"This allegory was given during the year 1949 at the
time of the revival
outpouring on our little church congregation in
indelibly etched its truths deeply into my own soul. He did not interpret
the story to me; nor do I try to interpret it for others. It is presented
with the earnest prayer that the same Holy Spirit who gave it will also
quicken its meaning to the hearts of God's beloved children and make a bit
more real that marvellous country to which we, as "strangers and
pilgrims",
are all travelling." Sister Marty
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE REBELLIOUS KINGDOM
Leaving the royal city and choosing a lower road, the handsome prince
quickly entered the deep passes which wound through the great mountains
surrounding his homeland. Onward, seemingly ever downward, crossing deep,
swirling rivers, hot deserts and dark forests, he
made his slow but
determined way. Then suddenly - through the sun still shone brightly - it
seemed that the way grew darker. Wearily journeying on, he spied men of
evil visage gliding stealthily through the thorn bushes and watching him - this
stranger who had dared to enter their forbidden country. Instantly the
prince understood the validity of the rumours: this far away kingdom had
indeed risen in rebellion against his father - the Great King - and was even
now preparing a revolt to secede from his rulership.
Although warning after warning had been sent from the royal palace, each
one had been ignored. So the king's son, being a youth of great wealth
and
of a peaceable and kind disposition, had resolved to journey to the kingdom
with messages of peace and good will.
Continuing on His journey, he felt that he had gone deeper than the
countries of living men and passed into the regions of the infernal, so
fearful and degraded were the rude villages through which he was passing.
When at last the goodly prince entered the city of the ruling chief, his
brave heart hesitated in wonder and almost fear, for truly these wicked ones
were a people of the very lowest culture, of superstitious and darkened
minds whose evil faces revealed the blackest of hearts. Of them he
inquired
the way to the dwelling of the chief.
Approaching the chief, the prince introduced himself, then
explained
carefully the reason for his visit. Scarcely appearing any better than
his
subjects, the chief welcomed the prince most coolly, that is, until the
latter presented beautiful and costly gifts which the ruler grabbed with
alacrity but with little gratitude. Because of the gifts, the prince was
given permission to dwell among these people for a time.
In the days that followed, the prince patiently instructed the
villagers in the ways of cleanliness, peace and prosperity, encouraging them
to submit willingly to the demands of the Great King, and not to continue
with their plans for insurrection. Unfortunately, word soon reached the
chief that his people were greatly admired the good-hearted prince because
of his wise teachings and many kindnesses. In violent anger he began to
plot the intruder's death, finally arriving at the conclusion that in the
excitement of the restless activity of a brilliant festival the prince's
death could easily be enacted. But first his wicked heart conceived a
plan
to take from the prince any remaining gifts. On the feast days - the
chief
cunningly explained to him - it was the custom of his people to exchange
gifts. "Surely the prince would desire to honour his excellency with a
royal remembrance, would he not?"
Unfortunately, the chief had not realized that the prince had brought
no other gifts than those already given. But, after some thought, the
visiting prince wrote a few words on a slip of paper, pricked his finger,
then signed the note in his own blood. Handing it to the chief, he
remarked
that this was the greatest gift in his power to give.
Hastily and greedily the chief read: THE BEARER, OR BEARERS, PRESENTING
THIS NOTE TO THE KING WILL RECEIVE WHATSOEVER THEY REQUIRE. In horror and
lack of understanding, and deeply dreading even the thought of a
confrontation with the monarch whose rulership he deeply hated and resented,
the chief - whose eyes had been blinded by hatred and jealousy - completely
underestimated the value of the note. Probably he would be killed as he
neared the palace grounds. Why, then, should he go? This all must
surely
be a scurvy trick, he thought.
Feeling cheated and mocked, in his frustration, he hastily crumpled the
note and cast it under the table, making awkward attempts at being grateful.
Without fail he must begin immediately to set in motion his plan for the
riddance of this hated prince. But even as they were shifting each man to
his assigned task, a strange thing happened. Almost as though having
received a silent warning, the goodly prince suddenly disappeared.
