The Captain’s Sacrifice

Good News – April 2012 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The Captain’s Sacrifice

April 20, 2010, was a harrowing day for Captain Robert Royer and his three crew members on the Northern Belle, a fishing boat in the Gulf of Alaska. According to news reports, the 75-foot vessel went down in freezing cold, heavy seas.

Royer ordered his crew to abandon ship, said a reporter. The crew made it off the ship safely. When they learned that the emergency beacon (EPIRB) was not working, Royer returned to the ship’s wheelhouse and made a radio distress call.

“We’re going down!” he told the U.S. Coast Guard. “We have four persons on board. We’re getting in a life raft here. We’re going down.”

Royer was leaving the boat when he fell and suffered a fatal blow to his head, according to crew member Robert Jack. The Coast Guard made a rapid response, and Jack and his fellow crew members were all rescued. Royer was recovered in the rescue, but was pronounced dead.

Jack said that the captain “sacrificed himself” to make a Mayday call that saved his crew. He added: “I totally believe the captain saved our lives.” The captain was called a hero for his act of bravery and sacrifice.

What Captain Royer did was indeed honorable and noteworthy. But there is another captain who has done even more. His name is Jesus, and He is “the Captain” of our salvation. He made a sacrifice for the entire world by tasting death for everyone (Heb. 2:9). The Bible says, “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb. 2:10 NKJV).

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). When He shared this profound statement with His disciples, He was about to demonstrate the highest act of human love. But He also would take it to the next level: For He would not only die for His friends, but He would also die for His enemies. “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly ... For God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6,8).

Why this sacrifice? Captain Royer cared about his crew. He went back into the sinking ship because there was a malfunction in the equipment, and he had to make sure he sent the distress call to the right people.

In a similar way, Jesus came into our sinful world to rescue humanity. Because of sin, people were suffering and dying, becoming separated from God (Rom. 5:12). Their ship of life was sinking! But Jesus cared enough to save them by dying on the cross for their sins.

Though He was perfect and without sin, He took our sins, and suffered in our place (2 Cor. 5:21). Three days later, He arose from the dead, making it possible for us to unite with God as our Father. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them” (2 Cor. 5:19).

Like Captain Royer who acted out of concern for the crew, Jesus acted out of concern – out of His divine love – for the world. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).

Do you realize what Jesus has done for you? Will you trust Him to save you from your sins? Will you believe Him for everlasting life? We can tell you how.

By Roscoe Barnes III