Messa: Modern day Parable by Gary St. Laurent.

Toby lived in a country with strict religious beliefs. In a city of strong tradition but having very prideful spiritual leaders. Proud of their high and mighty moral codes, even though they rarely followed it. Although my mom and dad tried hard to bring him up in the good way; He would not be good. Toby's life of lying, and making mom cry, fighting with my brothers and sisters. Stealing from my parents when they slept, always causing trouble. Toby just wouldn't listen to anybody.

Toby soon grew into a young man and left home. I would pick-pocket the rich, and never help the poor beggar. I would tell them; go out and get a job, you bum.

Soon I was getting in trouble with the law; but always managed

to get away. I had a secret hiding place behind my house.

Then one day while I was stealing a chicken on the edge

of the village; comes this large, very happy dog, I think

he came from another town. He was wagging his tail as he ran

towards me and jumped up to my chest and began licking me with great happiness and love.

Well I never had such a friendly animal, nor any

good friends. Having such a hard heart towards

everyone, I pushed him down. I grabbed my stolen chicken,

and put him in my sack, hopped on my band rode to my lonely empty home, took a shower, and sat down, resting my feet, wondering about this strange dog.

Then all of a sudden, I hear a scratching on the door. I opened it and this same dog had followed me home, burst though the door, came flying into the air an jumped up into my chest and licked my face.

Toby shoved him off and the dog went and hid under the dresser and with puppy eyes and a confused face, (as if he was saying);

'Why don't you accept my love and happiness to you?

Well, Toby decides to let this dog stay. At least it was someone to talk too. Toby noticed a name tag on the dog's collar, faded word; It looked like the word 'Messa”. So that's what Toby called him.

Well time goes on; actually about 3 yrs. Or more; an Toby accepted 'Messa' , although sometimes Toby treated him badly, sometimes good.

Messa would bark if anyone came near my house. And Toby walked, together once and a while in the forest.

When Toby would plan to go and steal hurt someone, somehow Messa always seemed to know Toby was about to do a bad thing and would pull on Toby's pant leg with his teeth, as to say don't do it. I know what you are about to do is wrong. Stop now! Stay home.

Toby would not listen to anyone, even Messa, who had become his only friend. Toby went out to do bad things anyway. Toby Broke open a back door of an old man's house, and took some treasure. The old man just came home and Toby beat him to the ground. Turns out, that this was the police chief's father.

Well, the police chief found where Toby lived, an came to toby's house, banging on the door, to arrest him.

As usual, Messa there to protect Toby and Messa began to bark loudly. Meanwhile Toby ran to the back of the house into his special hiding place. Then the Police broke the front door and was confronted by Messa. The police began to kick and beat

Messa terribly, and they kicked Messa into the corner.

Then they found Toby in his secret place and dragged him out

into the field out back an tied Toby to a dead tree and began

to walk away laughing. Lets let him suffer in the hot sun for a few hours while we go to lunch. As they finished eating

they walked back to the edge of the field. Toby was still tied to that dead tree.

Toby was very thirsty. It had been so very hot that day. Since Toby beat up the father of the police chief, the chief wanted revenge. The chief was so angry at what Toby did to his papa, that he and the police team decided to have a mock trial. They went into the coffee shop and began the trial, without Toby present. The Police chief played the judge.

He says; I vote guilty, and the punishment for Toby's crime was death. They were on the other side of the field where Toby was and raised their weapons. The chief says to the other police; ready! ...aim...

Meanwhile on the other side of the field where Toby was tied up and helpless, he heard a whimpering of an animal close by in the grass. It was Messa! He had crawed his sore body through the field to be by Toby's side.

And with one more burst of strength; all that he had left; Messa jumped up onto Toby's chest, right at the same moment when the chief shouts, FIRE!

