The Birdcage

There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit.

Several eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak.

"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me, swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.

I stopped the lad and asked, 'What do you have there, son?"
'Just some old birds,' came the reply.
'What are you gonna do with them?' I asked.
'Take 'em home and have fun with 'em. I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers, and I'm gonna make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time.'
'But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later.
What will you do then?'
'Oh, I got some cats. They like birds. I'll take 'em to them.'

I was silent for a moment.
'How much do you want for those birds, son?'
'Huh??!!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister.
They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing, and they ain't even pretty!'
'How much?'
The boy sized me up as if I was crazy and said, '$10.00?'

I reached in my pocket and took out a ten-dollar bill. I placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. I picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot.

Setting the cage down, I opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars, persuaded the birds out, setting them free."

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

"One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting.

'Yes sir, I just caught that world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!'

'What are you going to do with them?' Jesus asked.

'Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!'

'And what will you do when you get done with them?' Jesus asked.

'Oh, I'll kill 'em.' Satan said.

'How much do you want for them?' asked Jesus.

'Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you!! You don't want those people!!' said Satan.

'How much?' Jesus replied.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, 'All your tears, and all your blood.'