"There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford"

A young girl was walking home one day and saw a poor homeless man on the side of the street. She asked her mom why he was there.

"Well, sweetie, he didn't want to have a job or responsibility, he just wanted to spend his money on drinking, so now he hasn't got a home and has to ask for money."

She thought about this, and said, "But it's very cold out, and I don't see that he has a coat on."

"Yes, he probably sold it or lost it somewhere. Most homeless are lazy and don't take care of their things."

She thought again, and asked, "What if he tried to take someone else's coat because he's so cold?"

"Well, then he'd probably go to jail and we taxpayers would have to pay for him, when he ought to be working and paying for himself."

The girl thought again, and said, "So, is this man not the one that I learned about in Sunday School? The one that Jesus said we should feed if he's hungry, or give him something to drink if he's thirsty, or clothe him if he's cold, or visit him if he's in jail?"

Her mother looked at her in shock. "Absolutely not! God blesses those who work hard and don't complain. Remember, Paul said if you can't work, you shouldn't eat."

"But, Mom, my Sunday school teacher said that early Christians lived in a communal style, and everyone had jobs to do. Does that man have a job he can work at?"

"I'm sure if he looked hard, he could find one," her mother said firmly.

And thus the Pharisee ignored the words of Christ again, believing herself to be far superior to that cold, hungry, thirsty, homeless person.