Mustard Seed

They Broke My Head

Rev. William Miller served 43 years as a Presbyterian missionary in Iran. His book, Tales of Persia, describes several of his experiences in which he was able to share Jesus with people who did not know Him, like this one...

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It was a beautiful afternoon, and the sick men in the Christian hospital in Meshed were enjoying the sunshine as they lay in their beds on the upstairs porch. [This was the only hospital in the community where poor people could receive medical care.]

I climbed the stairs and went out onto the porch to visit them and to cheer them and to pray for them. I went from bed to bed, speaking a friendly word to each patient, for most of them were lonely and tired. At last I came to a bed on which lay an old man with a white beard. "Salaam!" [peace to you!]" I said. "How are you feeling, old man?"

"Thank God, I am much better," He said.

"Why are you here?" I asked. "What is the matter with you?"

"They broke my head," he replied.

"Broke your head!" I exclaimed. "Who broke your head?"

"Yes," he went on, "they broke my head, and they broke my leg. I was out in the desert alone, and they attacked me."

I looked at the old man, and I said to him, "Tell me, are you a shepherd?"

"Yes," he replied. "I am a shepherd. One night I was out in the desert with my sheep. Suddenly I saw three men coming toward me, and I knew that they were robbers who wanted to steal my sheep. I was afraid, for they were three and I was only one. So I turned and ran toward the village. As I was running, I thought about my sheep and looked back to see what was happening to them. What do you think they were doing? They were all running after me! I said to myself, 'These poor sheep expect me to protect them; I can't leave them and run away!' So I turned back and fought the robbers. They had a shovel, and with that they hit me on the leg and broke my leg, and they also hit me on the head and broke my head. And I fell down on the ground unconscious."

"What happened to the sheep?" I asked.

"Oh," he replied, "while I was fighting the robbers, all the sheep got to the village. Not one of them was lost."

"And what happened to you?" I asked.

"In the morning," he replied, "someone found me and picked me up and brought me here to this hospital. The doctor has been kind to me, and God has been gracious. I am getting well."

"You are a true shepherd," I said to the old man. "You loved your sheep more than you loved your own life, and you risked your life to save your sheep. Now I want to tell you about another shepherd who loved his flock so much that he really did die for them."

I opened the Persian New Testament that I had in my hand and read from John 10 what Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd... And I lay down my life for the sheep." I told the old shepherd how Jesus Christ had come from heaven to save us and how he died on the cross to give us life.

Reprinted from Tales of Persia, by William McElwee Miller, copyright 2005 P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ. (pages 36-39) by special permission of the publisher. Permission expires December 31, 2012.