The Parable Of The Keys

THE PARABLE OF THE KEYS
--Author Unknown-

Song Playing is Whispering Hope

Once there was a little boy and a little girl,
who loved Jesus very much, and He loved them.
They were kind and always told the truth, and whatever
Jesus wanted them to do they tried their best to do.
"You may come to my house," Jesus told them one day,
"and there I will give you a gift."

They put on their best clothes, made sure they were clean,
and went to Jesus' house. It was a beautiful house,
and it made them feel beautiful too, just to be inside it.
They met Jesus, and He gave them his gift. It was a
key - a wonderful key. "Take care of this key," He said.
"Put it next to your heart. Don't let it tarnish or get rusty.
Always keep it with you. One day it will open a wonderful
door. Whenever you wish, you may return to
My house, but each time, I will ask to see the key."
They promised him they would, and they went home.

They returned often to Jesus' house, and each time
He asked if they still had the key. And they always did.
One day He asked if they would follow him. He led
them to a hill covered with green grass and trees.
On top of the hill was a mansion in the middle of a
beautiful garden. Even in their dreams
they had never imagined anything so magnificent.
"Who lives here?" They asked Him.

"You may," he answered. "This is your eternal home.
I've been building it for you. The key
I gave you fits in a lock in the front door. Now run up the
path and put your key into the lock." They
ran up the hill and through the garden to the front door.

"If it's this beautiful on the outside," they said, "it must be
even more wonderful inside!"
But when they reached the front door, they stopped. It
was the strangest door they had ever seen. Instead of one lock,
the door as covered with locks, hundreds of locks,
thousands of locks. And they only had one key. They put
their key into one of the locks. It wouldn't fit. They
put it into another. It didn't fit that one either. They tried
many different locks. Finally they found the one that fit.
They turned the key and the lock clicked.

But the door wouldn't open. They ran back to Jesus.
"We cannot open the door," they said.
"It is covered with locks and we only have one key."
He smiled at them and said: "Do you think you
would be happy living in your mansion all alone?
Is there anyone you would like to live with you there?"

They thought for a while and then answered, "We would like
our families to live with us." "Go and find them,"
He said. "Invite them to My house, and I will give each
one their very own key. Soon you will have many keys."

They rushed out eagerly to find their families. They found
their fathers and mothers, their brothers and sisters,
and all of their cousins and brought them
to Jesus' house. Just as He had promised, He gave each
one a key. When all had been given a key, together
they returned to the great door of the mansion.
Now they had dozens of keys, but there were
thousands of locks, and the door still wouldn't open.
They needed more keys.

Once again they returned to Jesus. "We have brought
our families," they said. "But the door still won't open."
"Do your parents have a mother an father and brothers
and sisters?" He asked them. "Do you think they
will be happy living in the beautiful mansion without them?
If you look hard enough, you will find many, many people.

Bring them all to my house, and I will give each one a key."
They looked very hard, just as Jesus had told them.
They found mothers and fathers. They found brothers
and sisters. They found grandmas and grandpas
and great-great grandmothers and great-great-great
grandfathers. They found aunts and uncles and
nieces and nephews and cousins. They found them
in big cities. They found them in tiny villages. Some
lived by the seashore. Some lived in the open
prairie. Some lived near the mountains. Some lived far
across the ocean. And some lived close, just over the
next hill. Some were blacksmiths and some were
farmers. There were cobblers and tailors and
fishermen. There were teachers and mechanics and
shopkeepers. Some were tall with strange looking hats.
Others were short and wore wooden shoes. They spoke
different languages and came from many different countries.

They found some with long blond hair that hung far down
their backs in braids. They found some with short red hair
that stuck straight up and had to be hidden under a hat.
The boy and girl searched until they had found
everybody and all their families.

They brought all the fathers and mothers, the brothers and
sisters, the aunts the uncles, the nieces, and nephews,
the grandmothers and grandfathers to Jesus' house.
Inside He gave each one his or her, own key. Soon all
the families were gathered before the great door.
There was a lock for every key.
They turned the keys, but the door remained closed.

There was one final lock, a great big one right in the middle
of the door, and no one had its key. The boy and the girl
returned to Jesus, "We have found all our families,"
they said. "But the door still won't open. We're missing
a key and don't know where to find it."

Jesus smiled, put his arms around them, and gave each
one a kiss. "I have the last key," he said, and He held
it up. It was bright and shining beautiful.
"This is the key of my atonement," he said. "Am I not a
member of the family? Do you think you will be happy
living in your mansion without me? Do you think I
would be happy living without you? Now that you have
found the whole family, all my brothers and sisters,
all our Father's children, together we will enter our
eternal home, for home will always be where families live
and love together." He took their hands, and the whole
family opened the door, entered the mansion, and
spent an eternity of happiness together.

"In my Father's house are many mansions," Jesus said.
"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may
be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."
(John 14:2-4)

For God So Loved The World, That He Gave
His Only Begotten Son, That Whosoever
Believeth In Him, Should Not Perish,
But Have Everlasting Life.