For many years Robert Manry held the record for piloting the smallest
ship ever to sail the Atlantic Ocean.
The trip aboard his boat,
the "Tinkerbelle," had difficulties you and I couldn't imagine. For
example, because he was afraid of being run over, Manry did not dare to
sleep when his craft was in the shipping lanes. The rudder of his vessel
broke several times. He was often washed overboard, saved only by the
rope he had tied between himself and his 13-foot vessel.
After 78
days at sea, Manry sighted land at Falmouth, England.
Two months
at sea had left him with only this desire: he wanted to tie up his boat,
find a hotel room, and get some sleep. The enthusiastic crowd that
welcomed him had other ideas. A fleet of about 300 boats, all blowing
their horns in salute, came out to greet him.
Forty thousand
well-wishers lined the docks, cheering him in. Manry had sailed alone,
had suffered at sea alone, but he received a hero's welcome!
Of
course, Manry is not alone in suffering. Others, like Manry, have also
suffered to complete their goals. Like Manry, most of them have been
congratulated for their accomplishments.
But that was not the way
it was for Jesus. When He died, there were no crowds cheering Him on.
The only shouts were people rejoicing over His pain. For Jesus, there
was no hotel room where He could rest. There would only be the dark,
borrowed tomb.
When He rose from the dead, there would be no
crowd of 40,000 well-wishers to acknowledge the event. As He suffered
for humankind, He tasted the rejection of the very people He had come to
rescue. Fulfilling the Father's plan of salvation for all who would
believe in Him was a lonely one.
We need to realize Jesus' life,
death and resurrection -- which won our salvation -- was not something
He had to do. Nor was it something we had earned. Jesus' sacrifice was
birthed out of God's goodness, greatness and grace.
Back then,
Jesus' life was lonely. It shouldn't be the same today. Today you, and
I, and all Christians ought to spend our lifetimes thanking Jesus for
having endured rejection without objection, for having done all that was
needed so we could be saved.
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, because You
are with me, I am never alone. I give thanks for Your presence in my
life now and Your blood-bought salvation for my eternity. In You I give
thanks. Amen
Pastor Ken Klaus
Lutheran Hour Ministries All rights reserved;
not to be duplicated without permission.
