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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 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 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. --author unknown
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