A Sword Forgotten

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He was the most unlikely individual for the mission. He was young and untrained; he had never even held a sword before. He was not strong physically, and he was so soft on the inside that even seeing a wilted flower brought tears to his eyes. He was new to the kingdom too and knew little about the land or the king or the subjects. He was naïve as well, and gullible—foolishly ignorant of the enemy and his lurking traps. Indeed, there were a thousand other persons who would be better suited to the task at hand.

He was too delicate for the quest before him. A journey through mirky, twisted woods, untouched by the light of the sun. A journey over a rugged wasteland, rife with a thousand hidden dangers. A journey through jagged peaks, looming in a sky that is ever dark with storms and fierce winds, mountains full of holes and craigs and steep drop offs.

These were the lands through which the servant had to travel. Lands alive with the enemy. It was a mission that would be perilous for the bravest, strongest warrior.

And yet the servant who was chosen for the mission was neither strong nor brave. Yes, he was a servant. Not a powerful lord or a wise governor or a gallant soldier, but a simple servant.

His name was Unworthy, or Unworthy Servant, because he didn’t belong in the kingdom at all. He was really part of the enemy’s kingdom and had committed many crimes against the king. And yet here he was, because the king had pardoned him. The king had taken the punishment for the servant’s crimes upon himself. Then the king had brought the servant to his very own kingdom, rescuing him so that he would not die with the other enemies when the king finally won the battle and destroyed the enemy kingdom.

Unworthy Servant never forgot that he was a wicked person whom the king had pardoned. For this reason, he liked to call himself  “an Unworthy Servant Redeemed,” and that became his full name.

If nothing else, Unworthy Servant Redeemed loved the king with everything in him. How could he not? In fact, Unworthy Servant’s favorite thing to do was to sit at the king’s feet, gazing in awe and love at the one who had loved and redeemed him and listening eagerly to everything he said. And he talked to the king as well, about anything at all, and the king listened to him, for their relationship was not only that of a king and a servant, but of dear friends.

One day, as they were strolling together in the castle gardens, the king said to his servant friend, “You know, Unworthy, I’ve been thinking a lot about that evil kingdom where you are from. Do you remember when you used to live there?”

Unworthy Servant shuddered. “Oh yes, I remember,” he said. “But I don’t live there anymore because you rescued me and pardoned me and brought me here to live with you. Why, you sacrificed your very life to save me! That is why I love you so much.”

The king smiled. “Yes, but Unworthy, there are many more people who are part of that kingdom, aren’t there?”

“There are a lot,” said Unworthy, nodding.

“Well, Unworthy,” said the king. “I’ve been thinking about those people, and

I want to do for them what I did for you. I do not want them to perish either. So I have decided to send someone to tell them that and bring them back to me. It will be a very dangerous mission, but extremely important.”

“Have you chosen someone to send yet?” Unworthy asked.

“I have, actually,” said the king. He stopped walking and turned to face Unworthy. “You know what it is like to live in that kingdom, Unworthy. You know what I did to save you. Unworthy Servant Redeemed, would you be willing to bring my message to the people of the evil kingdom?”

Unworthy Servant’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why, of course, my king, I would go anywhere and do anything for you. But I know that I am not strong or brave or smart. Surely there is someone who would be better for the job.”

“You do not need to be strong or brave, Unworthy. You only need me. But the mission I am sending you on is a perilous one. There are all kinds of hidden traps and dangers that the enemy has placed along the way. The forest is dark and the mountains steep—it will be easy to lose your way. And when you reach the first village, the people will laugh at you and will not believe your message. You cannot do this by yourself, but I am going to give you a special gift to help you.”

Unworthy Servant was pleased, for he liked to receive gifts. As he watched, the king unstrapped his sword belt and drew out his very own sword. He handed the sword to Unworthy Servant.

“Here, Unworthy. I am going to give you my sword. I made it myself and it is not like any other weapon. It will protect you from the enemy, but it will do more than that. It will light your way in the dark and guide you along the right path. And when you reach a village and hold it aloft, it will point the people to me and show them the truth. It will prove to all that your message is really from me.”

Unworthy Servant was overjoyed to be going on a mission for his beloved king. Perhaps he did not realize how dangerous the mission actually was. It was difficult to think of scary things in the king’s beautiful kingdom.

Unworthy Servant packed a bag with food and supplies as well as his special sword. On the day he set out on his journey, the king was there to see him off. As Unworthy turned back to wave once more at his friend, the king called after him, “Farewell, friend! And Unworthy, don’t forget about your sword!”

“Oh I won’t!” Unworthy called back cheerfully.

But as he trotted along eagerly, imagining himself to be some gallant knight on a grand adventure, he did just that—he forgot almost immediately about his special sword.

