A retelling of an old parable…

In times of old, there was a kingdom where weddings were celebrated for many days. People came from far and wide to partake of the festivities, but they also added to it. For it was the custom for each guest, in addition to bestowing gifts to the newly married couple, to also bring a large jug of wine to be added to the large tower from which the drinks were served to all.

There was a merchant named Mo who’d been invited to the wedding of the King and Queen’s daughter to a local nobleman. Mo lived on the outskirts of the kingdom, a long way from the wedding. He loaded his cart with what he would need for his journey and gifts for the bride and groom, then fetched his jug to fill from his wine barrel. Seeing that the level of wine in the barrel was getting a bit low, he thought, “What if I filled this jug with water? With so many guests bringing wine to the wedding, who will know if it is mixed with a single jug of water?” And so he filled his wine jug with water, then set out for the wedding.

When he arrived, Mo climbed up the long ladder to the top of the wine tower and emptied his jug. Then he scooted down and joined the huge throng to watch the couple make their vows to one another. Everyone cheered and began the festivities. Mo filled his plate with delicious food and proceeded to the wine tower to fill his cup. He heard murmurs from the crowd but could not make out what was being said. He held his cup under the spigot at the bottom of the tower, turned it to open the flow, then put the cup to his lips. At that moment he understood the murmurs of the crowd. No one had brought wine to the wedding. What he tasted was water.

— retold By Stevie Grant