The Greatest and the Least

<p>READ: <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=+MATTHEW+23%3A1-12%3B+LUKE+22%3A25-26%3B+JOHN+13%3A1-17%2C+34-35&amp;version=CSB">MATTHEW 23:1-12; LUKE 22:25-26; JOHN 13:1-17, 34-35</a></p> <p>Wyran, kitchen servant in the palace of Ardh, studied the king’s table, ensuring that not a single grape was out of place. King Terrian had insisted that everything be perfect for his guest.</p> <p>For months, the territory had echoed with praises for the ruler of the distant kingdom of Beulah and his seemingly supernatural abilities. King Elam. “A formidable foe in war and a valuable ally in peace,” King Terrian had called him. Still, Wyran was sure the stories were mostly fictitious—after all, a king who could control the weather and raise the dead? Just part of some intimidation plot, no doubt. Wyran expected to be run ragged during the foreign king’s entire visit, fetching and retrieving anything this royal desired. In Wyran’s experience, the more powerful a leader was, the more pitiful he made those beneath him feel.</p> <p>When King Terrian and his guest swept into the hall moments later, servants flew into action, pulling out chairs, adjusting robes, and producing glimmering basins to wash the feet of both kings. But to Wyran’s shock, the visiting king waved the servants away with a gentle sweep of his hand and, instead, carried one of the basins to Wyran. He gestured to his own seat at the king’s table, indicating that Wyran should take his place.</p> <p>Wyran stood paralyzed. Surely the famous King Elam was not going to clean a servant’s feet! To even sit in a royal’s chair could mean execution. Unless this visitor was using Wyran to show off his supernatural abilities—if he truly could restore life, who knew what limits his terrible power had.</p> <p>But in the following moments, there were no supernatural tricks or transformations—only the gentle swishing of water as the king cleansed Wyran’s feet and wiped them dry with his own robe. King Terrian, who had been watching in shocked si