The sun was bright as Unworthy walked along, whistling happily. He had not gone very far when he came upon a strong knight in full armor riding a powerful horse.

“Hail!” said the knight, when he saw Unworthy. “You look like you’re on some kind of journey. Who are you, and where are you going?”

“I am an unworthy servant, redeemed by my beloved king,” Unworthy replied, “and I am off on a mission for him.”

The knight raised his eyebrows. “You on a mission? Perhaps you were mistaken. Perhaps the king meant to send someone else.”

“Oh no,” said Unworthy. “He told me himself that he wanted me to go. I am traveling all the way to the enemy kingdom to tell its subjects that the king wants to pardon them like he did me.”

“But Unworthy,” said the knight. “That road is extremely dangerous. Surely you have some way to protect yourself.”

Suddenly, Unworthy Servant remembered his sword. “I do have a way to protect myself,” he said. “The king gave me a special sword!”

The knight shook his head and smiled sadly at the young servant. “Poor Unworthy,” he said. “You are not strong or brave—you have never even held a sword before. I cannot think why the king would send you on such a dangerous mission. But if you must go, I will give you some help. A sword is too heavy and clumsy for you. Here, I will give you this dagger. It is small and light and easy to use. It will suit you far better than that sword.”

With this, the knight pulled a small dagger out of his belt and handed it to Unworthy. The weapon was small and light, and it was beautiful too as it glistened in the sunlight.

“Oh, thank you so much!” cried Unworthy, delighted to receive the gift.

If you remember, I told you before that Unworthy Servant Redeemed was naïve and gullible. Forgetting all about what the king had said, Unworthy Servant believed the knight. He fastened the dagger at his belt and continued on his way as joyfully as before.

As he went along sometimes singing and sometimes whistling, he came upon a merchant who was on his way to the city to sell his wares.

“Why, you’re a merry traveler,” said the merchant as they passed. “Who are you, and where are you going that makes you so jolly?”

“I am an unworthy servant, redeemed by my beloved king,” replied Unworthy as before, “and he has sent me on a mission.”

The merchant raised his eyebrows. “You on a mission? Are you sure?”

“Oh, yes,” said Unworthy. “The king asked me directly. I am going to the enemy kingdom to tell its subjects that the king wants to pardon them as he did me.”

“But Unworthy,” said the merchant, frowning. “That road is extremely dangerous. Have you any way to protect yourself?”

“Oh, yes,” said Unworthy. “I have a beautiful dagger that a kind knight gave me just a few minutes ago.”

“But Unworthy,” said the merchant again. “You do not just need a weapon for protection. You need some way to keep from getting lost. If you do not know where to go, you will end up in some very dangerous places.”

Suddenly, Unworthy Servant remembered the king’s sword. “I won’t get lost,” he said. “The king gave me a special sword that he said would show me where to go and keep me from getting lost.”

The merchant sadly shook his head. “Poor Unworthy. A sword can’t show you the right path. I’m afraid you are not very smart. I cannot think why the king would send you on such a dangerous mission. But if you must go, I will give you some help. Here, take this map. Study it carefully and it will show you where to go.”

“Thank you very much!” said Unworthy, and he took the map.

Once again, he believed the merchant and forgot the king’s sword.

As Unworthy Servant went on his way, he studied the map. It was difficult for him because he had never learned to read a map, and all the lines were confusing to him.

As Unworthy went along like this, it wasn’t long before he came upon a woman who was on her way to the city to do some shopping.

As they neared each other, the woman called out, “Hello there! Could this be Unworthy Servant, whom I have seen so often with the king in the city? Where are you going all by yourself on such a fine morning?”

“Yes, it is,” Unworthy Servant replied. “I am an unworthy servant, redeemed by my beloved king, and he has sent me on a mission.”

“You on a mission!” said the woman. “Really? Wherever to?”

“I am on my way to the enemy kingdom to tell its subjects that the king wants to pardon them as he has done for me,” Unworthy explained.

“But Unworthy!” said the woman. “That is a dangerous road! How will you protect yourself?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” said Unworthy. “I have a strong dagger from a kind knight and a map from a good merchant so that I will not get lost.”

“But Unworthy,” said the woman. “Those are not your only troubles. You do not speak well and you are not good with words. How will you get the people of the enemy kingdom to believe what you say? They will only laugh at you!”

Suddenly, Unworthy Servant remembered the king’s sword. “I know that I do not speak well and that I am not good with words,” he said. “But the king gave me a special sword that he said would help people to believe the truth.”

