Belfast OutReach

I.  INTRODUCTION A.      The Illustration   There's a story about an extremely wealthy man who possessed vast treasures of art.  The man had only one son who was a very ordinary boy.  The child passed away in his adolescence and had little effect on anyone.  The father greatly mourned his son's death.  Within a few months after the death of his son, the father died as well.   He stipulated in his will that all his possessions and art treasures were to be auctioned.  And, strangely enough, he added that one particular painting had to be auctioned first.  It was a painting of his son done by an artist whom no one really knew.  The auctioneer in accord with the man's wishes, directed the assembled crowd to the painting of the rather obscure son of the wealthy man.  He started the bidding there.  Since no one knew the boy or the artist, the bidding was silent.   After a long time had passed without any bid at all, an old man who had been a servant in the hou