Escaping from the vile kingdom, he vowed that if he ever returned it would be
to utterly destroy all its evil inhabitants.
When the chief discovered his intended victim's escape, he
was even more
angry. Terrible were his ravings and denunciations as he blamed everyone
but himself for the failure of his plan. Meanwhile the little crumpled
note - now forgotten - was swept away into the streets and disappeared into
the abundance of the city's trash.
SCAVENGERS
Early the next morning three old and ugly beggar women came searching
for bits of food and rags among the newly dumped trash,
seeking for
anything to help prolong their already miserable existence. How they
scratched, shoved and searched - these pitiful examples of humanity!
Miserable and wretched, they had banded together in a pitiful friendship of
mutual pain and misery. Friendless, lonely, embittered by life's
tragedies, perverted in mind, disillusioned and
vengeful, they were nothing
but loathsome lepers. Two were haggard and disfigured old widows, but the
eldest of the trio was the worst. Without even the pitiful rags of
widowhood to hide her fallen soul, she disclosed by her very bearing her
impossible-to-keep secret; she had been a woman of the streets. It was
difficult to look upon her without nausea, so far had
the dread disease
progressed. Surely she was naught but a repulsive old hag - a miserable
piece of wreckage vomited up by life's seas and now lying helpless and
putrefying on the sands of time. For her, death would be a merciful
release - and the tomb a shroud of decency in which to hide her shame.
As the three were searching, fighting and snarling over bits of food,
the eldest discovered the crumpled note. Clutching the paper with
claw-like
fingers, it was she - the vilest of them all - who discovered the crumpled
note then excitedly shared its message with her wretched cronies.
Suddenly
her voice dropped, and she hesitated as though remembering something. It
had been late evening when she had seen the prince walking alone through the
dirty lanes near the burial grounds where the lepers always slept. The
villagers always avoided this path, but the goodly prince had traversed it.
And he had stopped and looked at HER! His eyes contemplated her
strangely. Could it have been a look of tenderness, of compassion? Then
he moved slowly away and she had never seen him again.
Shaken from her reverie, she glanced again at the now grimy slip of
paper in her hand. Surging up from the depths of her being came the
conviction that what she held in her hands was of supreme value. These
were HIS words; this was HIS signature! This was the name everyone had
called him before his disappearance. This note surely meant riches, food,
clothing, respectability, health!
Hastily the three set out on the long and difficult journey to the
palace of the king. Although the trail was long and arduous and the younger
widows were often tempted to turn back, the eagerness and conviction of the
eldest one pushed them forward. Finally, they saw far off in the distance
the outline of the lofty spires of the castle. The glowing lights of the
royal city seemed like myriads of tiny stars twinkling far away. Soon, oh,
so soon their lives would change and they would be possessors of a vast
fortune. With this thought they almost ran the remaining miles which
separated them from the royal city.
THE
Ignoring the cold, disdainful reception of the wealthy
and cultured
populace, the three lepers, desperate now lest they be frustrated so near
their destination, hastened on towards the palace grounds.
At the insistent knocking of the vilest one the guards
opened the
gates. Their shock and astonishment at the daring of these miserable
creatures sent the heavy iron doors clanging shut. But having anticipated
such rejection, the eldest quickly thrust herself forward waving the note.
As they read it the shocked guards wondered what such loathsome creatures
were doing with a letter signed by the prince. Then, even though it was
against their better judgment and trembling in fear lest there be some
mistake, they allowed the foul creatures to come in, warning them to stay
near the portals until the king could be consulted.
One servant called another by ringing a gong-like bell
until the Great
King himself drew near. Trembling with fear and imploring mercy and
pardon,
the three old beggars threw themselves at the Great King's feet, then showed
him the paper.
Had he not been a gracious King he would have thrown
the three old ones
to the executioner immediately. But his kindness, overcoming his
amazement
and disgust, caused him to consider the note. He was utterly astonished
as
he beheld the loved signature made irrevocable in blood. Only then did he
remember the prince's visit to the hostile country, the miserable reception,
and the note. But surely he hadn't left the note in the hands of such
loathsome creatures as these! There was only one conclusion to the matter:
speedily give these miserable old women what they requested and send them on
their way.
