A Lord in a Faraway Land

There once was a land where the inhabitants struggled for their food. They planted seed each year and hoped the rain would come. They pulled weeds and harvested their crops and hoped to fill their storehouses.

One day a man came from a far away land. He came riding a noble horse and behind him was a caravan filled with riches. The camels and horses and donkeys behind him carried spices and fabrics and thick robes from afar. The people crowded around him to see. They looked out their windows to see him travel through town and set up his tents on the outskirts.

The next day he walked through town and gave gifts to the people. He gave to each one what was needed. He healed the sick with his medicines, clothed the poor with rich robes, fed the hungry with extravagant dishes. And he proclaimed a message.

“Come to me all who are weary,” he said, “And I will give you rest.”

The people gathered around to hear him.

“I am a Lord from a far away land and I have come to take you as my own. Follow my example, give to your neighbors, and when I return I will claim you as my own. I am going now, but I am coming back. I go to prepare a place for you. Do not lose hope while I am gone, but hang on to the words I have said.”

And he disappeared. He saddled his horse and rode back the way he had come. The people watched his caravan wind through the hills and they stood petrified until the last donkey was out of sight.

The people went back to their daily routines. They planted seed each year and hoped the rain would come. They pulled weeds and harvested their crops and hoped to fill their storehouses. They carried on as if nothing had happened.

Children were born and elders were laid to rest. The land shrank around them as they grew to fill it, and the crops were always short. 

Those who followed the way taught it to their children. There was always something in them longing for more. They had seen this Lord from a faraway land and they wanted to be his. Some of them obeyed his instructions and were generous. They believed that when the Lord returned he would care for them and they would have more than enough, so they gave everything away. When they saw the sick, they cared for them and healed them. When they saw the poor, they gave away their clothing. When they saw the hungry, they shared their last loaves of bread.

Other people scoffed.

“You really believe some stranger from a faraway land is coming back for you?” They said. “We don’t even know this man you are talking about. We have never seen him, so we don’t believe he exists. Show us these gifts he gave you so long ago, and then we will believe you.”

Pain and trials came. Families split apart and evil ruled the world. Some wondered how there could be a Lord in a faraway land. This was the real world, and no one was coming back. Some of the followers fell away.

But the Lord's coming was not a dream. His coming was as real as the pain and he was coming back. Although he left for a little while, it was to prepare homes for his people, and when he returned, it was like a thief in the night.

He came on his horse and as before he came with a caravan, but this caravan bore no gifts. This caravan brought swords and spears and faces ready for war.

They came in the night and fell upon the city. They entered every house and the Lord knew if the people had followed him or not. Those who had chosen to love him amid the pain and the persecution, he led out to safety. Those who had scoffed in disbelief, he put to the sword.

When the sun rose the town was gone. The scoffers were buried under the smoking ruins of their homes and the followers were gone to a better land.