Sermon Illustrations: Honesty

Pepe Rodriguez was one of the most notorious bank robbers in the wild, wild west. He would creep over the border into Texas, rob a bank and then flee back to Mexico. The Texas Rangers got so frustrated they decided that they would cross the border illegally and track him down. There was a long search, and finally they cornered him in a Mexican bar. All the lawmen had their guns drawn. Pepe was terrified. He could speak no English and the Rangers couldn't speak any Spanish. So they asked Pepe's friend, the bartender, to translate. He explained to Pepe who they were. The Rangers asked the barman to explain to Pepe that they wanted to know where he had hidden all the money. If he didn't tell them, they would shoot him down like a dog. The bartender translated, and Pepe began to shake with fear. "Tell them the money is hidden in the well. Count down 17 stones from the handle, and that's where all the loot is." The bartender turned to the Rangers and said in English, "Pepe is a very brave man. He says that you are a bunch of stinking pigs, and he is not afraid to die."

A man assaulted a girl and when he was accused he denied it and got away with it. Some time afterwards, he was converted and later became a Baptist pastor. Twenty-five years after the original crime, there was a knock on the door and the police confronted him with his crime. "It's true," he said. He was arrested, went to court, and it was recommended that he serve home detention. However, the judge gaoled him for 2½ years. While in gaol, he was only attacked once. A prisoner punched him and he turned the other cheek. The following week, the prisoner who had attacked him had a large boil on his own cheek. While in prison, the pastor baptised sixteen converts.

A mobster discovered that his deaf accountant had cheated him out of ten million dollars. So he decided to confront him, and took along a sign-language interpreter. "Ask him where the money is," said the mobster. The interpreter did as he was told, and the accountant signed back, "I have no idea what are you talking about." The interpreter told the mobster, "He says he doesn't know what you're talking about." The mobster put a pistol to the accountant's head, and said, "Ask him again!" The interpreter signed, "Tell him where the money is. He'll kill you if you don't!" "Okay, okay!" the accountant signed. "The money is buried behind the oak tree in my backyard!" "What did he say?" the mobster asked the interpreter. "He says you don't have the guts to pull the trigger."