Ben Johnson, a teacher at Columbia Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, tells the story of a young man who came to the door of a monastery with a large duck in his arms. He asked for his uncle, one of the monks, and said he wanted to give his uncle and the other monks the duck as a gift for all they had done for him. Eat it in good health, he said.

A few days later another knock came on the monastery door. I am a friend of the nephew who brought you the duck. I’ve been a little down on my luck lately and I was wondering if I could…