The woman sighed and sadly shook her head. “Poor Unworthy. A sword certainly can’t do that! I can’t think why the king would send you on such a dangerous, difficult mission. But if you must go, here is something that will help you. It is a book written by two smart people named Wisdom and Knowledge. Read it carefully and it will teach you what to say to make the people listen to you.”

“Thank you very much!” said Unworthy, and he took the book.

And for or the third time, Unworthy Servant forgot the king’s sword.

As he traveled, Unworthy studied both his map and his book. The book was full of long words and complicated ideas that were difficult for him to understand. But he learned them just the same, and in this way, Unworthy Servant finally made it to the edge of the forest that marked the beginning of his dangerous quest through the enemy kingdom. Suddenly, the mission did not seem so grand as it had in the bright sunlight of the good kingdom. The woods were dark and eerily quiet; the trees were scraggly and twisted. Not a pinhole of sunshine found its way through their thick, tangled boughs.

For a good hour or two, Unworthy Servant stood before that forest, unable to work up the courage to go in. Indeed, he came very close to turning back altogether and telling the king he couldn’t do it. But it was his unwavering love and loyalty toward the king that kept him from turning back. How sad the king would be if Unworthy returned so quickly and told him he couldn’t obey!

“I must at least try,” Unworthy said to himself. “After all, I do have a dagger and a map and a book to help me.”

And so the servant started off on his deadly mission.

The kingdom through which the unworthy servant journeyed was a terrifying place. As he crept fearfully along, all manner of sounds, shrieks and howls, echoed way off in the distance. Sometimes he was sure he heard something creeping along behind him, but when he whirled around, it was too dark to see anything. Unworthy clutched his dagger tightly and continued on his way.

Sometimes, Unworthy saw yellow eyes gleaming at him out of the darkness. And all around him were deadly traps that he could not see—deep holes, swampy bogs, rushing rivers—it is remarkable that he did not fall into any of them when he could not see to avoid them!

Above him loomed the jagged, towering mountains. Soon his path would take him up into them, and there would be deadly drop-offs to look out for as well.

Unworthy lost all track of time, but he was well into his journey when he first came upon some of the enemy subjects of that kingdom. They were a hunting party looking for deer in the forest. They had lights and weapons and were not at all afraid of the wood as Unworthy was.

When they saw Unworthy, they shouted, “Eh, what’s this! Someone’s in our forest!”

They all gathered around him and shone their lights on him. “Hey, who are you?” they said, in voices that were not the kindest. “What’s a little kid like you doing in our forest?”

“I am an unworthy servant, redeemed by my beloved king,” Unworthy replied as he always did. But he was trembling all over and the words came out all stuttery and awkward. “My king sent me to you because he wants to pardon you and bring you to live with him.”

At this the men laughed out loud, and Unworthy turned red—out here in the enemy kingdom, the words sounded ridiculous even to him.

One man said, “That king is our enemy! Whatever does he want to pardon us for?”

Another said, “Pardoned! I don’t need to be pardoned! Who’s says we’ve got to be pardoned?”

Still another spoke up, “What king? I don’t know of any ‘beloved kings.’ Show me this king first, then maybe I’ll believe you!”

They said many other nasty things about the king that made Unworthy very angry. He whipped out the book the woman had given him and said, “Here, I’ll prove it!”

Unworthy Servant began to read all kinds of interesting and convincing things from the book. But with everything he said, the hunters had an equally smart-sounding argument in return. The more Unworthy spoke, the more they argued with him, and then they laughed at him and told him he was simple and silly to believe all the things he believed about the king.

Then they left him all alone in that terrible wood.

Unworthy Servant went on his way, crying because of all the mean things those men had said about him and his king. The book had not worked.

And neither, it became apparent, did the map. Though he tried his best, Unworthy could not make sense of the tangle of lines and dots. He was quite lost before he even realized it, and now he was climbing up into the mountains. Steeper and steeper his way became and so tangled with bracken that his clothes were soon torn and his skin badly scratched.

As if things were not bad enough, at that moment it began to storm. Unworthy found himself scrambling up a treacherous slope with a terrifying drop-off to one side. Rain poured down in sheets and made the rocks slippery. Thunder boomed and every time the lightning flashed, Unworthy nearly lost his balance. On his other side, yellow eyes peered at him from the trees, and he saw the dark shapes of huge creatures whenever the lightning lit up the mountain. They were coming closer and closer.

Boom! A deafening lightning bolt split the sky, striking the mountain and sending large rocks crashing down on all sides. Unworthy dropped to his knees, completely overwhelmed by sheer terror. His dagger fell from his trembling hands and plummeted down the cliff-face, disappearing into the gloom. But Unworthy did not mind—the dagger seemed so silly now. It could not protect him from the thunder and lightning, nor could it keep him from falling. He could not fight those giant beasts with it—it was too small.

