C h a l k A r t
The Pearl
A heavy splash was followed by many ripples, and then the water below the pier was still. David Morse, the American missionary crouched low on the Indian pier, his eyes riveted to the place where a stream of little bubbles rose to the surface from deep under the water. In a moment a dark head appeared and a pair of bright eyes looked up. The old Indian pearl diver was clambering onto the dock, grinning and shaking the water from his shining oiled body.
"As nice a dive as I have ever seen, Rambau!"
"Look at this one, Sahib. I think it will be a good one!!"
Morse took the large oyster offered him by the diver and opened it. "Rambau, look, it's a treasure!!"
"Yes, Sahib, a good one!"
"Good, Have you ever seen a better pearl? It's perfect, isn't it?"
"There are better pearls,...much better....Why, I have one. See this one...the imperfections...the black speck here...even in shape it is a bit oblong, but good enough as pearls go."
"Your eyes are too sharp for your own good, friend. I would never ask for a more perfect pearl."
"It is just as you say of your god. To themselves, people look perfect, but God sees them as they actually are!"
You're right, Rambau, and God offers perfect righteousness to all who will simple believe and accept His free offer of salvation. Can't you see that, my friend?"
"No, Sahib. As so many times before I have told you, that is too easy. That is where your good religion breaks down. I can not accept that. Perhaps I am too proud. I must work for my place in heaven, or I would always be uncomfortable."
"Oh, Rambau, don't you see? You will never get to heaven that way! There's only one way to heaven. And see, Rambau, you're getting older now. Perhaps this is your last season of diving for pearls. If you ever want to see heaven's gates of pearl, you must accept the new life God offers you in His son."
"My last season, ... Yes, you are right! Today was my last day of diving. This is the last month of the year, and I have preparations to make."
"You should be making preparations for the life to come!"
"That is just what I am going to do. Do you see that man over there? He is a pilgrim, walking barefoot and picking the sharpest stones. See, every few blocks he kneels down and kisses the road. That is good. The first day of the year I also begin my pilgrimage. All my life I have planned it. I shall make sure of heaven this time. I am going to Delhi on my knees."
"Man, you're crazy! It's nine hundred miles to Delhi. The skin will break on your knees and you'll have blood poisoning or leprosy before you get there!"
"No, I must go to Delhi, and then the immortals will reward me. The suffering will be sweet, for it will purchase heaven for me!"
"Rambau, my friend, you can't!! How can I let you do this when Jesus Christ has died to purchase heaven for you?"
"You are my dearest friend on earth, Sahib Morse. Through all these years you have stood beside me. In sickness and in want you have been sometimes my only friend. But even you can not turn me from this great desire to purchase eternal bliss. I must go to Delhi!"
It was useless, the old pearl diver could not understand, could not accept the free salvation of Christ. On the afternoon of Christmas day, Morse answered a knock on his door. Rambau was there and asked the missionary to accompany him to his house. Ten minutes later, Morse was seated with the diver. Rambau left the room to return soon with a small but heavy English strong box.
"I have had this box for years. I keep only one thing in it. Now I will tell you about it. Sahib Morse, I once had a son!"
"A son, ... why Rambau, you never said a word about him!"
"No, Sahib, I couldn't! Now I must tell you, for soon I shall leave, and who knows whether I shall ever return! My son was a diver too. He was the best pearl diver on the coast of India. He had the swiftest dive, the keenest eye, the strongest arm and the longest breath of any man who sought for pearls. What joy he brought me! He always dreamed of finding a pearl above all that he had ever seen before. One day he found it. But when he saw it, he had already been under the water too long. He lost his life soon after. All these years I have kept the pearl. But now, I am going, not to return. I know that this is a day among Christians for giving of gifts; and to you, my best friend, I am giving my pearl."
"Rambau! What a pearl!"
"That pearl, Sahib, is perfect!"
"Rambau, this is a wonderful pearl, an amazing pearl! Let me buy it! I would give you ten thousand dollars for it!"
"Sahib, what do you mean?"
"Well, I will give you fifteen thousand dollars for it, ... or if it takes more, I will work for it!"
"Sahib, this pearl is beyond price! No man in all the world has money enough to pay what this pearl is worth to me. On the market, a million dollars could not buy it. I will not sell it to you. You may only have it as a gift."
"No, Rambau, I can not accept that. As much as I want the pearl, I can not accept it that way. Perhaps I am too proud, but that is too easy! I must pay for it, or work for it!"
You don't understand at all, Sahib. Don't you see? My only son gave his life to get this pearl. And I wouldn't sell it for any money. It's worth is in the life blood of my son! I can not sell this, but I can give it to you! Just accept it in token of the love that I bear to you."
"Rambau, don't you see? This is just what you have been saying to God. God is offering to you heaven as a free gift. It is so great and priceless that no man on earth could buy it. Millions of dollars would be too little. No man on earth could earn it. His life would be millions of years too short. No man is good enough to deserve it. It cost God the life blood of His only son to make entrance for you into heaven. In a million years, and a hundred pilgrimages you could not earn that entrance. All you can do is accept it as a token of God's love for you, a sinner! Rambau, of course I will accept the pearl, in deep humility, praying God I may be worthy of your love. But Rambau, won't you accept God's great gift of heaven too, knowing it cost him the death of his son to offer it to you?"
"Sahib, I see it now! I have believed in the doctrine of Jesus for two years, but I could not believe that this salvation was free. Now I understand. Some things are too priceless to be bought or earned. Sahib, I will accept this salvation."
Will you too accept this salvation? The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8 & 9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith. and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast."
