By David Rogers. November 25, 2011. BLOWING ROCK -- From time to time, I run across "something special" -- in life, in our relationships, even on the Internet.  I received this "story" today by email and think this edited version might prove to be something special for many of our readers during the holiday season and beyond. The original author is not known to me.

A Father and His Son

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.

In the 1960s, the son was drafted into the Army.  When the Vietnam conflict broke out, he was deployed to Southeast Asia and an area of intense fighting. 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 father's door. Opening it, a young man stood on the front porch with a large package in his hands. He said to the father, "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 the package. "I know this isn't much," he said to the father. "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 standing before him. 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," the young man said. "I could never repay what your son did for me. He saved my life. This is my gift to you for the gift of your son."

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 of art he had collected.

The man died a few months later and a great auction of his paintings was advertised. Many influential and wealthy people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one or more of them for their own collections.

On the auction platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this portrait of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence, then finally a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one!"

But the auctioneer persisted. "Won't someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice shouted angrily over the rising clamor, "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts, the Raphaels! 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. It is all I can afford."      

"We have $10, who will bid $20?" the auctioneer asked.

"GIVE it to him for the $10!" someone shouted. "Yeah, let's get on to the masters!" another art connoiseur demanded.

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy masterpieces for their respective collections.

So the auctioneer pounded his gavel, proclaiming, "For this portrait of the son: Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Finally! Now let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "Thank you all for coming. The auction is over."

"But what about the paintings?" a man cried out.

"I am sorry," the auctioneer explained, "but when called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will and that I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. You see, only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including all of the paintings. So the gardener who bought the painting of the son gets everything!"

God gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?" Because whoever takes the Son gets everything!

"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

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