A soldier was explaining to his Sergeant why he’d brought a pack of cards to church parade, when other men had Bibles or prayer books.
‘You see, Sergeant, this pack of cards is all I need to know the story of the lost son.’
‘Explain yourself, soldier, or you’ll be on a charge.’
‘Well, the Ace reminds me that there was just one father who let his son go and waited for him to return.
‘The deuce stands for the two brothers; one apparently faithful, but driven by legalism; the other foolish and wanton, but repentant and humble.
‘When I see the trey, it speaks of the pigs in the sty, eating their pods, which the boy envied.
‘The four makes me consider the gifts the boy received: a coat, a ring and two sandals.
‘The five is a card that reminds me of the elements of the way he lived, with parties, gambling, drinking, feasting and wasting.
‘Now, then, the six speaks of the great distance the boy travelled to Dissipation City; it was six days’ journey from his farm to the casino.
‘And the seven is a reminder of the number of gold coins the father gave to the boy right at the start, which he spent in abandon.
‘The eight jogs my memory of the boy coming to his senses, as he considered how his father’s men ate well while he was starving.
‘The nine represents the hours it took to roast the fatted calf upon a spit, in celebration that the boy was no longer lost nor dead, but found and alive.
‘Now, the ten is a wonderfully rich and powerful aide-mémoire, Sergeant. A tense boy with extensive potential hastened to bartenders and attentive ostentatious women (verboten); later was discontent he’d eaten the rotten pigfood. Gains enlightenment from the omnipotent One; he’s penitent, softening his heart; chastened, tentatively asks his dad for tenure; but he doesn’t listen, and gives him calf that’s fattened & tenderised.
‘Jack, to be frank, behaved like a knave.
‘The Queen is the hotel and casino where the boy stayed.
‘The King reminds me of the King of kings, the Lord Jesus himself, who told this parable.
‘The thirteen tricks speak of the days the boy took to return home, since he was starving and exhausted.
‘There are three hundred and sixty five pips on these cards, Sergeant, and they remind me that God loves each of us every day of the year, no matter what we are doing, and he longs for us to return to him.
‘And there are four suits, and each of them speaks to me: Clubs are where the boy partied; Diamonds he gave to those wanton women; Spades are what he used to till the soil when he returned to his father’s house; and Hearts represent the father’s love for his son.
‘Perhaps best of all is that there are fifty two cards in this pack, and that reminds me of how to find the passage when I do have a Bible or New Testament with me, Sergeant; for the passage is found in the third gospel, in chapter fifteen, from verses eleven to twenty-three, and when I add up those numbers, it comes to fifty two.
‘So, you see, Sergeant, this pack of cards reminds me of the story of the Lost Son, and how welcome he was when he repented, humbled himself and returned to his father’s house.’
And the Sergeant turned away with a tear in his eye.
I know, for I was that Sergeant.
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