Once in a small town, there lived a wealthy art collector who was greatly admired for his wisdom and kindness. He was known to be a generous benefactor to many, and he had a beloved son whom he cherished deeply. The man had a plan in mind for when he would pass away, a plan that would reveal the true worth of his possessions.
As the man grew older, he knew that his time on earth was limited, and he wanted to ensure that his legacy would continue after he was gone. He decided to plan with his lawyers, that rather than read his will, they should simply organize an auction of all his possessions.
The day of the auction arrived, and the room was filled with anticipation as the auctioneer presented the first item – a beautifully framed portrait of the man’s son. This was presented as icebreaker art before the real million-dollar masterpieces were put on parade. Bidding began, and surprisingly, the price for the son’s image started at about $1 and didn’t go far, as many of the people present had a good eye for value, and the image of the man’s son did not hold much value. People bided lackadaisically, their goal was just to get this out of the way, so the more important things could be bidding for.
In the end, only one person remained in the race, a close friend of the man. With great determination and love for his friend, he won the auction for the son’s portrait.
Everyone else present was excited, at least now, the useless portrait is gone, and they could now bid properly for real value. They had their eyes on many of the man’s paintings. Now it was time to really bid. To utter shock, however, the auctioneer had instructions to do something completely different. The instruction given secretly to the auctioneer was to stop the auction as soon as someone bid for and won the son’s portrait.
The man’s attorney approached the friend who won the auction and said, “Congratulations! You now own everything the man possessed. He loved his son deeply, and he knew that whoever had the image of his son would value and treasure everything else.” In the wealthy man’s words, “he who has the son, has everything else”.
The friend was deeply moved by the man’s love and wisdom. He realized that having the son’s image was the key to inheriting the man’s entire estate. From that day forward, he cherished the portrait of the son and used the inheritance to continue the legacy of love and kindness that the man had started.
In this beautiful story, the image of the son symbolizes Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The man’s wisdom reflects the truth of the biblical statement, “He who has the Son has everything.” In Christ, we find not only salvation but also the fullness of God’s blessings and inheritance. When we have Jesus in our lives, we gain access to the riches of God’s grace and the assurance of eternal life. The story reminds us of the profound truth that everything we truly need and desire is found in having a relationship with the Son of God.
Selah
Adeolu Akinyemi