A
wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything
in their collection, from Monet to Renoir. They would often sit together and admire
their great works of art.
When
the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and
died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved
deeply for his son.
About
a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock on the door. A young man
stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't
know me, but I am the soldier for whom our son gave his life. He saved many lives
that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart
and he died instantly. He often talked about you and your love for art. The young
man held out his package. "I know this is not much. I'm not a great artist,
but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."
The father opened the package.
It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the
way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father
was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the
young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never
repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.
The
father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home
he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other
great works he had collected.
When
the man died, there was a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people
gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having the opportunity to
purchase one for their own collection. On the platform sat the painting of his
son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this
portrait of the son. Who will bid for this picture? There was silence. Then a
voice from the back of the room shouted angrily, "We want to see the famous
paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted, "Will someone
bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voice
shouted angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting; we came to see the
Van Goghs and the Monets. Get on with the real bids! But still the auctioneer
continued, "The son! Who'll take the son?
Finally,
a voice came from the back of the room. It was a longtime gardener of the man
and his son. "I'll give you $10 for the painting." Being a poor man,
that was all he could afford.
The
auctioneer said, "We have a bid of $10 , who will bid $20?"
Give
it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."$10 is bid, won't someone bid $20?"
The
crowd was becoming angrier. They didn't want the picture of the son; they wanted
the more famous paintings to add to their collections.
The
auctioneer said, "Going once, going twice, SOLD for $10."
A
man sitting in the second row shouted, "Now, let's get on with the auction."
The
auctioneer laid down his gavel. "The auction is over."
"What about the other paintings?"
I'm sorry. When I was called
to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was
not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the
son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire
estate, including all the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"
God gave his Son 2,000
years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today
is "The son, the son, who'll take the son?" Because, you see, whoever
takes the son gets everything!! --John 3:16-- Jesus Saves