Lover of Mankind

A parable that illustrates the love and sacrifice of Jesus for mankind.

Once upon a time there was a young prince who fell in love with a fallen woman. She had been a prostitute during her younger years and now she was torn by a merciless venereal disease. She had marks and wounds all over her body and her presence was accompanied by a foul smell. The inside and the outside were equally rotten, making her look like a living corpse, a dead among the living, a creature both scary and repulsive.

The young prince was young and handsome, rich and educated, and he had proven his excellent skills and good manners on countless occasions. In the eyes of the world, he was perfect in every possible way. Everybody loved him and wanted him to become the new king. No one could understand what he had seen in that horrible woman. He had everything a man could desire, all the other ladies in the kingdom dreamed of spending their lifetime with him. In fact, some of them would have given their life just for spending an hour with him. But he ignored them all.

Nobody knew that the “rotten whore” – as everybody used to call her – still smiled when she saw children playing on the streets. She still liked feeding homeless dogs and her smile sometimes had a weak tremble in it that could melt a heart of stone. Nobody knew there were nights when she used to wake up in tears, crying for all the injustice and cruelty in the world and for her own wasted life. The only one who knew – and cared – was the prince.

So he decided to leave his home, the riches and the potential throne and moved with her in her poor little cabin. He talked to her and tended her wounds. He gave her the love nobody else had given her. Soon everybody could notice the change. Her skin became whiter and clearer, the ugly marks and scars disappeared – not completely, but enough to show once again what a beautiful woman she was. Her smile became softer and her eyes brighter. She had a new hope now. Her life had a new meaning.

However, bad people couldn’t stand seeing them so happy, so they captured the prince, tortured him and killed him, leaving his bride in tears. Yet the hope wasn’t gone. She knew deep in her heart that one say he would return to her. She knew a love like theirs had no end and was stronger than death. And the light in her eyes didn’t fade. In fact, it became brighter and brighter as the time went by. His spirit and his love were still by her side, comforting, guiding and encouraging her. She knew that every day brought her closer to the moment when they were going to be reunited – this time for eternity.