasant gave him some worm infested stale bread. Jesus was astonished at the extent of difference between the peasant and his wife. He did not reveal his identity this time but said that he will have a dream that night. The peasant happily went to bed thinking that he would gain more wealth. He dreamt that his golden yams were replaced by ordinary yams. He checked the yams and found that his dream had come true. He realized that the beggar was none other than Jesus. He gave up being parsimonious but never regained the golden yams. |
