Story
4 – Divine Helper
When a man learned of the King, he
left everything behind everything he had besides the clothes he was wearing and
a map to the King’s Kingdom. Because he had left everything, he was only able
to eat and drink when he found something he could consume. He tried to ask
other travelers for help, but none would help him until he came across one with
a covered face who gave him food and drink.
“Thank you, kind sir,” he said to
the silent man.
The silent man nodded then headed
off in the opposite direction.
“Oh, wait! Do you know about the
King? I am heading in the direction of His glorious Kingdom and you should too.
He’s sure to bless you especially when I tell Him of your charity.”
The silent man turned around, patted
the man’s head then kept traveling in his own direction.
Unsure of what to think of the
silent man’s response, the man kept walking. He became tired and decided to
rest during the night. While he rested, bandits along with their dogs attacked
him and stole what little possessions he had. This did not keep him from
traveling as he got up and kept going. He traveled until he came across a masked
soldier with blood on his clothes, sword, and shield and the bodies of the
bandits and dogs around him. The masked soldier handed the man his clothes and
map then walked away.
“Wait! I must thank you in some way
for the kindness you have shown me. I am traveling to the King’s Kingdom. Come
with me and I will tell the King of your great deeds. He is sure to reward you handsomely
for it.”
Just like the silent man, the soldier
responded by patting the man’s head in silence and heading off in his own direction.
Again, the man is unsure of what to think. He only assumed that patting someone’s
head in silence was a strange custom that he had not heard about. Nevertheless,
he kept on going. The man traversed a mountain and fell when he took a wrong
step. He cried out for help only to be met with silence. Undeterred, he crawled
his way up the mountain where he was met with a doctor with a crow mask who
helped him up the mountain and healed his injuries. After helping him, the doctor
went his own way.
“Wait, my friend! You should travel
with me to the King’s Kingdom! A deed such as yours deserves a reward.”
Just like the other two, the doctor
patted the man’s head before he walked off. The man did not let his confusion
hold him in place for long as he arrived at the gates of the Kingdom to catch the
King arriving back to it as well.
He got on his knees and said, “My
King, I have traveled long and far to be with You. Please, grant me the privilege
of being your humble servant.”
The King silently patted the man’s
head and lifted him up from his feet. An idea came to the man’s head and as he
was about to say it, the silent man, masked soldier, and doctor with a crow mask
that he met along the way arrived at the Kingdom. He could only then assume
that the King’s example was mirrored by His servants to the point where they appeared
to be Him. There is a similar tale of this happening. This tale involves a
healer who wore a dove mask and traveled the lands healing people’s bodies and
souls and who would direct people to the King’s Kingdom.
He almost seemed to be divine, but
since most of the people who encountered him did not have a strong belief in divinity,
they could only say he was the most skilled doctor in the world. Others doubted his divinity because he was found among the worst of sinners. He helped the
prostitutes, the drunkards, the blasphemers, the bankers, the politicians, and
the like. Since he was so popular, the sinners tried to get him to join them,
but he refused. When they tried to force him to join, the blood within them
would boil as they slowly died.
After one day of healing, a blind
homeless man heard him walking his way. The homeless man reached out to him and
was healed almost instantaneously.
Despite being healed, the homeless
man asked the Divine Doctor, “Please, heal me of my weakness. Help me to be
like You.”
Before the man knew it, he was in
the King’s Kingdom. The citizens of the Kingdom wondered how the homeless man
arrived in the Kingdom in his condition and asked him how he did it.
“A Divine Doctor performed His
miracles on me,” the homeless man answered. The King entered the Kingdom and
the homeless man pointed to Him and said, “There He is!”
The King allowed the man to run up
to Him and kiss the ground He stepped on.
“Praise to the King of All!” the
homeless man proclaimed.
In another story, a sinful man
found himself in jail and on death row. Days before his execution, the prisoner
was given a man who volunteered to spend his last days with. This volunteer
wore a black cloth on his head and mouth, red cloth on his body that is formed
in the shape of the cross, and black rugged pants.
Amused by the volunteer’s charity,
the prisoner asked, “Why would you volunteer to spend my last days with me?”
“Someone has to. Hasn’t a priest
come here to ask for your final confession?”
“No. They don’t think I’m worth it
nor do I. I’m not worth anything because of what I’ve done.”
“That’s not true. I’m sure God will
hear your prayer for forgiveness if you are humble.”
“You think so? Heh. I doubt it.”
For the next couple of days, the volunteer
became friends with the prisoner. The prisoner was taught everything about God’s
goodness, mercy, and love for mankind.
“Really? Does God love each one of
us as if there were only one of us?” the prisoner asked.
“Yes, that’s true.”
The prisoner was captivated by the knowledge
the volunteer told him. Never in his imagination did he think he would be interested
in hearing basic theology and philosophy.
By the time of his execution, the prisoner
regretted all his decisions and the volunteer helped him make a confession to
God, but by the time of his execution, the guards took the volunteer rather
than the prisoner.
“Wait, what are you doing?” the
prisoner asked.
“What does it look like? We’re
taking the prisoner to be executed,” the guard said.
The volunteer silently nodded towards
him as they were separated as the prisoner was set free while the volunteer was
executed. Seeing that he could do nothing, the prisoner could only watch as the
volunteer was executed in his place. After the execution, the prisoner went to
where the volunteer’s body was buried to see that the gravesite was guarded. The
prisoner went back and forth to offer prayers and flowers for the volunteer
until the third day when he saw that the guards were asleep at the gate and the
volunteer’s body was gone. As soon as he left the gravesite, he found the volunteer
waiting for him.
“What? How are you alive?” the
prisoner asked.
“What do you mean? I never truly
died,” the volunteer responded.
His mind could not believe what he
was seeing in front of him and yet he believed. The volunteer appeared to be
heavenly and everything that the volunteer told him previously led the prisoner
to one conclusion.
“What are you doing?” the volunteer
asked as the prisoner was taking off his black cloth on his head.
“I have to see the face of God to
pay Him my respects for everything He’s done for me. For everything, you have
done for me,” the prisoner responded.
But when the cloth was removed, the
prisoner saw an ordinary man.
“I’m not God, but I am a servant of
His. I can lead you to His Kingdom if you wish.”
“Yes, please lead me to Him.”
The two went to the King’s Kingdom
where the prisoner became a truly free man by becoming one of the King’s most
loyal servants.
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