The Whole Story
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 every thing!"
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.
Visitors since February 2000.