Parable of the Magnificent Statue (from Adventurer’s Horn: second edition)

By wayneoconner | January 7, 2017

THE PARABLE

OF THE MAGNIFICENT STATUE

Once there was a young man who discovered a one of a kind museum. For years he had lived in the shadow of this splendorous monument of immortal architecture. One day his eyes were opened and the young man entered a door that he’d never seen before.

Many guards patrolled the brightly illumined halls, their steps soft echoes. There was a faint hint of dust in the air and the young man felt as if antiquity lingered here, then passed on endlessly with little change. None of the guards were less than twelve feet tall and the young man was afraid. While the young man cowered against the wall, a kindly elderly man appeared.

“Come this way, My son,” said the old man. His powerful voice reverberated through the immense hallway. “Come,” the old man added, gesturing with a hand, then he added, as he clasped the young man’s arm, “and walk with me a while.”

From room to room they walked and talked. Soon the young man’s heart grew fond of the grandfatherly gentleman with the sparkling eyes, merry laugh, and gentle manners. Countless exhibits – the old and familiar along with the strange and the new –- elicited flurries of comments and questions from the young man.

“There are an infinite number of exhibits in my museum,” said the old man. “You could never see them all unless you spent an eternity here wandering from room to room.” He added, “And if you see something that you’ve seen another day, you will learn something new.”

“Really?” asked the young man.

“Yes! Really!” exclaimed the old man with a grin. He added, “There is one final room that we will view today. In this room we will view a door that has the words, “Pearl of Great Price” etched into the door panel.”

“What’s in there?” asked the young man as they entered the chamber. The aroma of cedar wafted gently over him, as the melodic tinkle of chimes greeted their arrival. Inside was another door – it too was labeled “Pearl of Great Price.” “May I go inside?” asked the young man eagerly.

“Wait!” exclaimed the grandfatherly old gentleman. “There are many pearls of Great Price, but this one is yours. In time that door will open. For now, visit me anytime you wish, my son, and I will take you to the exhibits I know that you are ready to view.” He added, “I’ll teach you what you need to know. I’ll give to you, from my great wealth, everything you need. Desires of your heart, when you find them here, you need but ask and then receive. Unless it is not my will for you of course.”

“Thank you!” exclaimed the young man.

“You are welcome, but there is one condition that I ask in return for all I’ve promised you. You must give everything you own, including yourself, to me.” He asked, “Will you accept my offer.?”

“Yes,” replied the young man, “I give everything I own, including myself, to you.”

“Well done my son,” said the old man. I commission you as a steward of all that you have given me. I also give you my blessing, so you will grow in wisdom and prosper as your soul prospers.” He added, “Remember my son, serve me with all of your heart, do the work of the kingdom and visit me often.”

Both the museum and the kindly old man faded into a wisp of fog. Whenever the young man felt a yearning in his heart to visit the old man, he just held out his arms, and the infinite museum would materialize around him. Many visits became countless visits, but while the young man grew older, the old man seemed as ageless as ever.

One day the old man smiled warmly and said, “I have something special to show you today, my son.”

“What will you show me, Master?”

“Today my son, I will show you a magnificent statue.”

Excitement bubbled in the young man’s heart as they approached, then stepped through the cedar door, into the exhibit chamber that contained THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE. He had remembered a room with another door with the same label as the first door and the tinkling of chimes, but when he stepped into the room this time, it was completely different. Amazement overcame the young man as he appeared in the midst of a great desert. Scalding rays from the mid-morning sun forced him to squint at the wind-swept landscape. Like a turbulent sea, dusty, whistling clouds of stinging sand, obscured a caravan of camels, some burdened with high mounds of sacks and chests. Others carried turbaned riders. When the sudden sand storm had dissipated, the caravan was gone, replaced by a verdant oasis.

Curtains of roses, and lotus and lily scattered pools, filled the oasis with splashes of flamboyant hues and exotic scents. Birds twirped and chattered among the circling palms. Pathways of gravel and semiprecious stones meandered around lushly stocked oriental gardens.

“Ahh,” said the old man, as he escorted the young man into the oasis. Here it is!” The grandfatherly old man stopped near a roped off area, not unlike many of the other pedestal exhibits, he’d shown the young man, during former visits throughout the vast labyrinthic museum rooms. Fine silk whispered softly as the old man whisked the veil from the statue.

“She is so beautiful,” exclaimed the young man. “She takes my breath away.” He asked, “Is this The Pearl Of Great Price?”

“This one,” gently corrected the old man, “is your pearl of great price.” Then the man added, “Do you hear the crunch of approaching footfalls? Watch the garden pathway. You will soon see them.”

“Who is coming?”

“They are art experts,” responded the old man. “One is worldly; the other is not. I have sent for them to appraise this piece.”

Both art experts appeared before them, bowed, then tossed off their heavy burnooses and cloaks, revealing rumpled pin-stripe suits and bold solid ties- one wore white and sandstone, the other gray and navy blue. Constantly mumbling and scribbling notes, the art experts circled the statue and viewed it from every conceivable angle.

