Recently in Crosslight we ran a feature about whether Easter has been overrun by rabbits. We then received this parable, which we thought warranted a run, especially considering the name of the author.
By Norman Warren
There was a Rabbit named Jesus.
Jesus could never understand why his parents gave him that name.
Most of the other rabbits poked fun at him calling him dumb, a misfit, a real bunny. There were some who were scared to befriend him just in case they got into trouble too. And others just passed him by on the other side of the track.
You see Jesus loved everyone. He didn’t like the way the other rabbits treated one another.
There was one though called Peter. He could talk to him and he showed signs of wanting to be friends. He was the biggest rabbit he had ever seen. The other rabbits were too afraid of him so they kept to themselves and left him alone.
Peter often came over to Jesus’s home and they would go out into the fields together to play. Peter was so big if he fell over onto Jesus when they were playing he couldn’t get out of bed for a week.
But Peter knew a story about Jesus. This Jesus, though, wasn’t a rabbit. He was one of those human people who often came with guns and traps to kill and eat them.
Peter said to him: “This man Jesus loved everyone just like you do.” And he had many people abusing him and trying to get rid of him”.
As he listened intently to the way Peter told it, Jesus was awestruck by the story.
Sadly, Peter said: “Many people hated him (Jesus the man) so much they hanged him from a tree in the shape of a cross”.
Jesus said he was from the great creator God who made everything and was God’s Son. Others didn’t like this because they saw themselves as God’s people and to call oneself God’s Son was blasphemous.
Jesus, the rabbit that is, was starting to understand why his parents called him such a strange name. Strange for a rabbit anyway.
He loved Easter because he could go around giving presents to people and watching their faces light up with excitement. He cared about the sick rabbits who he visited often and told them stories about the goodness of life and all the wonderful spots in the neighbourhood where the good food was and where they could play and enjoy life.
Jesus started to get an image in his mind of this God Son and then remembered his mother and father saying; “I hope one day Jesus understands his name. If we tell him he won’t believe us but if someone else does he might.”
You see often we don’t listen to our parents. We listen to others who don’t always tell us the truth and in the end get us into trouble.
Jesus the human and divine one, God’s Son, was just like Peter rabbit who told Jesus the rabbit the truth about his name.
Easter is that time we learn about Jesus and how God sent him to show us how to love one another and trust each other. Although Jesus did die on the cross God gave him back his life and said: “Anyone who believes this I will give them back their life to live with me just like I gave Jesus back his life.”
From then on Jesus, the rabbit, never complained about his name but wore it with pride. You should also wear your name with pride because it is a gift to you from God and your parents.
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