After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church’s pastor once
again slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit, and gave a very brief
introduction of his childhood friend. With that, an elderly man stepped up
to the pulpit to speak, “A father, his son, and a friend of his son were
sailing off the Pacific Coast,” he began, “when a fast approaching storm
blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high, that even
though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat
upright, and the boys were swept into the ocean.”
The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers
who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat
interested in his story. He continued, “Grabbing a rescue line, the father
had to make the most excruciating decision of his life . . . to which boy he
would throw the other end of the line. He only had seconds to make the
decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian, and he also knew
that his son’s friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be
matched by the torrent of waves.
As the father yelled out, ‘I love you, son!’ he threw the line to his son’s
friend. By the time he pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son
had disappeared beyond the raging swells into the black of night. His body
was never recovered.” By this time, the two teenagers were sitting
straighter in the pew, waiting for the next words to come out of the old
man’s mouth. “The father,” he continued, “knew his son would step into
eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son’s friend
stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son.”
“How great is the love of God that He should do the same for us.” With
that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled
the room.
Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old
man’s side. “That was a nice story,” politely started one of the boys, “but
I don’t think it was very realistic for a father to give up his son’s life
in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian.”
“Well, you’ve got a point there,” the old man replied, glancing down at his
worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, and he once again looked
up at the boys and said, “It sure isn’t very realistic, is it? But I’m
standing here today to tell you that THAT story gives me a glimpse of what
it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me.”
“You see, I was the son’s friend.”
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
“Jesus knows me, this I love”