There was a boy by the name of Andrew who was attending a Christian school

in Texas. In this school Dr. Matthews was one of the professors who taught theology and Bible. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as  long as they would abide by his rules. Andrew had been kicked out of his sixth period class for rowdy behavior and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Dr. Matthews’s class.

Andrew was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over. One day, Professor Matthews asked Andrew to stay after class so he could talk with him. After class, Dr. Matthews pulled Andrew aside and said, “You think you’re pretty tough, don’t you?”

Andrew’s answer was, “Yeah, I do.”

Then Dr. Matthews asked, “How many pushups can you do?”

Andrew said, “I do about 200 every night.”

“200? That’s pretty good, Andrew,” Dr. Matthews said. “Do you think you could do 300?”

Andrew replied, “I don’t know. I’ve never done 300 at a time.”

“Do you think you could?” Again asked Dr. Matthews.

“Well, I can try,” said Andrew.

“Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,” Dr. Matthews said.

Andrew said, “Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it.”

Professor Matthews said, “Good! I need you to do this on Friday.”

Friday came and Andrew got to class early and sat in the front of the room.  When class started, Dr. Matthews pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren’t the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls.

Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend. Dr. Matthews went to the first girl in the first row and asked, “Cynthia, do you want a donut?”

Cynthia said, “Yes.”

Dr. Matthews then turned to Andrew and asked, “Andrew, would you do ten pushups so that Cynthia can have a donut?”

Andrew said, “Sure,” and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Andrew again sat in his desk. Dr. Matthews put a donut on Cynthia’s desk.

Dr. Matthews then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, “Joe do you want a donut?”

Joe said, “Yes.” Dr. Matthews asked, “Andrew would you do ten pushups so Joe can have a donut?” Andrew did ten pushups and Joe got a donut.

And so it went, down the first aisle, Andrew did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And then he went down the second aisle, till Dr. Matthews came to Scott.

Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When Dr. Matthews asked, “Scott do you want a donut?”

Scott’s reply was, “Well, can I do my own pushups?”

Dr. Matthews said, “No, Andrew has to do them.”

Then Scott said, “Well, I don’t want one then.”

Dr. Matthews then turned to Andrew and asked, “Andrew, would you do

ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn’t want?”

Andrew started to do ten pushups. Scott said, “HEY! I said I didn’t want one!”

Dr. Matthews said, “Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.” And he put a donut on Scott’s desk.

Now by this time, Andrew had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Dr. Matthews started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Dr. Matthews asked Jenny, “Jenny, do you want a donut?”

Jenny said, “No.”

Then Dr. Matthews asked Andrew, “Andrew, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn’t want?” Andrew did ten, Jenny got a donut.

By now, the students were beginning to say “No” and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Andrew was also having to really put forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Matthews asked Robert to watch Andrew to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn’t bear to watch all of Andrew’s work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Andrew closely.

Dr. Matthews started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Dr. Matthews realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Andrew would be able to make it.

Dr. Matthews went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Andrew was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Andrew asked Dr. Matthews, “Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?”

Dr. Matthews thought for a moment, “Well, they’re your pushups. You can do them any way that you want.” And Dr. Matthews went on.

A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, “NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!”

Jason didn’t know what was going on. Andrew picked up his head and said, “No, let him come.”

Dr. Matthews said, “You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him.”

Andrew said, “Yes, let him come in.”

Dr. Matthews said, “Okay, I’ll let you get Jason’s out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?”

“Yes.”

“Andrew, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?”

Andrew did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr. Matthews finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Andrew’s arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Dr. Matthews went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, “Linda, do you want a doughnut?

Linda said, very sadly, “No, thank you.”

Dr. Matthews asked Andrew, “Andrew, would you do ten pushups so

That Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?”

Grunting from the effort, Andrew did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Dr. Matthews turned to the last girl, Susan. “Susan, do you want a donut?”

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, “Dr. Matthews, can I help him?”

Dr. Matthews, with tears of his own, said, “No, he has to do it alone. Andrew, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?”

As Andrew very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Professor Matthews turned to the room and said. “And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father, ‘Into Thy hands I commit My Spirit.’ With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten.”

 

 

 

- I Peter 3:18

 

- He’s done His work. He wants us to accept His gift; to be in Heaven through obedience.

 

- I John 3:1