"A LESSON THEY WOULDN’T FORGET"

A YOUNG LADY named Sally relates an experience she had in class, involving her teacher, whom we will call Mr. Smith. She says that Mr. Smith was known for his elaborate and innovative object lessons. One particular day Sally walked into class and she knew they were in for another "fun" day. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table was a stack of darts. Mr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry and he would allow them to throw darts at the person’s picture.

Sally’s girlfriend on her right, drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend on her left, drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of Mr. Smith, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing. Sally was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts, with much laughter and hilarity. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, but was filled with disappointment when Mr. Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats.

As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn’t have a chance to throw any darts at her target, Mr. Smith began removing the target from the wall. Underneath the target was a picture representing Jesus.

A complete hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus. Holes and jagged marks covered his face and his eyes were pierced out.

Mr. Smith said only these words, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40).

No other words were necessary. The tear-filled eyes of each student focused on the picture of Christ. The students remained in their seats after the bell rang, then slowly left the classroom, tears streaming down their faces.

May this story serve as a reminder that our attitude toward Jesus Christ is demonstrated by the way that we treat people around us.