Bedtime Story
Once upon a time there was a king who loved his people very much. He treated them kindly and, although he was often wiser in how the kingdom should be run, he did not order them around. However, one day the people decided that they wanted to be in control of the kingdom. A democracy sounded nice, they thought. They told their king they wanted a new ruler, and although he could have put down the rebellion had he chosen, he left quietly and allowed the people to chose a new leader.
But this leader failed them miserably. Although he seemed okay at first, it soon became apparent that he was an incompetent ruler and was driven by evil motives. So, after a long hard struggle, the people overthrew him. They asked their old king to come back, saying they missed him. He did but it wasn't long before they began to argue with him on the way the kingdom should be run. Only a little time passed before they decided they wanted a different ruler again.
And so the process continued, again and again. The people asked the king to leave and chose their own leader, but the leader failed to keep them safe and made their lives miserable. They begged the king to come back and rescue them from the problem that they had created. Each time he did, and each time they thanked him and restored him to the throne. And each time, it wasn't long before they found someone else they believed could rule better.
Then, one day, the king did not return. The people tried desperately to find him, but he was gone. Their new ruler had enslaved them, forcing them to do endless, pointless, and back-breaking work and killing them any time they disobeyed. No matter how hard the people cried out, their beloved king did not come.
But he had not left them. Instead, he had disguised himself as a slave, so that he might teach them what it meant to be a good follower and show them how much he loved them. Each day he was beaten and mistreated alongside them. Still, the hope of saving them from this injustice was enough to keep him going. Soon, the people began to talk. They all started to wonder, was this not the king?
News spread to the new ruler. Angry, he went in search of the mysterious man. Fearing that it was the king, he knew there was only one thing he could do. Banish him. The people were angry that their fellow slave, who they had come to know and love, was being taken from them. They were still not entirely certain of who he was, but they asked the mysterious man to rise up as their new king and overthrow the evil ruler.
Instead, he simply turned and left. The people were furious. They thought he had loved them! They would have fought for him! Now he was simply allowing himself to be banished.
Then, a very short time later, the king returned and this time, he brought good news. No, he would not overthrow the evil ruler... not yet at least. Instead, he had built a new kingdom and it was bigger and greater than anything they could imagine. In fact, he had conquered all the land in the country, save the small collection of villages where they lived. Now he extended to them an invitation: come and live with me, and I will protect you and give you back your freedom. Because it wasn't the riches or the power or the land that the king wanted, it was the people.
The End
"Christianity is the story of how the rightful King has landed, you might say in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in His great campaign of sabotage.” -CS Lewis
But this leader failed them miserably. Although he seemed okay at first, it soon became apparent that he was an incompetent ruler and was driven by evil motives. So, after a long hard struggle, the people overthrew him. They asked their old king to come back, saying they missed him. He did but it wasn't long before they began to argue with him on the way the kingdom should be run. Only a little time passed before they decided they wanted a different ruler again.
And so the process continued, again and again. The people asked the king to leave and chose their own leader, but the leader failed to keep them safe and made their lives miserable. They begged the king to come back and rescue them from the problem that they had created. Each time he did, and each time they thanked him and restored him to the throne. And each time, it wasn't long before they found someone else they believed could rule better.
Then, one day, the king did not return. The people tried desperately to find him, but he was gone. Their new ruler had enslaved them, forcing them to do endless, pointless, and back-breaking work and killing them any time they disobeyed. No matter how hard the people cried out, their beloved king did not come.
But he had not left them. Instead, he had disguised himself as a slave, so that he might teach them what it meant to be a good follower and show them how much he loved them. Each day he was beaten and mistreated alongside them. Still, the hope of saving them from this injustice was enough to keep him going. Soon, the people began to talk. They all started to wonder, was this not the king?
News spread to the new ruler. Angry, he went in search of the mysterious man. Fearing that it was the king, he knew there was only one thing he could do. Banish him. The people were angry that their fellow slave, who they had come to know and love, was being taken from them. They were still not entirely certain of who he was, but they asked the mysterious man to rise up as their new king and overthrow the evil ruler.
Instead, he simply turned and left. The people were furious. They thought he had loved them! They would have fought for him! Now he was simply allowing himself to be banished.
Then, a very short time later, the king returned and this time, he brought good news. No, he would not overthrow the evil ruler... not yet at least. Instead, he had built a new kingdom and it was bigger and greater than anything they could imagine. In fact, he had conquered all the land in the country, save the small collection of villages where they lived. Now he extended to them an invitation: come and live with me, and I will protect you and give you back your freedom. Because it wasn't the riches or the power or the land that the king wanted, it was the people.
The End
"Christianity is the story of how the rightful King has landed, you might say in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in His great campaign of sabotage.” -CS Lewis
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