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 want to see 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.
