The King's New Palace

One upon a time, there lived a king in his Palace.
One day, he noticed that the Palace was needing repairs.
He thought to himself, "I have been staying here since my birth and it had not been renovated properly since then ! Do I not deserve a new Palace ?"
That was not a question posted by the King.
That was a decree ordered by the King.
For all his life, whatever he thought to be shall come to be.
Whatever that the King felt he need shall his needs be met.

He decided to go on a long holiday.
He passed the adminsitration works to his dear Prime Minister
together with these instructions:
"Go and build me the King a new Palace in my absence as well as run my kingdom for me !
As for the Treasury, you can have it at your disposal !"

With that, the King left the kingdom for a good two full years !
In his absence, the Prime Minsiter was baffled with lots of problems
to resolve people's disputes and hungry poor people.
There were just one too many !
He felt so helpless and did not feel right to call on the people to build the Palace.
So, the Prime Minister took money out of the Treasury to help the poor.
In no time, the Treasury had been emptied !

One day, the King returned.
He could not believe his ears!
He could not believe his eyes!
For he saw no new Palace however hard he went to look for it~
For he heard that the Treasury was finished !

The King was furious ! He threw the Prime Minister into the jail and was planning how to punish him.
Just a week before that, the King's brother met with an accident while hunting and he went to heaven and he was being shown around the heavens. He saw from afar, a huge new beautiful Palace. The King's brother asked whose Palace was that!

The angel answered,"That one is being built for your brother the King, for all the Treasury money was given to the poor. Everytime, the Prime Minsiter gave money to the poor, a diamond tile will be put up."

The King's brother sobbed uncontrollably until the angel asked him what was wrong. "Oh, you must grant me one wish, to return in a dream to warn my brother not to harm the Prime Minister. He owes it to him for this future investment awaiting the King in heaven!"

And so, the King's brother wish was granted to him and he went in a dream to warn with the brother. The King repented and released the Prime Minister, together they stayed in the old Palace, helping the people and the poor to live. Since that day, the King gave a decree not to build another Palace and the people would come in to volunteer their work to repair the Palace. In that kingdom, the King and his subjectes lived happily ever after!

 What we treasure on earth will rod away,
what we treasure above is here to stay!


We must build for our kingdom in heaven and not on earth !

Narrated by Ps Dr Paul Ang and re-written by Doria Tai