The Fable Of The Just Man, A Story About The Triumph Of Truth

The fable of the just man tells the story of a peasant who lived in a distant country, his way of acting being a model of conduct. All his neighbors appreciated him, consulting him frequently when they had problems. Likewise, they were aware of what he might need.

He was a great worker. He woke up at first light and worked tirelessly to support his family. There was always bread on his table, the fruit of his hard work. We can say that he was a happy man.

The fable of the righteous man says that the peasant had a small flock of sheep, but one day he noticed that one was missing. It was the smallest. Maybe she had gone that way and now she was lost. Without hesitation, he entered the field to search for the animal. He walked and walked until he finally spotted her near a rocky area.

An unexpected find

The peasant approached and the little sheep was startled. She jumped up and was caught between some stones. The man quickened his pace and when he got to where the animal was, he began to remove the rocks to free it. It was not easy because the area was very uneven. He was just about to do it when he saw something sparkle under the stones.

Intrigued, he kept digging after freeing the sheep. What would not be his surprise when he identified the stimulus of his curiosity: a huge diamond stuck to a rock. He carefully detached it, to run home and tell his wife what had happened.

The fable of the righteous man tells that his wife jumped for joy. Those cliffs were within the land they owned. So there was no discussion : now they were millionaires. The two went back to the site to see if there were any more gemstones, but they found nothing. They didn’t care, the diamond was enough.

A surprise reaction

The news spread like wildfire. Acquaintances came from many places to congratulate them. They all felt great affection for this man, who on many occasions had helped them in a thousand ways. There was a great celebration . However, the richest man in the village was not amused by what happened.

This landowner was powerful and jealous of the peasant’s good fortune. It tells the fable of the just man who did not sleep because of the envy he felt. How could this poor man be, overnight, as wealthy as he? He did not tolerate the idea of ​​seeing this peasant as an equal by chance.

His anger was so great that he decided not to allow the peasant to enjoy his fortune. As soon as he could he went to see the judge, his friend, and denounced the good man for theft. He assured that this diamond was within his property and that the peasant had sneaked in to steal it. The judge decided to support him in that base purpose.

A moral in the fable of the just man

Overnight, several policemen arrived at the peasant’s house and arrested him. Then they took him to jail, ignoring the pleas of the good man or the crying of his wife. It was the word of a humble worker against that of the most powerful man in the village. Besides, the judge was his friend. The die seemed cast.

The fable of the just man tells that the peasant’s friends came en masse to the court. The judge realized that it was not going to be so easy to indict him. He did not want to earn the enmity of the entire town. So he decided to hatch a plan to get away with it. He told everyone that he would leave the decision to Providence. Then he ordered a recess.

The judge went aside and took two papers. On both of them he wrote the word “Guilty.”   After a while he resumed the trial and told everyone that the situation was in God’s hands. He added that he had two ballots: one said “Guilty” and the other “Innocent.” The peasant had to choose one of the two and so everything would be decided.

The peasant knew that it was all a trap. Says the fable of the just man who thought for a moment. Then he took one of the ballots and ate it. Everyone was amazed. The impatient judge said he had ruined everything. Now how were they to know the verdict? The peasant smiled. “ It is very simple. It is only a matter of looking at the ballot that I did not choose to know what the one I did choose said and I swallowed ”. Shortly after, he was released.