“This is your magnificent statue?” asked the first art expert.

“Come now, old man,” chided the other, “this is a fine piece, but certainly it cannot be your finest work?”

Rather than answering, the grandfatherly old man, turned to the young man, and asked, “What do you think, my son?”

Gesturing wildly and discoursing with great passion, the young man extolled the statue’s magnificence. He concluded, “Although I admit that I have not seen all of the works of art in my master’s museum, I know I have not seen a finer work than this.”

“Bravo,” said the worldly art expert, with a muffled clapping of his hands, “your praise was so true and eloquent that the statue seemed to live and breathe before my very eyes! But my vote remains the same.”

“You,” declared the other, “must be an art scholar as skilled as I, for you have convinced me that my first assessment was unfair.” He added, “A perfect ten it will never be, but I will now come into agreement with the other expert, and award it a grade of five.”

“Why can’t you see,” cried the young man, “the magnificence of my master’s work of art? Are you both blind?”

The two critics ignored the young man’s queries, bowed once, then vanished.

“Yes my son, they are blind,” said the old man, “but do not be too harsh with them. They were not looking with your eyes or heart or wisdom. He continued, “I not only created the statue – I created you to be the only person who could really see the intricate magnificence of this creation. No one else can praise me for this work quite the way you can.”

“When we first met, said the young man, “you said, ‘the desires of your heart, when you find them here, you need but ask, and then receive,’ according to your will, of course.”

“Of course I remember! I never forget,” responded the old man. He added with a sigh, “But according to my will, the answer is, no.”

“No! Cried the young man. “This time too, I will give you all that I possess.

“No my son,” snapped the old man, “the statue is not for sale!” His fierce expression, was soon replaced with a compassionate smile. Gently he asked, “Have you forgotten so soon. You own nothing. Not even yourself.”

“What if I borrowed the money?” pleaded the young man.

“What do you think the magnificent statue is worth?”

Gazing sadly at the statue the young man said, “Master, I do not know.”

“Wisely spoken, my son. Like all of my pearls. The magnificent statue is priceless.”

Crestfallen the young man asked, “Master, what shall I do?”

“Be of good cheer, my son,” said the old man. “Serve me with all of your heart and do the work of the kingdom.” He added, “Take this bag of gold, then search all of the art museums of the world. When you have visited all of the museums where I have sent you, and the money is gone, you will return to this room.”

Finally the last gold piece was spent and the man reappeared in the enchanted garden, with its singing birds, aromatic flowers, gushing, gurgling fonts and shimmering pools. His heart was filled with joy until he noticed that the exhibit box was empty. The statue had vanished!

“Why are you crying?” asked the old man as he stepped from behind a trio of palms.

Mixed emotions coursed through the young man’s heart as he ran into the old man’s outstretched arms. “Where is the statue?” he sobbed, then continued, “After searching the world as you commanded, and finding that the magnificent statue has no equal, I have returned only to find that it is gone!”

“Do you know why I asked you to serve me with all of your heart and search for another statue equal to the magnificent statue?” asked the old man.

Puzzled, the young man responded, “I do not know.”

“First,” responded the old man, “I wanted to know if obedience to me, meant more to you, than your love for the magnificent statue.” He added, “Second, I want you to know, that no statue of my design, could ever compare, in your eyes and in your heart, to the magnificent statue.”

Tears of sorrow transformed into tears of joy. “Are you saying Master, that the magnificent statue still exists and that you are finally going to give it to me?”

“No, my son,” said the old man, “I am not going to give you the statue.”

“Why?” groaned the young man, his voice choked by a fresh flood of tears. “Master, would you at least tell me what you have done with the statue?”

“My son, the statue is no longer a statue. I have breathed upon it and now it lives.” He added, “Do you remember the cedar door that we first used to enter the exhibit chamber? The first labeled door? I have asked her to meet you here and share her life with you. If she does not come here to meet you in the next fifteen minutes, to this oasis, you will be entering your new life without her.”

https://www.createspace.com/6392685

Coming Soon! Kingdom Lessons Three: Flowers from Jesus.

Contains the Friendship Tower Chronicles:

Below are the links to the YouTube videos and wayneoconner.com blog posts for the individual Friendship Tower Chronicles presentations.

The Friendship Tower from Jesus

The video which is at the blog was originally published on YouTube November 14^th, 2012.

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hyr6st8c68

Below in the box is a copy of the video information from YouTube Video Publishing that was with the video when I just did a search to find the original video. I couldn’t remember the actual date information which didn’t appear on the video that I have at my blog. The video was published in November of 2012 but I put the link for the video in my July 11^th,2015 blog entry.

A FRIENDSHIP TOWER FROM JESUS + 2 ROMANTIC POEMS …

Video for A FRIENDSHIP TOWER FROM JESUS + 2 ROMANTIC POEMS▶ 29:53