A retelling of Luke 17:1-10

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A Parable

“There was a black man sitting in his home, watching TV. An off duty police officer, who was white, broke into his home and shot him in the chest. At her murder trial, the man’s brother was invited to testify. Everyone in the courtroom expected the younger brother to speak to his own experience of the sin and demand an eye-for-an-eye. But instead, the young man forgave the officer and hugged her.”

The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.

‘Who among you would say to your brother’s killer, “Come here at once and take your place at the table?” Would you not rather say to her, “You deserve to die; do your time, rehabilitate yourself, and then you can try to prove to me you aren’t a horrible monster”? Do you reward a police officer for abusing their power? So you also, when you have abused your power, say “I believed this was mine; I was only doing what I was taught.”