Who will take my Son

Here is another story that is circulating on the internet called "Who will take my Son". I like these kinds of stories because although they are very simple and incredibly predictable, they present a glimpse of real life with a valuable message that we should take seriously. The story goes like this;

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art, including paintings from Picasso and Raphael, and they would often sit together admiring the great works of art in their collection. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son, and about a month later just before Christmas there was a knock at the door. A young man stood outside 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 was very brave and courageous and he saved many lives that day. He was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart. 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 and found a portrait of his son, painted by the young man at his door. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured his son's personality, and the father was so drawn to the painting that his eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the man at his door and offered to pay for the picture, but the young man said,"Oh, no sir! I could never repay what your son did for me. It is a gift". The father hung the portrait over his mantle, and every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son first, before showing them any of the other great works in his collection.

The man died a few months later, and 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 near the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one". The auctioneer persisted, "Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding at $100, $200?". Another voice yelled angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting, we came to see the Van Gogh'S and the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids"! Still the auctioneer continued, "The son! The son! Who will take the son"? Finally, from the very last row, the longtime gardener of the man and his son, said, "I'll give $10 for the painting". He was obviously a poor man, and it was all he could afford.

 
The auctioneer went on, "We have $10, who will bid $20"? The crowd was becoming angry, "Give it to him for $10, let's see the masters". They didn't want the picture of the son, because they wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded his gavel again, "Going once, going twice, SOLD for $10"! A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection", but the auctioneer laid down his gavel and said, "I'm sorry, the auction is over". The crowd was stuned, "What about the paintings", they all cried? The auctioneer went on, "When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a stipulation in the will which was not to be revealed until this moment. Only the painting of the son is to be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting will inherit the entire estate, including all the other paintings. The man who took the son gets everything"!

Jesus gave his life for us over 2,000 yers ago when He died on the Cross, "So that who so ever believeth, shall have eternal life". Much like this auctioneer, God's message for each of us is, "The Son, the Son, who will take my Son", and like the gardner, whoever takes the Son gets everything.