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Unrecognized
Greatness
It
was the middle of the morning rush hour on Friday,
January 12, 2007, when a young man in jeans, a
T-shirt, and a Washington Nationals baseball cap
stepped off the Metro at the L’Enfant Plaza Station
in Washington, D.C.
Standing near a wall in the Plaza, he opened
the case that he was carrying and removed a violin.
He placed the violin case on the floor and
threw in a few dollars as change hoping to encourage
passersby to contribute more.
Then he began to play the violin...
The
young man played feverishly for 43 minutes.
In that time, 1,097 people passed by.
Of those passing through L’Enfant Plaza that
morning, only seven people stopped to listen.
Twenty-seven tossed some money into the violin
case. His
total earnings totaled $32.17.
What
made this incident so unique? How was this street musician different from others that would
occasionally “set up shop” in similar locations?
“No
one knew it,” reports Gene Weingarten of The
Washington Post, “but the fiddler standing
against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor
arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the
finest classical musicians in the world, playing some
of the most elegant music ever written, on one of the
most valuable violins ever made.”
The
violinist was the internationally acclaimed virtuoso,
Joshua Bell. His
performance in the L’Enfant Plaza Station was
arranged by The
Washington Post.
It was an experiment: In an unimpressive
setting at an inconvenient time, would people stop to
appreciate beauty? Most did not!
But
Joshua Bell is not the only “master” that has gone
unnoticed and unappreciated...
John
wrote concerning Jesus Christ: “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the
world did not recognize him. He came to that which was
his own, but his own did not receive him” (John
1:10-11).
God
“put on” flesh and lived among men in the person
of Jesus Christ (Jn 1:14)
He was the Son of God, yet many did not
recognize Him. Many
others rejected Him.
Will
YOU?
Jesus
Christ is the Son of God (John 20:30-31) and
the Savior of the World (Luke 2:11).
He will save those who believe
in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confess
Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
Study
His life and teachings, recognize His greatness, trust
His promises, and obey His commands.
Follow in His steps and He will lead you to
glory.
Won’t
YOU?
--
David
A. Sargent, Minister
Church
of Christ at Creekwood
1901
Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
* Information gleaned
from: “Pearls Before Breakfast” by Gene
Weingarten, Washington Post Staff Writer, in The Washington Post, Sunday, April 8, 2007.
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