The Pearl
A heavy splash was followed by many ripples, and then the water below the pier was still. David Morse, the American missionary crouched low on the Indian pier, his eyes riveted to the place where a stream of little bubbles rose to the surface from deep under the water. In a moment a dark head appeared and a pair of bright eyes looked up. The old Indian pearl diver was clambering onto the dock, grinning and shaking the water from his shining oiled body.
"As nice a dive as I have ever seen, Rambau!"
"Look at this one, Sahib. I think it will be a good one!!"
Morse took the large oyster offered him by the diver and opened it. "Rambau, look, it's a treasure!!"
"Yes, Sahib, a good one!"
"Good, Have you ever seen a better pearl? It's perfect, isn't it?"
"There are better pearls,...much better....Why, I have one. See this one...the imperfections...the black speck here...even in shape it is a bit oblong, but good enough as pearls go."
"Your eyes are too sharp for your own good, friend. I would never ask for a more perfect pearl."
"It is just as you say of your god. To themselves, people look perfect, but God sees them as they actually are!"
You're right, Rambau, and God offers perfect righteousness to all who will simple believe and accept His free offer of salvation. Can't you see that, my friend?"
"No, Sahib. As so many times before I have told you, that is too easy. That is where your good religion breaks down. I can not accept that. Perhaps I am too proud. I must work for my place in heaven, or I would always be uncomfortable."
"Oh, Rambau, don't you see? You will never get to heaven that way! There's only one way to heaven. And see, Rambau, you're getting older now. Perhaps this is your last season of diving for pearls. If you ever want to see heaven's gates of pearl, you must accept the new life God offers you in His son."
"My last season, ... Yes, you are right! Today was my last day of diving. This is the last month of the year, and I have preparations to make."
"You should be making preparations for the life to come!"
"That is just what I am going to do. Do you see that man over there? He is a pilgrim, walking barefoot and picking the sharpest stones. See, every few blocks he kneels down and kisses the road. That is good. The first day of the year I also begin my pilgrimage. All my life I have planned it. I shall make sure of heaven this time. I am going to Delhi on my knees."
"Man, you're crazy! It's nine hundred miles to Delhi. The skin will break on your knees and you'll have blood poisoning or leprosy before you get there!"
"No, I must go to Delhi, and then the immortals will reward me. The suffering will be sweet, for it will purchase heaven for me!"
"Rambau, my friend, you can't!! How can I let you do this when Jesus Christ has died to purchase heaven for you?"
"You are my dearest friend on earth, Sahib Morse. Through all these years you have stood beside me. In sickness and in want you have been sometimes my only friend. But even you can not turn me from this great desire to purchase eternal bliss. I must go to Delhi!"
It was useless, the old pearl diver could not understand, could not accept the free salvation of Christ. On the afternoon of Christmas day, Morse answered a knock on his door. Rambau was there and asked the missionary to accompany him to his house. Ten minutes later, Morse was seated with the diver. Rambau left the room to return soon with a small but heavy English strong box.
"I have had this box for years. I keep only one thing in it. Now I will tell you about it. Sahib Morse, I once had a son!"
"A son, ... why Rambau, you never said a word about him!"
"No, Sahib, I couldn't! Now I must tell you, for soon I shall leave, and who knows whether I shall ever return! My son was a diver too. He was the best pearl diver on the coast of India. He had the swiftest dive, the keenest eye, the strongest arm and the longest breath of any man who sought for pearls. What joy he brought me! He always dreamed of finding a pearl above all that he had ever seen before. One day he found it. But when he saw it, he had already been under the water too long. He lost his life soon after. All these years I have kept the pearl. But now, I am going, not to return. I know that this is a day among Christians for giving of gifts; and to you, my best friend, I am giving my pearl."
"Rambau! What a pearl!"
"That pearl, Sahib, is perfect!"
"Rambau, this is a wonderful pearl, an amazing pearl! Let me buy it! I would give you ten thousand dollars for it!"
"Sahib, what do you mean?"
"Well, I will give you fifteen thousand dollars for it, ... or if it takes more, I will work for it!"
"Sahib, this pearl is beyond price! No man in all the world has money enough to pay what this pearl is worth to me. On the market, a million dollars could not buy it. I will not sell it to you. You may only have it as a gift."
"No, Rambau, I can not accept that. As much as I want the pearl, I can not accept it that way. Perhaps I am too proud, but that is too easy! I must pay for it, or work for it!"
You don't understand at all, Sahib. Don't you see? My only son gave his life to get this pearl. And I wouldn't sell it for any money. It's worth is in the life blood of my son! I can not sell this, but I can give it to you! Just accept it in token of the love that I bear to you."
"Rambau, don't you see? This is just what you have been saying to God. God is offering to you heaven as a free gift. It is so great and priceless that no man on earth could buy it. Millions of dollars would be too little. No man on earth could earn it. His life would be millions of years too short. No man is good enough to deserve it. It cost God the life blood of His only son to make entrance for you into heaven. In a million years, and a hundred pilgrimages you could not earn that entrance. All you can do is accept it as a token of God's love for you, a sinner! Rambau, of course I will accept the pearl, in deep humility, praying God I may be worthy of your love. But Rambau, won't you accept God's great gift of heaven too, knowing it cost him the death of his son to offer it to you?"
"Sahib, I see it now! I have believed in the doctrine of Jesus for two years, but I could not believe that this salvation was free. Now I understand. Some things are too priceless to be bought or earned. Sahib, I will accept this salvation."
Will you too accept this salvation? The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8 & 9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith. and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast."