The Parable of Kingschurch - Pt. 2

The day of the feast came. There were tables spread throughout the Kingschurch Banquet Hall; they seemed to go on for miles. Every kind of food one could want was laid out in abundance: the finest wine, the freshest fruits, the most succulent meats and the pick of the garden.

A few of the wanderers came into the banquet hall. They did not see the ones who invited them to the feast. Instead, they saw some of the citizens standing in a group beside one of the tables. Those citizens glared at the wanderers with suspicion yet none dared say a word out loud.

After a while, the wanderers began to feel uncomfortable. No one had attempted to make them leave, yet no one had welcomed them either. One of the wanderers remarked, “If this is how the king teaches his subjects to treat others, I am sure I would never want to live here.”

After the feast, the wanders departed the banquet hall to go back to their camp. A few of the citizens had made a feeble attempt to greet the wanderers, but none dared to get to know them.

The next day, some of the citizens called a meeting. “Something has to be done about these wanderers,” said one of the leading town elders, “we can’t have them ruining our feasts. They are nothing but commoners!”

After a lengthy discussion, it was decided that a wall had to be built around the city. This wall would protect their fair city from the wanderers and other riff-raff and allow the people of Kingschurch to enjoy their peaceful refuge. It was to be constructed of the finest rock and mortar – nice and high.

Construction began immediately. But, there was anything but peace in Kingschurch. A dispute had broken out about what color the wall should be painted. Some wanted the wall to retain the natural stone color. Others wanted to paint it a bright, cheery yellow to match the banners of that city. There were a few who didn’t want the wall at all. But their concerns were dismissed by the majority of the citizens.

When the wall was completed, many of the citizens gathered together for a great wall dedication ceremony. The people had invited the king to attend, but he declined the invitation. The king had other plans – to travel to the city of Newchurch which had been started by some of the citizens of Kingschurch (the ones who didn’t want to build the wall).

The decision was made to dedicate the wall in honor of the leading elder who had suggested building the wall. After all, this man had supplied much of the stone and mortar to build the wall. A statue honoring the leading elder was unveiled that day and the citizens were filled with joy at seeing the new stone wall – painted a dull gray of course!

To be continued...