Sermon Illustrations

During the civil wars in feudal Japan, an invading army would sweep into town and take control. In one particular village, everyone fled just before the army arrived, except the Zen Master. Curious about this old fellow, the general went to the temple to see for himself what kind of man this master was. When he wasn’t treated with the deference and submissiveness he was accustomed to, the general burst in anger as he reached for his sword, “You fool! Don’t you realize you are standing before a man who could run you in with a sword without blinking an eye?” And the Zen Master calmly replied, “And don’t you realize that you are standing before a man who can be run through with a sword without blinking an eye?”

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