Learning to Serve One Another

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Let me tell you a short story. Once upon a time in a kingdom far away, there lived three brothers who were extremely rich princes. They constantly fought with one another, and they spent their great wealth trying to out do each other. The brothers were very proud of themselves and their selfish achievements. Their father the king got tired of all their wastefulness and he told them he would disinherit them, if they did not learn to get along with each other and use their money more wisely.
The princes were very upset and sent for a court advisor to help them find a solution. The advisor Jothan told them to go and visit a wise man, who lived in the mountains to the east of the kingdom. Immediately, they set off in their great chariots with pockets of gold to pay for luxuries along the way.
They finally arrived at a small town at the foot of the great mountains. The princes looked at the trail and realized that they could not bring their great chariots and their many servants with them. The trail was narrow, steep, and rocky. The surrounding forest was thick and wild. They decided to bring only the court advisor Jothan with them. It amused them to have this wise man carry the supplies and serve them. Jothan was commanded to cook the meals, wash the dishes, do the laundry, and clean the toilets in very difficult conditions. The princes found this very funny. Jothan just did all his work without complaint. In fact, he did a great job of keeping everything in order, and the princes were very happy they had brought such a good and faithful servant along on the journey.
Early one morning, a long way along the trail, the princes woke up and found that Jothan the servant was missing. There was no breakfast or traveling preparations done. The princes looked at each other in dismay. Since they had little choice, they continued on their journey. The days were hard and laborious, but the princes found themselves not fighting as much. They would help each other and take turns doing distasteful chores. It was a hard and difficult journey without Jothan to help them, but they learnt to help one another.
Finally, they came to a magnificent temple. They had never seen such a beautiful place. As they walked through the entrance, they were amazed at the gold, ivory and marble surroundings. They thought that not even their father the king lived in such a marvelous place. Upon entering the great hall, they looked up to the seat of the temple ruler. They could not believe their eyes, for seated upon the gold and ivory throne was their servant Jothan. They asked him, “Why are you sitting on the seat of the great prophet?” Jothan answered them, “I am the prophet.” He continued, “You have come to find a solution to your fighting with each other and your wasteful lives. I have shown you the way of serving one another. Great leaders must learn to be servants. If you serve one another, you will all become great rulers. The greatest amongst you will be the servant of all.” The princes were amazed at the words of Jothan, and in sorrow they acknowledged the error of their evil ways. Upon return to their father’s kingdom, they told him about the great prophet Jothan and his wisdom. The king said to them, “Yes, the Emperor is a great and wise man.”