The Suppertime Scoffer
Afew minutes before dinnertime, I answered the phone. “Shalom.”
“Yeah, so what do you think about…?”
There was no “hello.” No “how are you?”
“Oh hi, Doc.”
I recognized the resigned look on my wife’s face as she realized I was going to be on the phone for a while.
It was 1977 and my wife Lori and I were still relative newbies adjusting to our first field of service: Miami Beach, Florida. Finding Jewish people willing to discuss Jesus was a challenge. So, when a Jewish man called me to ask questions, I was delighted.
He introduced himself as “Doc Brown” and said he was interested in discussing religion. I was eager to dialogue about biblical truth – and he was calling me!
And call me he did. Nearly every week, usually around suppertime. The conversations were never short.
Doc had opinions on everything. Whenever I tried to steer the discussion toward the gospel, he would listen briefly and then redirect the conversation to another subject.
After months of these calls, Lori finally said, “Why does he always call when dinner is ready? I think you’re his hobby.”
“But he keeps calling… and he doesn’t know the Lord. And we’ve got people praying for his salvation.”
One evening, I decided to be more direct.
“Doc, one day you’re going to stand before Jesus and acknowledge who He is. Scripture says every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
Without hesitation he replied, “Yeah, well, when I see Jesus, I’m going to tell Him, ‘Kiss my feet.’”
I was horrified. The truth became abundantly clear: Doc was not a seeker of truth; he was a scoffer.
Seeking counsel, I met with my pastor and shared my frustration. After listening for a few minutes, he interrupted.
“His name is not Doc Brown, it’s *Marvin.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’ve met him. He works over at the pharmacy; he’s not a doctor. And he’s not interested in believing in Jesus. He’s wasting your time.”
I was dumbfounded.
The next day, Lori needed a prescription refilled. At the pharmacy, I asked, “Is Marvin here?”
“Who’s asking?” came the reply.
I recognized the voice immediately.
Without a word, I handed him the prescription. He read Lori’s name, looked up, and instantly changed his demeanor. He quietly filled the prescription, took my payment, and walked away.
Marvin never called again. The game was over once his true identity had been exposed.
We continued to pray that God would remove the spiritual blinders from his eyes and transform him from a scoffer into a genuine seeker of truth.
Written by Wes,
Life in Messiah Global Ambassador
