Sean Dusinberre and two of his sons, Joshua and Dylan, were on their way home last Tuesday, November 18, after a trip to Buffalo to watch the Bills play the Cleveland Browns on Monday night. Snow covered the ground on this cold day in rural western New York.

Suddenly, the Pontiac Grand Am in which they were riding slid off of the snowy road over the top of a short steep hill, veered to the right, vaulted over newly planted rows of tiny pine trees, and bolted down a snow-laden grassy slope into a 12-foot-deep manmade pond.

Reacting quickly, Sean kicked out the driver’s-side window of the car, pushed 13-year-old Joshua out into the murky, frigid water and then followed him to the surface with 3-year-old Dylan on his back. Joshua reached the bank of the 100-yard-wide pond and after coughing up water, ran screaming for help. When emergency crews arrived, they found Dylan floating in the water, performed CPR, and rushed him to a nearby hospital.

There was no sign of the boys’ 37-year-old father. He had collapsed back into the water and drowned. Divers found his body in the silt about four hours later.

He saved his sons, but he could not save himself. “He was a hero in saving his two sons,” stated Ontario County’s undersheriff, David Tillman. “He certainly put the lives of his kids first.”

As Jesus was dying on the cross, the chief priests of the Jews mocked Him saying, “He saved OTHERS; but He cannot save HIMSELF” (Mark 15:31). Their words were partly true.

By dying on the cross, Jesus purchased the salvation of all that would trust and obey Him. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

“He saved OTHERS” is a true statement. His atoning death will cover the sins of those who: believe and trust 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) in His name for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).

“He cannot save HIMSELF” was NOT a true statement. When one of His disciples drew his sword to prevent the angry mob from taking Jesus away to be crucified, Jesus said, “Put your sword back in its place … Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:52-53). He COULD have saved Himself, but He DIDN’T!

WHY NOT?

He could not do BOTH! He could not save others AND Himself. Had He aborted the rescue mission to suffer and die for sinful man and saved Himself, ALL of humanity would have been lost!

He thought of US first! He gave His life for us so that we might be saved from our sins.

Won’t YOU submit your life to this Loving Savior so that you, too, can be saved?

David A. Sargent creekwood@comcast.net