The Price of the Kingdom
A tale of wealth, authority, and accountability
Once upon a time, a king of a country fell ill. When the king saw that there was no hope of his survival, he announced to his subjects that he would pass his kingdom to the one (after his death), who would spend a night in his grave. Everyone was terrified, and no one was willing to do this.
Meanwhile, a potter who had accumulated nothing his entire life except for a donkey thought that if he did this, he could become king. What would he have to account for? Just one donkey and nothing else. So, he announced he would spend a night in the king's grave.
After the king's death, the people prepared the king's grave, and as promised, the potter happily lay down in it, and the grave was sealed. Some time passed, and angels came and told him to get up and give an account. He said, "Brothers, account for what? I had nothing all my life except for one donkey!"
Hearing his response, the angels started to leave but then stopped and said, "Let's open his record and see what's in it." And so, it began.
First, they asked, "On such and such a day, you left your donkey hungry for a time, didn't you?" He replied, "Yes." Immediately, the order was given to whip him one hundred times, and he was severely beaten.
