By Nathan Franson
There is a poem written by Myra Brooks Welch titled The Old Violin that describes the fate
of an old violin up for auction:
'Twas battered and scarred, And the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while To waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile."What am I bid, good people", he cried, "Who starts the bidding for me?" "One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?" "Two dollars, who makes it three?" "Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"But, No, From the room far back a gray bearded man Came forward and picked up the bow, Then wiping the dust from the old violin And tightening up the strings, He played a melody, pure and sweet As sweet as the angel sings.The music ceased and the auctioneer With a voice that was quiet and low, Said, "What now am I bid for this old violin?" As he held it aloft with its' bow."One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?" "Two thousand, Who makes it three?" "Three thousand once, three thousand twice, Going and gone", said he.The audience cheered, But some of them cried, "We just don't understand." "What changed its' worth?" Swift came the reply. "The Touch of the Masters Hand.""And many a man with life out of tune All battered and bruised with hardship Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd Much like that old violinA mess of pottage, a glass of wine, A game and he travels on. He is going once, he is going twice, He is going and almost gone.But the Master comes, And the foolish crowd never can quite understand, The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.
In the mind of the casual observer the violin was a
tattered and dusty instrument that had obviously been used many times over the
years. On the surface it was not
attractive by any means. Then something remarkable was realized. The
instrument’s worth significantly swelled when used for how it was purposed. How
could anyone have overlooked this remarkable piece?
How often are people so distracted by the
appearance of something that they fail to really see its value? While listening to a preacher one day, I
noticed the old Bible that he used. The
cover was worn, the binding was weak, a number of pages were ripped in addition
to the writing scribbled on each of them. As he opened it, he suggested how maybe it was time to retire and
replace “this old bible.” If only he
could have seen the value of what he held through the eyes of the students in
front of him.
Its tired condition came from years of being
carried around and used by a Gospel preacher.
Its binding was weak from the countless times it had been opened. Its pages were ripped from being handled,
examined, and turned many times over; and all of the “scribbling” were notes
from thorough study and annotations from the many sermons by other great
preachers of the word. How many times
had it been read and its content closely analyzed? How many sermons and bible studies had been
conducted using it? How many souls had
been saved while turning to the applicable passages within its exhausted
body?
What is the value of a bible? For some it may be the new expensive edition with
the fancy goatskin cover. For others it
may be the one with the extended concordance and all the charts. Or maybe, it is the one whose owner
appreciates it enough to realize that “the old bible” is worth the most when it
is used.
Nathan’s Bio: Nathan Franson
has been preaching for the church of Christ in Kissimmee, Florida since June,
2009. He is a graduate of the Memphis
School of Preaching. Prior to preaching
he lived in Los Angeles, California working as a special makeup effects artist
in the motion picture and theatre industry.
He grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah where he spent his first twenty years
in the Mormon Church before studying his way out and has taught and written
much about their religion. He has spoken
at gospel meetings, lectureships, and has written numerous articles along with
a tract. He currently lives in Orlando with his wife, Katy and son, Micah.
Links:
