A
wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had
everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would
often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Viet Nam 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 only son.
About
a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at 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
your 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 isn't much. I'm not
really 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.
The
man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his
paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the
great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their
collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The
auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with
this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"
There
was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "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, the
Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the
auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the
longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the
painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We
have $10, who will bid $20?"
"Give
it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."
"$10
is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"
The
crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going
once, twice, SOLD for $10!" A man sitting on the second row
shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel.
"I'm sorry, the auction is over."
"What
about the paintings?"
"I
am 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 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.