After a while JT felt the urge to leave the house on the rock. He thought he should be moving, how else was he to find out what he was searching for? One morning, he set out down the dusty road until he came to a forest.

There were so many trees, that he had never seen a forest this large before. After walking for a couple of hours he heard a faint sound of panic. “Help, Help.” The faint cry came.

JT ran towards the sound as fast as he could go. He hoped he could arrive in time to help whoever was in trouble.

The cries for help were stronger with each step he took. As he rounded the next bend, he saw a crowd of people standing and watching something. He came up to the crowd and managed to slip between them, as he was so small, and finally made it to the front.

There was a man that appeared to be stuck in quicksand, and he was submerged up to his neck. “Help, someone, please help me!!” the man cried frantically. The quicksand was not that large, it was only about 2 arm spans wide, but this unfortunate man was right in the middle of it.

JT looked at the crowd to see if anyone was going to help the man. There were some obviously strong people here, but they were not moving. As well, there looked to be some official looking people in uniforms. They were not helping either.

One thing seemed to be common though, everyone in the crowd seemed to be upset that the man was in trouble. JT thought, ‘this is very odd, everyone here seems to care that the man is in trouble, but no one is moving to help him.’

JT exclaimed aloud, “Isn’t anyone going to help that man in trouble?”

There was a shocked look from everyone in the crowd, as well as many who shook their heads sadly. One official looking man spoke loudly, “harrumph, little boy, everyone knows that you can’t work on this most holy of days.”

JT quickly replied, “Do you mean that you can’t save a man’s life because that is work?”

The round man continued, “ No that is silly, of course we can save a man’s life, we just can’t work to do it.”

“Do you have a rope to throw him,” JT asked urgently.

“Of course we have rope, what kind of tiny backwater town do you think we are? What does that have to do with anything?” the man replied, oblivious to the use a rope could be in saving this man’s life.

“Well then, if you have a rope you can hold one end, throw the other end to the man in the quicksand and pull him free.” JT said slowly as if explaining it to a small child.

“How can we do that?” the official looking man with many medals replied, “the rope is in the warehouse and it is closed for the day. Only working tools are in the warehouse.”

“Wouldn’t you want to be saved if you were in the quicksand?” JT plaintively cried, “It is only right that you should save him.”

Meanwhile, the man in the quicksand was slowly losing ground, only his face was above the liquid now.

Everyone shrugged, and a lady in fine dress, “It can’t be helped.”

JT looked around and found a long stick lying on the ground next to a tree. He ran over there grabbed the stick and then asked people to move out of the way so he could rescue the man in the quicksand.

“Here, here, you can’t do that!” the man in the official looking uniform said. “That is obviously work to pull him out.”

“What if I just threw it on the quicksand and let the man use it to get out of the quicksand without my help? Would that be ok?” JT pleaded, one eye on the official and one on the man in trouble.”

“Of course not, the man in the quicksand would be working then. Are you trying to make someone else break the law around here little boy?” He stared hard at the boy and motioned for a couple of other uniformed people to assist him.

JT quickly pushed the stick to the man, who grabbed it at once and began working his way to shore.

The crowd gasped aloud in disbelief. The man in the quicksand made it to shore and then climbed out and fell gasping for air as he lay there exhausted.

“Punish him, punish him, “the crowd began to chant as they looked at JT. JT was surprised, “Punish me for what, saving that mans’ life?”

“Young man, you heard the law, no working today, and yet you chose to work. What do you have to say for yourself?” The large man leaned over JT menacingly and waited for his reply.

“I would hope someone would save me if they were able. Do you not wish someone would save you if you got into trouble?” JT stood up and shouted defensively.

“If you stay here, you have to follow the rules, or you must leave now!!!”The official looking man shouted.

JT looked at them, looked at the exhausted man gasping for breath, and then said, “Then I will leave.” He picked up his bag and quickly made his way out of the crowd. ‘This is not a place I would choose to stay. I have learned a way of life I would not wish to follow. “

He trudged out away from the crowd at the quickest pace he could walk. He needed to be on his way and this place was not helpful to his quest.

QOTD: What scripture Verse does this story refer to?

Answer next week.

(The answer to Last Weeks’ QOTD: The Story referred to Matthew 7:21-29 The Two Builders)

To see last weeks’ story please click here

To see what this story series is about click here