Messa took The bullet hit Messa instead of Toby. Messa's blood flowed out all over Toby, but he was fine. Messa dropped dead to the ground. Soldiers looked from a distance; saw Toby covered in blood. And believed he was dead. Then the police left quickly away in their motor bikes. Toby began to cry over his best friend who saved his life. Then the sky became very dark and windy. Someone came by; untied Toby. Toby took Messa in his arms and hugged and cried. Then he found small hole, like a cave, and Buried poor Messa, covering the entrance with some stones. Toby ran home and washed off Messa's blood which covered Toby. He thought, by Messa's blood, I am free from the police chief's wrath. As long as he never found out that I was alive. So Toby hid; knowing he could not stay in the city any longer, afraid that he may be found out. So Toby Made plans to leave the city and in 3 days. He went to say good bye to Messa at the small cave out in the field. He had saved my life, he thought. He showed me unconditional love. I must leave this life of lawless, evil life; and start over in another place. As he came to the place where Toby had buried him He found the stones were taken out of the entrance and Messa's body was gone! I began to cry out; who stole my Messa? I knelt there for a while and suddenly I began to heard a rustling in the grass. What was that? Was it an animal who had grabbed Messa's body to eat him? Was it something that would grab me too? To my surprise, Happy and energetic Messa popped his head up out of the tall grass and leaped out and jumped up on my chest and licked my face happily Oh! How could this be? So wonderful to see you all alive and well! You have come back to life! and I noticed scar marks where Messa was shot, his wounds were healed, though the evidence was there of what happened.

I just knew that this Messa was sent by God in heaven to love me, the worst of sinners, and by his sacrifice, I am free from death. And that Messa has the right way, which I must follow. So He and I went our merry way into another city to begin our life new, and to follow the example of Messa, my very best friend.

THE END

Jesus came to the sinner. Loved us no matter what kind of person we are. Yet we rejected his love; or only let him help us.

Keep us company; but we have so little love for Him.

Our ways of life is unloving to this Messa...Messiah

who came to show kindness; friendship; and in the end,

die in my place. I deserved to be punish Says the Christian God, But He also does not want to punish us in the life-here-after.

So With all the strength He had, came as a man to come

into our lives and show what love He has for us.

And even with His last hours; died to save us, when we know we are guilty of so many things. His blood covers us.

Our punishment is canceled. Our Messa...Messiah has been resurrected from the dead.

We still have Messa...Messiah to comfort us; love us; and show us

how to live a good life, pleasing to Messa..Messiah,

and to Make a new life of faith; hope and love now

and a beautiful home in heaven when we die.

A promise of Eternal life.

Heb.9:22 'And according to the law, one may almost say,

all things are cleansed with blood and without shedding

of blood there is no forgiveness. 23 Therefore it was necessary

for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed

with theses, but the heavenly things themselves

with better sacrifices than these

28 so Christ also, having been offered to bear the sins of many will

appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin

to those who eagerly await Him.'

Rom.

6:23The wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life.

3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

5:8 God (Father) demonstrates His own love towards us, in that

while we were yet sinners, Christ.(..Messiah), died for us.'

Isa. 53:5-6 Pierced for our transgressions...by His strips

we are healed. 6 All of us have gone astray;...gone our own

way. The Lord has caused our iniquities to fall on Him.

Isa.42:6 'I am the Lord who calls you in righteousness.

I will hold you by the hand and watch over you.'

Rom10:9-10 If you confess with your mouth Jesus as lord,....

(No longer need any more blood sacrifice,

but does require a living sacrifice.

Rom.12:1 Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable, this is reasonable service of worship'

Jn.3:16 'For God so loved the world (humanity), that He sent His one and only Son, that whosoever would believe (in Him and accept His ways of living), would not perish but have Eternal life.

Rom.10:9-10 If you confess with your mouth Jesus as lord,....

and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead,

you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes,

resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses,

resulting in salvation.'

8:1-2Therefore; There is now no condemnation for those who are

in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus

has set you free from the law of sin and of death.'

(and blood sacrifices)

Eph.2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith,

and that it is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God;

9 Not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.'

Other verses to study

Math. 27:45 ...Darkness fell on the land...

27:27 ….soldiers took Jesus, stripped Him, beat Him

Mk.15:24 ...they crucified Him (to a tree)

1Pet.2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain

from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.'

Phil.3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven,

and from it we await a Savior, the Lord, Jesus Christ.