The Miser and the Stone
ParableStoryIllustration★★★★“ What an unfortunate wretch am I!” complained a miser to his neighbour. “ Some one last night has taken away the treasure which I buried in the garden and laid a cursed stone in its place.” “ And yet you have never used your treasure,” answered his neighbour. “ Only bring yourself to believe that the stone is still your treasure, and you are none the poorer.” “ If I am none the poorer,” returned the miser, “ is not some one else the richer? The thought is enough to drive me mad.”
— Lessing
Prof. Lessing.
The point
A miser bemoans his stolen treasure replaced by a stone, missing that he never used the treasure anyway—illustrating how obsession with possessions, used or not, destroys peace.
Scripture
1 Timothy 6:7Proverbs 23:4-5
Audience
AdultsYouth
Tone
Convicting · Thought-Provoking
To tell aloud
under a minute · 94 words