John Pierpont Morgan, the founder of the banking conglomerate which still bears his name, was quite the art collector. To find the best pieces required both connected sources and an expert
eye which few possessed. Having heard of the famous art dealer Joseph Joel Duveen, he decided to test him to see for himself if Duveen knew his stuff.
He got more than he bargained for. Showing Duveen five Chinese ceramic beakers, he explained that three were priceless and two were reproductions he had commissioned at great cost. “Can you tell me which are the originals?” Morgan asked.
Duveen quickly looked over the five ceramics, and raising his walking cane, smashed two of them to smithereens. From that moment on, Morgan bought exclusively through Duveen, who clearly was a master of both art and drama.
I smile when I think of that story, for it reminds me of how easily fooled we non-experts can be. We mistake character, distance, the weather, and even our own abilities at times. We are slaves of subjectivity and so often lose our edge when it comes to sound judgment.
But there is an Expert who knows all and sees all and therefore will never be fooled. It is He who will judge, not only the actions of men, but their motives as well, on the Last Day. Ecclesiastes 12:3, 4
If you’ve misjudged a thing or two in life, don’t be too hard on yourself. We’ve all been there. But be sure that we live, speak, and act before One who has all of the evidence and who never has been nor could be deceived.
“And no creature is hidden from his sight,
but all are naked and exposed to the eyes
of him to whom we must give account.”
Hebrews 4:13