Now you know Me...

At a court banquet, everyone was sitting according to their rank,
waiting for the king to appear. A simply dressed man came in and took
a seat above everyone else. The prime minister demanded that he
identify himself.
"Are you the adviser of a great king?"
"No, I rank above a royal adviser."
"Are you a prime minsiter?"
"No, I outrank a prime minister."
"Are you a king in disguise?"
"No, I am above that rank as well."
"Then you must be God," the prime minister said sarcastically.
"No, I am above that."
"There is nothing above God!" shouted the prime minister.
The stranger replied calmly, "Now you know me. That nothing is
me."

Traditional
ac collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager