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Dr. Fred Craddock had no qualms about calling his childhood neighbor, Mr. Cook, a “hateful man”; after all, when Fred was just a young boy, Mr. Cook killed his dog. Fred’s sentiment toward Mr. Cook is easy to understand because many people have had a neighbor like Mr. Cook.
But few people have had a father like Fred’s.
The dog’s name was Dempsey, named after prizefighter, Jack Dempsey. Dempsey wasn’t a special dog, by any means, but Dempsey was their dog, and the news of his untimely death was upsetting to say the least. So when Fred’s father came home from work that evening, young Fred blurted out, “Mr. Cook killed Dempsey!”
Fred’s father didn’t even sit down for supper. He walked straight out the door and down the road to Mr. Cook’s house. While Fred’s mother cried and prayed in the kitchen, a chorus of kids echoed a vengeful refrain from the front porch: “Go get him, go get him!”
Fred’s father was gone a long time. A very long time. And when he came back, he had blood on his shirt.
When they saw their father, they immediately asked what happened, thinking that a fight had ensued. Mr. Craddock calmly stated, “I never knew that Mr. Cook was an epileptic.”
No one did.
Fred’s father continued. “I went down there to let him have it, and he was on the porch in a seizure – chewing on his tongue, and his mouth was bleeding. I got my hand in his mouth, got him free of chewing his tongue, and took him in the house and cared for him until he was able to get up and sit in a chair. That’s where I got the blood.”
And then young Fred, who would grow up to be a nationally-known preacher, asked his father, “Well, now that he’s feeling better, you going to go down there and beat him up?”
Mr. Craddock couldn’t do what Fred wanted him to do because he was too busy doing what Jesus wanted him to do. In His first sermon, Jesus gave this piece of instruction:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43-44)
Lives are always changed when we do what Jesus commands.
Resource’s Origin:
Craddock Stories by Fred B. Craddock. Chalice Press, 2001, Page 136.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Anger
Blood
Care
Dogs
Enemy
Father
Fighting
Forgiveness
Help
Jesus’ Teaching
Kill
Love
Men
Neighbor
Pets
Revenge
Save
Violence
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
