The Auction: Who will take the son?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life…  John 3:16

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus paid such a price for my life and yours? All we need to do is choose to believe in him as our savior and we can have eternal life.  It is something that is hard for us to fathom and when it made me think of a story I heard years ago, I thought I needed to share it with all of you…

The Auction

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 was called 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 there 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 was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart… he died instantly.” He told the man that his son spoke of him often and his love for art. The young man then held out his package… “I know this isn’t much and I am not really a great artist, but I know that your son would have wanted you to have it.” 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 painting. “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 and every time visitors came to his home, he took them to see the portrait of his son before any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few weeks later and there was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the priceless paintings and the opportunity to purchase one for their own collections.  

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel and said, “We will start the bidding with this picture of the son, who will bid on 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 on 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 Rembrandts and the Van Goghs. Get on with the real bids!” The auctioneer still continued… “The son! The son! Who will take the son?”

Finally, they heard a voice from the way 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!” Again the auctioneer said “The bid is $10, won’t someone give $20?” The crowd was becoming angry, they did not want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded his 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 am sorry, the auction is over.” “What about the paintings?” “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 it until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned and whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the priceless paintings. The man who took the son gets EVERYTHING! ~ Unknown Author

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 will take the Son?” Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets EVERYTHING!

Ponder this question my friends as you reread John 3:16. Will you take the Son?