ChosenRebel's Blog

Found this in one of my old preaching files from my brief five-year career as one of the preaching professors at a seminary in California, before my career for 12 years as the church planting prof at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

So, if you appreciate this anonymous parable, you can thank my student, Ben Yosief, who passed it on to me, but thought it was clever and funny, and thought I would pass it along for a pastoral chuckle.

“Fred Somebody, Thomas Everybody, Pete Anybody and Joe Nobody were neighbors, but they were not like you and me. They were odd people and most difficult to understand. The way they lived was a shame. All four belonged to the same church, but you couldn’t have enjoyed worshipping with them. 

EVERYBODY went fishing on Sunday or stayed home to visit with friends.
ANYBODY wanted to worship but was afraid
SOMEBODY wouldn’t speak to hims so 
NOBODY went to church.

Really, NOBODY was the only decent one of the four. NOBODY did the visitation. NOBODY worked on the church building. Once they needed a Sunday School teacher. EVERYBODY thought ANYBODY would do it; and SOMEBODY thought EVERYBODY would teach. It happened that a fifth neighbor came to live among them. EVERYBODY thought SOMEBODY should try to win him for Christ. ANYBODY could have at least made an effort. But guess who finally won him to Christ? That’s right . . . NOBODY!

—Anonymous