Faith

The Parable of the King and the Cook

by Stephen Kimball 
07/02/20
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There was once a king who reigned over the grandest kingdom in all the world. There was peace and contentment throughout the land. The soil was fertile and the storehouses were full. Everyone reaped the fruits of their labor.

Every day the king would feast in his castle with all the delicacies he favored most. He never wanted for anything. Until a terrible famine struck the land. Resources, which had forever seemed unlimited, became more and more scarce as the land dried up, and the crops withered.

After some time, the people began to cry out in desperation, “What are we do? How are we to survive without food?”

Having pity on his subjects, “We must ration the supply from the kingdom storehouses”, conceded the king.

Giving charge to the royal cook, the king fully committed to him the responsibility of distributing the food rations appropriately to the people, even declaring that he and the royal court be subject to the restrictions.

As the months dragged on and the supply dwindled, what used to be a rich smorgasbord for the king and his court, full of the freshest and most delightful indulgences, had now abated to some bread and wine with an occasional smattering of dried fruit or wild meat that had been killed by the king’s huntsman.

The people were, once again, getting restless and fearful, but the king had complete trust in his cook’s judgment and ability. After all, he had been the most trusted member of the king’s court for many years. And while the king would love to have his table back, the way it used to be, he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the cook was doing what was necessary in order to see them through the famine.

So, the king sent out another royal decree, publicly declaring his faith in and gratefulness for the cook.

“Whether there is much or little, we will continue to trust the cook!”

That very week, the sky’s opened up and the rains came, and all the people of the kingdom celebrated in the streets, praising the king and the cook.

The famine had come to an end.