Short Inspiring Story: A Father Who Sacrificed His Son

 

At a Sunday evening church service, the pastor introduced a guest minister to his congregation to share whatever was on his heart that evening. 

The elderly guest stepped to the pulpit and began to speak. 

“A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast 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 aright, and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized.”

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who seemed interested in the story. He continued, 

“Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life... to which boy would he throw the other end of the life line? He had only seconds to make his decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and he also knew the son’s friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of the waves. As the father yelled out, ‘I love you, son!’, he threw out the life line to his son’s friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells of the ocean, never to be recovered.”

By this time the two teenagers were sitting up straight in their pew, anxiously 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 eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend. How great is the love of God that He should do the same for us. I urge each of you to accept His offer to rescue you and take hold of the life line He is throwing out to you.”

With that the old man sat down and the pastor delivered a brief sermon with an invitation but no one responded to the appeal. Within minutes after the service ended, however, the two teenagers were at the old man’s side. 

“That was a nice story,” politely started one of boys, “but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his son’s only life in hopes 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 at the boys and said, “It sure isn’t very realistic, is it? But I’m standing here today to tell you this story is but a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me. You see, I was that father and your pastor is my son’s friend.”