THE SON'S PORTRAIT

"Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day!" (Psalm 119:97)

A rich man and his son loved to collect works of art. They had quite a vast collection, from the works of Raphael  to Picasso. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, his son marched off to war but died in rescuing the life of another soldier. About a month later, there was a knock at the father's door. A young man stood on the porch with a package in his hands.

He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier that your son saved. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet got him. He often talked about you and your love for art."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young soldier. He stared in wonder at how he had captured the personality of his son in the painting. He was so drawn to the eyes that a few tears trickled down his cheek. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the portrait. But the soldier declined, saying it was a gift. Then he walked away.

The father hung the painting over the mantel. Every time visitors came to the house to view his art collection, the father always showed them the picture of his son first. The father died a few months later. There was to be a public auction of his art collection. Many influential people had gathered, excited over the famous paintings that would be sold that day. On the platform for all to see was the painting of the son.

The auctioneer banged his gavel and the bidding began. "Who will start the bidding for the picture of the son?" There was silence. No hands were raised. Then the people began to grumble. "No one wants the son," one man shouted. "We came for the real paintings. We want Van Gogh and Rembrandt. Let's get on with it!" But the auctioneer insisted, "Who will take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the back of the room. It was the voice of an old gardener, a servant who had worked all his life for the father and his son. "I'll give ten dollars for the painting," he said. Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. No other bid was made. Finally, the auctioneer brought down the gavel again. "Sold!" he said, "sold for ten dollars to the man in the back row." Then he laid down his gavel and said, "The auction is over." 

The people were in an uproar. "What about the paintings?" they shouted. "I am sorry," said the auctioneer. "There was a stipulation in the will. I was clearly told not to reveal this stipulation until now. Only the portrait of the son will be auctioned. Whoever bought the painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything."

Over 2,000 years ago, the Father's Son died in giving His life to save us. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price on Calvary's cross. And the Father offers us His Son's portrait, asking as the old auctioneer, "Who will have the Son?"

On every page of the Bible, we can see for ourselves the portrait of Jesus. From Genesis through Revelation, He is there. His voice speaks to us through the Psalms, through the prophecies, and through stories of great men and women of faith.  Here we find a masterpiece of our Savior's life and love. It's all there for us. And just like in this story, if we have the son's portrait, we have it all! Through the Bible, the Father  bestows every blessing in His possession. "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him" (2 Peter 1:3). We come to know Jesus through His words and all the ways Hes working for us through the pages of Scripture. We'll find it all in the Savior's Portrait. 

The portrait that the soldier once painted was the most precious painting the father possessed--not because of the soldier's skill as an artist. I'm sure it paled in comparison to the works of Van Gogh or Monet.  It was only the father's love for the son that made it precious. And I tend to think that our heavenly Father looks at the Bible in the same way. This book is precious because it reveals His Son. 

But our Father's love goes far beyond the love in this story. For the Bible shows more than God's love for Jesus. It demonstrates His love for you and me. It shows to what lengths our Father will go in order to win us back and bring us home to heaven. 

"Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Romans 11:33) 

Our Father's love is so full, I can't imagine how anyone could pen it on paper. Words seem so incapable of drawing a right portrait of all that our Father is to us and of His incredible grace! "Words are too tame, too weak, too far beneath the theme, and we lay down our pen and say, "No, it cannot be described." We can only do as did the beloved disciple, and say 'Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God'" (Fundamentals of Christian Education, pg. 179). 

Behold that love. Absorb His love and it will speak to your hungry heart. And when you experience that love for yourself, this book will become the Portrait of the Son to you. It will become infinitely precious because it's where you find Jesus. When He's delivers you from your chains of sin and "from the the power of darkness and [conveys you] into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Colossians 1:13), you'll value this book above everything else. You won't cry out for other masterpieces to bid on. You'll give all you've got to make it your own. 

You'll drink in every thought, you'll cherish every  promise, you'll delight in following every commandment. Because this Book has given you life! And every time you open it, you come closer and closer to Jesus. 

Because this Book is Someone and something to experience. It's more than words on a page. It's a precious encounter with the Son. That's why I can say with the Psalmist, "I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life!" (Psalm 119:93). "O, how I love Your Law! It is my meditation all the day!" (Psalm 119:97).