Unworthy could not go forward—the way was blocked by fallen rocks. He could not turn around—he was terrified he would slip and fall. He could not go to his left because of the cliff and he could not go to his right because of the ferocious animals.

Unworthy Servant was sobbing now. As the tears streamed down his face, he cried out into the storm, “Oh help me, my dear king, please help me! I’m lost and I’m stuck and I’m so afraid!”

All at once, Unworthy heard a voice in his mind as clearly as if the king were standing next to him and talking.

“But Unworthy,” said the voice. “What about the sword I gave you? Didn’t I give you a special sword to help you?”

Unworthy suddenly felt very ashamed. He had been so foolish! How had he forgotten his sword? Why had he believed the knight and the merchant and the woman and not his king?

Unworthy Servant stood up. He pulled out his sword. It looked plain and ordinary enough. But then, the sword began to glow faintly. The light grew stronger and stronger, and suddenly, Unworthy noticed something he had not been able to see before—there was a little path on a ledge not far to his right, winding up the mountain! Unworthy scrambled eagerly up to the path. The animals in the trees hurried out to meet him, but he swung the sword around and its light flashed into their yellow eyes. The beasts howled in terror; they turned tail and disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

Filled with confidence, Unworthy hurried up the path. He held the king’s sword out in front of him, and a steady beam of light shone out from it and showed him where to go. It also lit up all the dangers and traps around him so that he could avoid them.

And so the servant came at last through the shadowy wood and jagged peaks to the first village of the enemy kingdom. Holding his special sword aloft, Unworthy shouted in the streets, “Hear me, hear me, you people of the enemy kingdom! My king is coming and he will be victorious and destroy this kingdom! But he has sent me to you with the message that he wants to have mercy on you and pardon you, just as he has done for me!”

Forgetting all about the fancy ideas in his book, Unworthy Servant Redeemed told the enemy people all that his beloved king had done for him. And as he spoke, the unwavering beam of light from the sword shone out and pierced all the way down into the people’s hearts.

Falling to their knees, the people cried out, “It’s true, it’s true! All he says is true! Let us go to the king at once and fall upon his mercy, before it is too late!”

And so, back through the desolate forest Unworthy came at last. But with him was a large crowd of people from the enemy kingdom, following the light of the sword.

Finally, finally, finally, the happy expedition reached the good king’s kingdom. One by one, they went through the gates into the city, rejoicing as the king welcomed each of them and pardoned all of their crimes.

But no one was as happy as Unworthy Servant Redeemed when at last he laid his eyes once again on his good friend the king, and the two of them embraced, and the king said to him, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!” (See Matthew 25:21).

I hope you remember all the pieces of Christian armor I’ve written about over the past few months. We’ve looked at the belt of truth that keeps us on course, the breastplate of righteousness that guards our hearts from evil, the Good News shoes that bring peace to the world, the shield of faith that defends us from the devil’s darts, and finally the helmet of salvation that protects us from God’s wrath. Wow! That’s a lot of armor.

Now we’re going to learn about a special weapon God has given to Christians. I think you already know what it is—it is a sword! The “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). God’s Word, the Bible, is a sword! With the Bible, we can fight temptation from the devil. When Satan tries to make us do something bad, we must chase him away with a verse from the Bible, reminding ourselves “God says not to do that!”

The Bible also shows us truth. It keeps us from listening to lies from the world, and it keeps us from falling into the traps of sin. It tells us what God wants us to do and teaches us how to obey Him (Psalm 119:105).

And since the Bible is God’s very Words to us, it is powerful. Whenever you share the Gospel with someone, don’t forget to give them Bible verses. The Bible reveals to them the truth in a way you never could, because it is God’s Word, not yours (Hebrews 4:12). You do not need to be strong or brave or good with words. You just need your Bible!

Just as Unworthy Servant needed that sword from the king, you as a Christian need the Bible. You cannot obey God all by yourself—you need His help. Unfortunately, many Christians do not think they need to read the Bible. Or they think there are other books or ideas that are better or more important than the Bible (Psalm 119:9-16, Romans 15:4, 2 Timothy 3:14-17).

But God’s Word is the most important part of your life as a Christian. Set aside time every day to read or listen to God’s Word. That is the only way to survive if you are going to follow Jesus.

It was silly and dangerous for Unworthy Servant to forget his special sword when he went on his mission. And it is silly and dangerous for you to forget to read your Bible on your Christian mission.

Check out Psalm 119:9-16 and Psalm 19: 7-13!

©2025 by Anchor & Fish Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

Featured artwork by Daniel Venturo. All other artwork by Joshua Venturo.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Used by permission.  All rights reserved.