Daniel Symmons
Member
- Joined
- May 11, 2010
- Messages
- 43
Intro
One day, on the way to work, I was thinking about how Jesus' death and resurrection would have appeared from heavens perspective and was struck by the awesome generosity of Christ humbling himself for us. It was a deeper realisation of something we all know.
I wanted somehow to convey this magnitude of realisation and the story below is my attempt to do so.
(Apologies that this is not poetry but it seems to fit best to this forum. I did try to convert it to verse but I think more was lost than gained.)
Grubs
Once upon a time, in the golden kingdom far away, there lived a good king who ruled over his people with justice, wisdom and love. They adored him and did everything they could to please him. They served him happily, and he treated them as his children. All things were well and all manner of things were well.
But one day news came to the kingdom of a remote island where the grubs lived. Their land was in a mess. Although there was enough food for the grubs to eat, they fought to own the plants they lived on. The stronger grubs were greedy and took more than their fair share and made the weaker grubs work hard for them. Lots of the weaker grubs died, whilst the strong grubs had plants to spare that just rotted away.
All the grubs were worried. The strong ones worried that they would be defeated and robbed of their place, and the weak ones worried that they would see their families starve.
All this made the good king sad. He desperately wanted to help the grubs but it was hard to get them to understand him; they were only grubs after all. Then he had an idea, ‘Of course they don’t understand me, I’m too big. I’d need to be like them for them to understand me!’
He couldn’t leave his kingdom without a king, so he called his son to him and explained the problem, ‘I can’t sit back and let them hurt each other like this; and they will never get here on their own. Will you go in my name to help them stop all this suffering? It will cost you everything but you can trust in me.’
Although he knew it wouldn’t be easy, the son loved his father and went willingly. Everyone in the land was sad to see him go but they too trusted the king to do the right thing and felt sorry for the grubs. They watched in awe and wonder to see their prince made low, taking on the form of a grub.
The son was born into a family of good heart. He grew up kind and loving and told the grubs how to live together happily. He also told them of his father who loved them and wanted them to come home to him.
Some listened and followed his ways, but others thought he was mad and bad. Some of the strongest grubs were so worried about the trouble he might cause, that they captured him, had him tortured then pierced with thorns and left him to die.
Throughout the kingdom, the people wept bitterly to see the kings son suffer this way at the mercy of the grubs he was trying to rescue. The king wept most as he watched his precious son die without him, and he had to turn away at the last. It was the hardest thing he ever did, for he knew that he had asked his son to die like this.
The pain was real, the death was death, but the father knew that because his son was pure and because he loved and trusted his father, he could be rescued even from death, and not only him. The grave could not hold him, he drew his son home by the silken bond of perfect love that joined them.
The son was restored to his full glory! Oh, what joy in the land at his return! How they welcomed him, how they sang his praises. How faithful was he, who had gone at his fathers request to save the grubs. He had lived as one of them, and now it was clear that as he died for them, he took upon himself the punishment for their wrongs. Now they could be freely forgiven - now they could come home!
So the father and the son sent a new message to the grubs in spirit. This time, because the son had been with them, they could receive it and understand it. Those who listened to the kings invitation were welcome to be part of his family with his dear son, and his spirit would be with them. They lived their lives with him and for him, and he let them know that they were not grubs at all but caterpillars, just waiting, through him, to become the most beautiful butterflies in the kingdom!
One day, on the way to work, I was thinking about how Jesus' death and resurrection would have appeared from heavens perspective and was struck by the awesome generosity of Christ humbling himself for us. It was a deeper realisation of something we all know.
I wanted somehow to convey this magnitude of realisation and the story below is my attempt to do so.
(Apologies that this is not poetry but it seems to fit best to this forum. I did try to convert it to verse but I think more was lost than gained.)
Grubs
Once upon a time, in the golden kingdom far away, there lived a good king who ruled over his people with justice, wisdom and love. They adored him and did everything they could to please him. They served him happily, and he treated them as his children. All things were well and all manner of things were well.
But one day news came to the kingdom of a remote island where the grubs lived. Their land was in a mess. Although there was enough food for the grubs to eat, they fought to own the plants they lived on. The stronger grubs were greedy and took more than their fair share and made the weaker grubs work hard for them. Lots of the weaker grubs died, whilst the strong grubs had plants to spare that just rotted away.
All the grubs were worried. The strong ones worried that they would be defeated and robbed of their place, and the weak ones worried that they would see their families starve.
All this made the good king sad. He desperately wanted to help the grubs but it was hard to get them to understand him; they were only grubs after all. Then he had an idea, ‘Of course they don’t understand me, I’m too big. I’d need to be like them for them to understand me!’
He couldn’t leave his kingdom without a king, so he called his son to him and explained the problem, ‘I can’t sit back and let them hurt each other like this; and they will never get here on their own. Will you go in my name to help them stop all this suffering? It will cost you everything but you can trust in me.’
Although he knew it wouldn’t be easy, the son loved his father and went willingly. Everyone in the land was sad to see him go but they too trusted the king to do the right thing and felt sorry for the grubs. They watched in awe and wonder to see their prince made low, taking on the form of a grub.
The son was born into a family of good heart. He grew up kind and loving and told the grubs how to live together happily. He also told them of his father who loved them and wanted them to come home to him.
Some listened and followed his ways, but others thought he was mad and bad. Some of the strongest grubs were so worried about the trouble he might cause, that they captured him, had him tortured then pierced with thorns and left him to die.
Throughout the kingdom, the people wept bitterly to see the kings son suffer this way at the mercy of the grubs he was trying to rescue. The king wept most as he watched his precious son die without him, and he had to turn away at the last. It was the hardest thing he ever did, for he knew that he had asked his son to die like this.
The pain was real, the death was death, but the father knew that because his son was pure and because he loved and trusted his father, he could be rescued even from death, and not only him. The grave could not hold him, he drew his son home by the silken bond of perfect love that joined them.
The son was restored to his full glory! Oh, what joy in the land at his return! How they welcomed him, how they sang his praises. How faithful was he, who had gone at his fathers request to save the grubs. He had lived as one of them, and now it was clear that as he died for them, he took upon himself the punishment for their wrongs. Now they could be freely forgiven - now they could come home!
So the father and the son sent a new message to the grubs in spirit. This time, because the son had been with them, they could receive it and understand it. Those who listened to the kings invitation were welcome to be part of his family with his dear son, and his spirit would be with them. They lived their lives with him and for him, and he let them know that they were not grubs at all but caterpillars, just waiting, through him, to become the most beautiful butterflies in the kingdom!
