The Strength of the Taxman
Luke 19:1-10
Illustration
by John Wayne Clarke

There is a story about a local fitness center that was offering $1,000 to anyone who could demonstrate that they were stronger than the owner of the place. Here is how it worked. This muscle man would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and then hand the lemon to the next challenger. Anyone who could squeeze just one more drop of juice out, would win the money.

Many people tried over time - other weightlifters, construction workers, even professional wrestlers, but nobody could do it.

One day, a short and skinny guy came in and signed up for the contest. After the laughter died down, the owner grabbed a lemon and squeezed away. Then he handed the wrinkled remains to the little man.

The crowd's laughter turned to silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and six drops fell into the glass. As the crowd cheered, the manager paid out the winning prize and asked the short guy what he did for a living. "Are you a lumberjack, a weightlifter, or what?"

"No," the man replied, "I work for the IRS."

CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (Last Third): Father, Forgive Them, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., by John Wayne Clarke