THEIR REQUEST
The youngest quickly made
known her desire: "Give me many changes of
raiment, healing ointments, a choice from the King's treasury and
citizenship in the royal city." Somewhat relieved, the king ordered
that
her demands be met immediately.
The requirements of the second were similar to those
of the first:
healing ointments, clothing, a diamond studded crown and permission to live
on the palace grounds. The latter request caused serious reflection on
the
part of the king, but he finally granted it on the condition that she wash
daily in the courtyard fountain and never leave the royal grounds. With
such requests the king had no misgivings. Evidently these ignorant
creatures hadn't understood the limitless scope of the terms of the signed
note. What were a few rubies, changes of raiment, dwelling places or even
citizenship to such a wealthy king?
Finally forcing himself to look upon the vilest of the
three, he
ordered these same gifts to be given to her as well. But even as he was
speaking, she interrupted him to refuse the gifts. Then the heart of the
kind king began to know fear. Did this vile bit of human misery somehow
realize the limitless scope of the note? What more could she possibly
want?
He bade her look in the treasury room, but even as she longingly
contemplated the beautiful treasure it contained, she chose nothing.
"Well, tell me, what DO you
want?" insisted the King. "Name it and my
servants will bring it to you."
Out of the depths of her misery and life-long
regret, out of the hurt
of an unwanted soul, out of a deep, hidden longing she burst out, "Oh,
King,
I want a companion. I want a husband!"
Hearing this the King laughed
in relief. Was it a husband she wanted?
Easy enough. He would choose an eligible youth
from his kingdom and command
him to marry her. With that this entire matter could be concluded.
Then
the old beggar woman went on to say that only once in her life had any man
ever showed her any kindness, and it was this one that she desired to marry.
"Tell me, then," replied the King, "who
that one is and I will have him
brought to you," now intensely relieved that the Old One had not
understood
the true value of the note.
"Oh, kind King, the one by whom the kindness was
shown to me is your
own son - the prince. I desire to marry him." Speechless and
appalled, the
King watched her in utmost dismay as she continued, "This note says
WHATSOEVER... Your son, sir, is my only desire. I will take nothing
less."
Horrified, the Ling sent immediately for his son. What would the prince's
answer be to such a preposterous request?
Silence filled the palace grounds as the handsome
prince looked
searchingly into the heart of the Vilest One seeing there all the misery,
the privation and the filth. But suddenly he saw something else which was
strangely out of place - a brightly burning love. Turning slowly to his
father he said, " I have given my word and that
word I must keep. I will
accept her as my bride if she will agree to fulfil two conditions: first to
bathe in the courtyard fountain, then to follow me on a journey into the
wilderness."
THE
Thinking the prince's terms easy to fulfil, The
Eldest One eagerly
assented. Then followed the King's servants to his
private courtyard.
Happily she plunged into the depths of the crystal
pool which was
surrounded by elaborately landscaped gardens. As her body touched the
waters she experienced a strange feeling, an exhilaration
as though these
waters were cleansing her whole being. Something seemed to elevate her
into
another sphere.
After a long time - too long it seemed to her - she
slowly rose from
the pool. As her hand grasped the edge of the fountain she caught her
breath at what she saw. Her hands were no longer twisted and gnarled,
they
were smooth and unblemished. Suddenly she cried out, startled that her
hair
which fell softly over her shoulders was no longer a drab grey but was a
beautiful golden colour. How strange she felt! Was this feeling the
absolute absence of pain? How still the waters were! And who was the
beautiful young maiden reflected in those waters? Looking around
she saw no
one standing at her side. Suddenly the truth broke upon her, enveloping
her
in ecstasy - the beautiful one was she herself! She had been changed.
Sleep was impossible that night. Oh, the wonder
of it all! What magic
was in those waters of the courtyard fountain? With great anticipation
she
thought of the proposed journey into the wilderness -
the final step to the fulfilment of her life's desire. Before she realized it, morning had
come.
Her journey must begin.
