"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 1PETER
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we consider him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living... ..though he had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53 3:9 When Capt Chesley "Sully" Sullenberg, a pilot with over 40 years flight experience, made an ace landing into the chilly waters of the Hudson River in mid January after complete engine failure, three minutes after taking off from La Guardia, the media went a little crazy recounting how his heroic actions saved all 156 lives. He was referred to as the "Hero on the
I arrived in
My brother Steven was a hero also. He fought for visitation with his kids. He died exhausted, defeated, battered by his family, with protracted legal expenses, endless court hearings and not a moment's peace. He sought to do the right thing. He was almost there, when he committed suicide.
Prior to going to
I was going to compare his saving of humanity to Sully's saving of 156 lives. Now there was to be no denigration of Captain Sullenberger. To the contrary, only high praise for him and his crew. I was only going to point out that folks were in fact missing a larger picture, the real miracle in front of their very eyes, Christ's going to the cross for us. God giving his only son for us.
By the time I arrived in
Sully's quiet self-effacing manner, his graceful looks and his complete humility in the matter of doing his job with competence won him more support and admiration than even he could have possibly imagined. He had become a bonafide"hero" in the truest sense of the word.
When Vincent Spera a passenger from California heard Sully's voice over the plane's p.a. system telling him to "Brace for landing," although he was scared, there was something in the captain's voice that told him everything was going to be o.k. "I never thought I was gonna die," he reflected in a New York Daly news interview. The next one word instruction he heard from the Captain was "Evacuate!"
The cool thinking pilot envisioned and executed a perfect "tarmac" landing on water, adjusting the angle slightly up so as to not break off the wings and engines when entering the water. After the evacuation order was given, he made two sweeps of the plane to personally ensure that no one was left on the plane. He was the last person to leave the plane.
The pilot's calm demeanor continued to impress, after the entire rescue operation was completed he was observed by a police source "sitting in the ferry terminal wearing his hat, sipping his coffee, acting like nothing had happened." What is the difference here between a hero and a Savior? Sully is definitely a hero. He did his job with skill and heroism. He demonstrated bravery and right-minded thinking in weighing out all his options very quickly in deciding that he only had time to ditch into the water. He observed that there were plenty of boats around and he would be able to get people to safety while it was still light out, in spite of the freezing waters. Lastly, he made sure that every one else was safe before he exited the plane. Now what about Christ? He knew that he would suffer the sin of all humanity on his shoulders and descend into the pits of hell in order to close the breach between God and In Matthew 26:38, Jesus tells Peter and the two sons of Zebedee "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." After this, he falls to the ground and prays to God "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." When he speaks of "this cup", he is refers to "cup of wrath" or the crucifixion and death and he knows that he as a man of flesh and blood will suffer as a servant doing God's will. Jesus describes himself in John 10:14, "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." Jesus as the good shepherd lays down his life, not just for his own sheep, but for those who don't know him yet. He is the ultimate hero, the most caring shepherd, the greatest Father, the most beautiful Son, the most glorious creation of God, the reflection of his love and mercy. Trust in Him. Listen to Him. While Captain Sully is rightly a hero, he is just a glimmer of the real Savior. Perhaps the whole purpose of the crash of flight 1549 into the God's mercy was clearly on display that day. Captain Sullenberger was just part of God's toolbox, as were all the people who played a part that day--the ferryboats that rescued the passengers, the flight crew and the many amazing people that assisted in bringing everyone to safety. Speaking of bringing people to safety, I know that the Good Shepherd has brought my dear brother to safety as well. God’s mercy was clearly on display the day that he left us. Despite the manner that he left us, I am confident Steven rests in God's arms and I know that he is at peace. While I pray that none of you should ever have to lose a loved one the way that we did, I trust that Steven is on a path with his Savior; that even he did not understand. There was no sin about him, and no deceit in his mouth. Sweet Rest Dear Brother Until We Meet Again,
You gave your all as long as you possibly could, for this you are My Hero
Steven Jay 1957 - 2009 |
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