There were also three men who lived in a village in one of the outlying territories. All of these men had heard of this benevolent king, but they each reacted to their knowledge of him in different ways. The first man who knew of the king always spoke well of him. He knew how the king loved his citizens and how he took care of their lands, so this man went around telling everyone in his outlying territory how good this king was. This man could speak nothing but praise for the king, but when it came to the way he managed his own affairs he was anything but like the king. He treated his family and his fellow villagers poorly; he mismanaged his meager wealth and land, selfishly hording all he had for himself and diminishing what little he had in the process. He knew of the good king, and spoke well of him to everyone he met, yet he acted nothing like the king.
Then there was a second man who lived in this same outlying territory. He also knew of the good king, but thought neither good nor ill about him. He was indifferent toward this king, because he seemed distant. The king was not the ruler of the man's territory, so he felt no need to acknowledge him in any way. Nevertheless this man managed his affairs exactly the way the king had told the citizens of his own kingdom to manage them. He cared for his family and for others, offering them free services of his trade, and giving to anyone who was in need. He managed his meager wealth and his land well, seeing that all he had was used for the benefit of those around him. He cared little for the good king, but he acted just as the king would in almost all things.
Then there was a third man who also lived in this outlying territory. He knew of the good king, as well, and both spoke well of him and managed his affairs the way the king instructed his citizens to manage them. Like the first man, he was constantly speaking well of the king to all those of his village. Like the second man, he also managed his affairs in the way the king instructed the citizens of his kingdom to manage them. He was just like the good king; he loved the king and his kingdom, and also ordered his life in a way that imitated the king.
One day, the good king's emissaries came to the outlying territory where the three men lived and announced to them that the good king was expanding his kingdom and rule into their territory. This was good news because the territory had been threatened by various other clans and all knew that the good king could protect them from these threats. The emissaries told the people of the outlying territory that they were free to leave the territory if they did not want to be ruled by the good king, and that there were only two stipulations for those who wanted to stay: first, they must acknowledge the absolute rule of the good king--they could pledge allegiance to no other; second, they must order their lives according to the law of the kingdom--the only law being that they must live as a servant to all their fellow citizens.
The first man heard this news and was very distraught. While he spoke well of the king and had no difficulty pledging allegiance to him and his kingdom, he knew that his life would have to radically change in order to meet the second stipulation of citizenship--becoming a servant to all. He almost turned away and chose to live outside the kingdom for this reason, but he eventually reluctantly chose to embrace citizenship in the new kingdom and strove to mend his ways.
The second man heard this news and received it with joy and only a little reluctance. While he had never acknowledged the king before, and had some difficulty doing so now, as soon as he saw how the king's law encouraged him to live the kind of generous life he was already living, he quickly consented to acknowledging the king's rule over his lands.
The third man heard this news and received it with great joy. The king he had loved and praised all his life was now lord over his lands, and the life the man had always lived was now acknowledged and encouraged by the kingdom's law of love. He was the first man in the village to consent to the king's rule, and many followed his lead because of the sheer joy they saw in him.
Therefore, on the day when the kingdom fully subsumes our territory, it will be better for the man who lives like the King and does not praise Him than for the man who praises the King and does not live like Him. Better still will it be for the one who both praises and lives like the King.
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