READ: MARK 10:17-22; LUKE 15:11-24; JOHN 13:1-5

Duke Zeroth pounded on the cell door, then slid to the floor. Every gold piece, mansion, animal, field, and even his wardrobe—gone to pay debts. And still he owed more.

Zeroth clutched his head. Surely he couldn’t have invested everything in that partnership with Lord Drune—the traitor! Even now, Drune was duping a new victim.

Zeroth crawled onto a pile of hay. Something dug into his back as he tossed and turned. He reached into the hay, expecting to find a rock. Instead, he withdrew a metal cylinder. As he raised it, something rustled.

He removed the cap, releasing a warm glow. A parchment fell out—a note.

“I will come for you. Only write and ask.” Below the words was the seal of the king.

A second piece of parchment and writing supplies tumbled from the cylinder.

Zeroth moaned. Was it just last year he’d offered himself to be a king’s courtier? The king had seemed to approve of him, but then! That condition—to give everything away before entering the palace. Everything! All that made Zeroth powerful and respected and self-sufficient.

To write to the king now would seem cheap. It was too late. If the king knew into whose hands this message had come, he would never give Zeroth a second chance.

Zeroth shoved everything back into the metal container and closed out the light. Prisoners’ cries and the jailer’s laughter haunted him.

Too dark! He uncapped the cylinder again, releasing the glow. He took a breath. The king never lied. Ever. This was his last hope.

“I’ve been so foolish,” he wrote. “Please, would you come for even me?” He slipped the missive into the cylinder and replaced the cap. As he fell asleep, the soft glow remained.

He awoke to someone washing his bruised feet. Zeroth sat up straight and stared into the face of his king.

“Sire! You shouldn’t—”

The king held out his hand. “Will you come to my court now?”

Zeroth’s face burned. “But I have only these filthy rags.”

“Leave them,” the king said. “I have brought you a new robe. Come, follow me.” • Judith DeStefano

• Today’s allegorical story is inspired by several passages. In Mark 10:17-22, we see Jesus’s conversation with a rich young ruler. And in Luke 15:11-24, Jesus tells a parable—a story of a son who rejects his father and ends up destitute. How does the end of Jesus’s conversation with the rich young ruler compare to the end of Jesus’s parable of the lost son?

• How do both of these passages show the heart of God for people? (Hint: look especially at Mark 10:21 and Luke 15:20-24)

• Having a relationship with Jesus is worth everything we have, and more (Matthew 13:44-46). Maybe you want Jesus, but you feel like you’ve really messed up. Remember, Jesus has already done all that was needed to forgive you and bring you into His eternal kingdom by dying on the cross and rising from the grave for you. He loves you with an unshakable love. If you want to know more about what Jesus has done for us and what it means to receive Him, see our "Know Jesus" page.

• Throughout our lives, we all find ourselves prizing earthly things above a relationship with Jesus. Even after we’ve put our trust in Him, our hearts still wander sometimes! Yet He always longs for us to repent—to turn back to Him and follow where He leads. Are there any choices you’re making that are keeping you from pursuing a deeper relationship with Jesus? Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about this.

The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him...For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:21-24 (NIV)