How Much Land Does a Man Need G3p01

 How Much Land Does a Man Need?

Many years ago, there lived a farmer who wanted to be rich and own a lot of land. A stranger told him of some land for sale nearby. The farmer bought the land. He was content for a while but then again wished to own even more land. The stranger told him of some other land. The farmer bought this land too. This happened several times. The farmer was glad to be increasing his property holdings, but he was never satisfied. The more land he bought, the more he wanted.

One day, the stranger offered to do something for the man. The stranger said that he had a friend some distance away who would sell the farmer all the land he needed for only $300. The farmer went to visit the friend. The friend said that for $300 the farmer could have all the land he might cover by traveling on foot from sunrise to sunset. The farmer was supposed to walk as far as possible within this time, mark the spot and return before sunset. if he arrived late, he would lose both the land and the money.

The farmer agreed and went to bed early that night in order to be well rested for his trip the next day. But he did not sleep well. He dreamed that it was the devil himself who was tempting him. His greed for land was so great, however, that at sunrise he was dressed and ready to leave. He walked and ran all morning in order to cover as much ground as possible. On the return trip he was very tired. He walked slowly, and at the end he had to run a great distance in order to get back before sundown. When he arrived, he fell down exhausted. He died without ever getting up.

At the burial a few days later, the stranger had a smile on his face as he said, "Now the old man has all the land he needs—exactly six feet of it in which to lie. I hope he's satisfied."

1. What did the farmer want?

2. Who told him of some land for sale nearby?

3. Was the farmer content after he bought the land?

4. What happened several times? Was the farmer satisfied now?

5. What did the stranger offer to do for the farmer?

6. What did the stranger's friend say to the farmer?

7. What did the farmer dream that night?

8. Why did he still get ready to leave at sunrise the next day?

9. What did the farmer do all morning? Why?

10. What did he have to do at the end? Why?

11. What happened to him when he got back?

12. Why did the stranger say the old man had all the land he needed in the end?

13. What can you learn from this story?