What The Bible is All About

A friend recently asked me to tell her what the Bible is all about. First let me say that I don't consider myself to have all the answers. Not even close. But I will attempt to give an overview of the message of the Bible here and I think the best way to do it is in story form. This will be allegorical but the message is true.

This is the story of a King who had a daughter. The King loved His daughter with all His heart and always wanted the best for her. He gave her a very good home and provided everything she needed. They lived together in the King's castle and she enjoyed His continual love and care.
One day the daughter was visited by a smooth talking suitor who promised her all the riches and latest fashions the world could offer. He convinced her that the King was only holding her back, depriving her of the freedom and great things the world had to offer. So she left home and set out with him to live her life on her own and find what she had been missing in the world. The King was heart-broken but let her go knowing that if he tried to force her to stay, He would only be doing it against her will and she would never truly love him.
For a while life was grand. She saw the beautiful sights of the world and met many interesting people. She was invited by some of her new friends to party with them. She had a blast getting drunk, laughing, and even joining in as some of her friends derided the King. Although at first this felt odd to her, it wasn't long before her contempt for her Father set into her heart for real. After all, He had only kept her back from all this fun. Who needed Him anyway? She was beautiful and found that if she ever needed anything, she could go home with any man she chose and, for the small price of offering herself to him, could in turn be fed and clothed. And even though the food wasn't nearly as fine as what her Father served and the clothing nothing really more than rags compared to what she had, she was living free, and after a while she didn't even notice the difference. Meanwhile, her Father, the King, would spend hours upon hours on His balcony, looking out down the road in longing for His precious daughter.
One day the King called one of His messengers to Him. He ordered the messenger to go and find His daughter and to tell her this message--
"My dear child, I still love you. Will you please come back home to me. Love, Father."
The messenger did as he was told, found the daughter and gave her the message. The daughter only replied with a laugh and said, "Why? I have everything I want here." So the messenger returned to the King and reported what he had seen and what she had said. The King's heart was grieved even more.
The King waited a little while and called another messenger and sent him out with the same message.
"My dear child, I still love you. Will you please come home to me. Love, Father."
Again and again the King sent out messengers pleading with His daughter to come home, and time and time again she refused them. There were even times when she consented when some of her friends offered to beat the messengers to try to get them to stop coming.

The days turned to weeks, and the weeks turned to months and soon the daughter began to notice that her friends were becoming more and more cold to her. Her soul became empty, especially when she gave herself to men for food and clothing. The men began to treat her poorly and spoke harshly to her, calling her a slut and a whore. She longed for true love but only found the superficial, physical kind she offered in return for her daily provisions.
Then the King did something that astounded the whole castle. He took off His royal robe and crown, dressed in regular street clothes and set out to find His daughter Himself.
The King searched for His daughter day and night. Finally, He found His daughter among her friends. He called out to her in longing, "My child, my child, it is I, your Father. I love you and I have come to take you home."
Looking only at His clothing, the daughter didn't even recognize her Father and thought it was either another servant or somebody playing a trick. She relied, "Be gone stranger. Stop wearying me with your continual coming." Her friends, even though not as friendly to her as before, still were angered by yet another unwelcomed visitor seeking to take the girl away. After all, she did provide them with a bit of pleasure now and again. "Let's kill him and be done with this. Who does he think he is, anyway?"
So her friends grabbed the King and began to beat him and hurled insults at him. They seized Him and proceeded to take him away to kill him.
As they were taking Him away, however, the King's daughter looked up and caught the man's eyes looking at her as He was being dragged away. Those eyes! She saw...such love and compassion! All at once a feeling came over her. It was a feeling she had not felt in a long, long time. It was the feeling of being truly loved, truly cherished. It was the feeling she had once lived with when she was home safely in her Father's care. Then it came to her. "Father! It is Him!"
She began to run after Him but it was too late. They had taken Him away and killed Him. Completely crushed, she sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. For two days she sobbed and could not be consoled. She ate nothing and spoke to no one. All she could think of was her own guilt and how it was her decision to leave that ended up killing her Father. She thought of how He didn't even put up a fight when He was being dragged off. She remembered His eyes, so kind, so loving. But what amazed her the most is that her Father, the King, left His castle, dressed in mere raggedy street clothes, and came after her. "O, how foolish I was and how much He loved me!" she lamented. "Why could I not see it?" She cried herself to sleep, feeling utterly hopeless.
The morning of the third day after the King's death came with sunshine and birds singing, but the daughter's heart was as dark as night. Loaded down with grief and dispair she determined to take her own life. After all, life was meaningless now, for her Father, the One who made life worth living, was gone.
Suddenly, as if from the very air around her, she heard a voice. "My child, my child, do not weep. I love you and I have come to take you home with me."
But what? How could this be? Her Father was dead. She looked up and saw the most glorious and splendid sight she had ever seen. It was her Father, the King! And He was no longer dressed in street rags, but in the full regalia of royalty! And He was alive!
"But how...You were killed. I mean..." she stammered.
The King looked at His daughter. She couldn't even look Him in the face, she was so ashamed. The King gently laid His hand upon His daughter's chin and lifter her face to meet His. What she saw was not condemnation or judgement. What she saw was...pure compassion and love. Her heart melted in the warmth of His love.
"I was dead. But the power of my love is stronger than even death itself. I am here, my child, and you are mine. You will always be mine and I will always love you. Many nights I have longed for your return to me. Come, my child. It's time to come home."
In an instant, all the guilt and shame was gone. She knew then and there what true love was. It was found in the loving care of her Father, the King!