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 or 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