When Yufa was twenty-years-old, he went to the marketplace to buy something. There, he saw a preacher place a small stool on the ground, stand on it, and begin to speak. This action immediately drew a crowd of onlookers, Yufa among them.
The preacher said, “Jesus told us that if someone slaps us on the right cheek, we should turn to them the other cheek, also.’” Upon hearing this, Yufa shook his head and walked away, muttering, “What kind of stupid teaching is this?”
For years, he continued to shake his head and mutter. How could one forgive and love one’s enemies? he wondered. All around him he saw the ruthlessness of his fellow man, the oppressive cruelty of their government, the countless tragedies of poverty, sickness and natural disaster. This Jesus was a fool, he thought, and the god he served is an illusion. Mercy is for the weak.
This Jesus was a fool, he thought, and the god he served is an illusion. Mercy is for the weak.
Yufa grew up to marry, have children, and work as a university professor in his city. Although he rejected religious ideologies outright, he was in favor of political reform in his country, and this put him in grave danger. One day, as his teenage son was walking through the university grounds, he saw that the governing authorities had erected yet another of their “big-character posters,” with names of those considered to be disloyal dissidents. Seeing his father’s name among them, he rushed home. “Dad, Dad!” he shouted. “Your name is on the poster!” :
Upon hearing this, Yufa was neither surprised nor defensive. Instead, he silently picked up a small stool from their house, walked across the university grounds and placed the stool in front of the poster. There he sat, inviting public criticism and waiting to be arrested.
Unexpectedly, the leader of the faction that had written the poster was on the university grounds, and walked over. Seeing Yufa’s quiet, dignified courage, he felt a grudging respect. Rather than arrest him, he lightly kicked the leg of the stool and whispered, “Go home. This doesn’t concern you.” Stunned, Yufa picked up his stool and went home. The man’s mercy was bewildering.
More years passed, and his children grew into adulthood. He was dismayed when his daughter decided to immigrate to Canada, but hopeful that life would be better for her there. Eventually she became a Canadian citizen, which pleased him: she was safe and secure and her future would be bright. But then, not long after, he was shocked to be told that she had become a follower of Jesus.
Father and daughter argued vehemently, but she could not be dissuaded. Yufa felt as though he had lost his daughter not just to a foreign land but to a foreign ideology that was destined to disappoint. He resigned himself to the growing rift between them.
Forty years went by; Yufa was an old man of eighty years. His daughter, anxious to see her parents before they were too old and sick to travel, begged them to come to Canada, and they accepted. Once in their daughter’s home, honor dictated that they accept the invitation to go to their church on Sunday. Yufa’s guard was up, ready to critique and reject the foolish teachings of Jesus. However, as he listened to the translated sermon, he was taken aback to hear the same message being shared that he had heard in the marketplace, so many years ago.
“In Matthew 5:39,” the preacher said, “Jesus tells us that we must turn the other cheek, forgive others, and show mercy. It is the merciful who will receive God’s mercy. Have you never been in need of mercy?”
Sitting there, Yufa suddenly remembered the big-character poster, and the unexpected mercy of the government official who did not arrest him that day. Tears began to stream down his face. Alarmed, his daughter asked him if he was unwell.
“This Jesus,” he choked out, “his words are true. I see it now. In my life, I have had experiences that show me that these words are true. I have received mercy, when I deserved judgment.” That day, both Yufa and his wife accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord of their lives, and chose to be baptized not long after.
Three years later, at the age of eight-three, the Lord called Yufa home.