Love
of a Father (An
Illustration of
Salvation)
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 three 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.
From The Jesus Site