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Written by Administrator Monday, 25 June 2007 07:44

Earlier this year, The Washington Post set an unusual “experiment” in motion. Soliciting the talents of Joshua Bell, violinist extraordinaire, they sent the performer to entertain commuters coming and going on the DC Metro. Big deal … Bell entertains crowds all the time. But what made this occasion unique was that Joshua Bell was incognito. There were no announcements…no signs…no sponsors…no fanfare. Dressed in ordinary jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a Washington Nationals baseball cap Bell fit in with the “look” of the dozens of other minstrels who wander about playing unsolicited music for busy commuters. The project was described as “an experiment in context, perception, and priorities – as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste. [The question was…] in a banal setting, at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?”

On the morning of January 12, 2007, Joshua Bell positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. Taking his violin from its case, he tossed a few dollars and some pocket change into the empty case as seed money to encourage contributions from the passersby. With the stroke of his bow, the melodies of Mozart and Schubert began to flow from his instrument. For the next 45 minutes Joshua Bell played as over a 1,000 people streamed past. Most of them hardly took the time to tune in or even notice. If someone had taken only a moment, maybe he or she would have recognized that face from a TV appearance or from a billboards or from one of his CDs. Perhaps a trained eye might have spotted the value of the violin – a rare Stradivari worth over $3 million. But no one recognized or acknowledged this rare talent and this special gift. At the conclusion of his pieces, Bell counted his “earnings” – $32 from 27 people who paused long enough to show some appreciation and make a small donation. (Just three days earlier, Joshua Bell had sold out Boston Symphony Hall, with ordinary seats going for $100 each.)

I see in this a spiritual analogy. Centuries ago, God sent His Son who took on human flesh. Jesus looked like an ordinary man…but He was the extraordinary God. Relatively few really took notice. “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:10-11). At least Bell got $32. Jesus was betrayed – sold – for 30 pieces of silver. But in spite of our rejection of Him, He still offered and does offer the gift of eternal life. “But to all who receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Don’t be in such a hurry that you miss out on God’s gift to you.