One day, while a woodcutter was cutting a
branch of a tree above a river, his axe fell into
the river. When he cried out, the Lord appeared and
asked, "Why are you crying?"
The woodcutter replied that his axe has
fallen into water.
The Lord went down into the water and
reappeared with a golden axe.
"Is this your axe?" the Lord asked.
The woodcutter replied, "No."
The Lord again went down and came up with a
silver axe.
"Is this your axe?" the Lord asked.
Again, the woodcutter replied, "No."
The Lord went down again and came up with an
iron axe.
"Is this your axe?" the Lord asked.
The woodcutter replied, "Yes."
The Lord was pleased with the man's honesty
and gave him all three
axes to keep,
and the woodcutter went home happily.
One day while he was walking with his wife
along the riverbank,
the
woodcutter's wife fell into
the river. When he cried out, the Lord again
appeared and asked him, "Why are you crying?"
"Oh Lord, my wife has fallen into the water!"
The Lord went down into the water and came up
with Jennifer Lopez.
"Is this your wife?" the Lord asked.
"Yes," cried the woodcutter.
The Lord was furious. "You cheat! That is an
untruth!"
The woodcutter replied, "Oh, forgive me, my
Lord. It is a
misunderstanding. You see, if I said
'no' to Jennifer Lopez, You will come up with
Catherine Zeta-Jones. Then if
I also say 'no' to
her, You will thirdly come up with my wife, and I will
say 'yes,' and then
all three will be given to
me. But Lord, I am a poor man and I will not be able
to take care of all
three wives, so that's why I
said yes this time."
The moral of the story is whenever a man lies,
it is for an
honorable and useful reason