THE WILDERNESS
The majesty of the rising sun found her waiting for
the prince at the
palace gates. Looking upon him in all his princely beauty, then looking
at
herself now spotless, clean and young, she felt a fervent love surge up in
her heart for him. Looking lovingly upon her, the prince sprang upon his
charge without a word and beckoned her to follow him down the path which led
out into the desert. But, how strange! Where was HER mount?
Was she to go
on foot? Perhaps a horse awaited her in the desert.
Obediently she followed him out through the city gates
and eastward
towards the rising sun. On and on she followed him into the deep
wilderness. She walked rapidly to keep him in sight. On and on without
stopping. On through the sandy wastes and
through thorny thickets. On
while the sun climbed higher and higher heating the desert sands. On she
continued, for the prince neither waited nor
slackened his pace.
Soon the heaviness of noonday descended upon her tired
body. Hunger
and thirst called and still there was no lessening of the pace. Breathing
became difficult and she had to force her weary feet to run. Still the
prince sped on ever deeper into the wilderness.
Without looking back she gathered every remaining bit
of energy and
struggled on under the friendless sun, gulping in great draughts of
super-heated air. Her tongue began to swell rapid as thirst ravaged her
being. "Wait! Please wait", she called out. Seemingly not
hearing, he
neither stopped nor turned to acknowledge her call. Slowing down and
faltering she desperately called once again for him to wait. But what
were
these weird visions that played upon her mind? Was it true that he did
stop
and look back only to spur his horse on and flee even faster and further
into the wilderness? Now she was alone in the solitude of the vastness of
the desert; she could see him no longer.
The gentle young princess who had been so gloriously
transformed from
her former miserable state had struggled valiantly to prove herself
worthy.
She had failed! Her weary feet would no longer obey her determined will;
she could continue no further. Stumbling, then
falling, she lay prostrate
on the searing sands where weary, torn and bleeding, with heart broken and
soul in agony she groaned in despair because of her failure. Life ebbed
swiftly away.
Had she been mocked by her love? Was there no
eye to pity? Was there
no help? Had hope fled? Must she die alone in this dreary
desert? Her
only answer was the low sighing of the drying winds. Surely NOW she would
curse the day she believed this deceitful prince! Surely NOW her soul would
die in bitterness! The love she believed to have found seemed to
disappear
as a mirage in the lonely and silent desert. Death was near.
Circles of tiny whirlwinds danced around her listening
to her final
words. Her lips moved slowly forming the words of a song:
I've loved thee in life; I love thee in death.
I've loved thee as long as thou gavest me breath.
And now, while the death
dew lies cold on my brow, If ever I've
loved thee, Prince Jesus, "tis now.
Was all but the empty hallucination of a mystic
love? Tiny whirlwinds
continued to dance around the form of the dead princess as over the distant
sands the prince returned in haste to where she lay motionless and silent.
As the roseate sun of the dying day kissed her face
and lit its beauty
in rest, the prince looked tenderly down at her as he bade the tiny winds
repeat her last words. As he listened, a mysterious smile spread over his
face and his garments began to shine with a glorious light until his form
and face were transfigured by a heavenly glory. A beautiful radiance
surrounded him and he began to speak:
Dear sister of mine, my dove, my undefiled, my spouse, you thought you had
failed. Not so! I find your love true and worthy. You have
followed me
into this wilderness, even unto death, not once turning back nor denying my
love. Surely you knew my earthly name, sung throughout all the land, but
you did not know my other name.
I am the Resurrection and the Life. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come
away! And even as he was speaking, the radiant glory light began to move
out and enfold the form of the motionless princess, shining around her, and
like a living flame kindling within her the same resurrection glory that
enveloped him. She arose and beheld her beloved, her earthly beauty now
swallowed up in heavenly light and glory. Before, she had been made
beautiful; now she was all glorious within and without. Tenderly placing
the gentle princess beside him on the horse, he returned with her to the
palace
"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of
many waters, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth. Let us
be glad and rejoice and give honour to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is
come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that
she
should be arrayed in fine linen, of the saints. And he saith unto me,
WRITE. Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the
Lamb." (Rev. 19:6-9)
Unknown.