There is no more awe-inspiring sight on the ocean than a humpback whale breaching. The blue surface of the water seems to explode as the giant mammal, as long as a school bus and weighing forty tons, comes hurtling out of the depths. Water in torrents comes cascading off its body. For a long second, you might see the long creases of folded skin running the length of their underbellies, patches of brown, crusty barnacles, and flippers as tall as most homes. They have so much power in their flukes or tail fins that these whales can propel their entire bodies out of the water. Then gravity pulls the whale back into the water, making a mini-tsunami-like splash, before disappearing into the depths.
A humpback whale swimming near the Farallon Islands was no longer able to breach. The Farallon Islands are a series of rocky outcroppings twenty-eight miles directly west of San Francisco. While making its annual migration up the coast of North America, the humpback had become entangled in ropes attached to several crab pots. The ropes were blue and made out of nylon and exceedingly strong. Apparently, the whale rolled in the lines because of the number of ways they wrapped around her body.
Naturalists working on the Farallon Islands spotted the whale. Through binoculars they saw the humpback was entangled in the lines. They realized that in her present condition the whale would not be able to feed herself, nor would she be able to defend herself if attacked by great white sharks which roam the area.
They made a telephone call to a local dive shop. The manager said he would be willing to help. He quickly put together a crew of experienced divers and set off for the islands by boat. When they neared the islands, they saw what looked like a dining room table floating at the surface of the water. Periodically it would shoot up a shower of heavy mist and they realized it was the whale breathing through its blowholes. Five of the divers transferred to a smaller zodiac boat to approach the whale. They thought the smaller boat would have less chance of spooking the leviathan.
Up close, they saw the tangled mess of lines wrapped around the whale, and they thought the situation was nearly hopeless. Apparently, the whale had rolled in the lines several times in an attempt to free herself. With the weight of the lines and crab pots constantly dragging her down, the whale looked barely alive. The lines had cut into her flesh and chunks of blubber floated in the water. Still the divers were determined to attempt the rescue. One by one, they quietly slipped into the water. They wore black wet suits, masks, snorkels, flippers and knives strapped to their ankles. Warily they swam towards the whale, realizing that if they made a wrong move, the whale could crush them to death with its fins.
The divers were in the water over an hour sawing at the ropes. During this time, the whale held amazingly still for them, as if she understood that these men were her only hope. One man even reached into the whale’s mouth to free her from a rope which had been caught in the baleen. When the last rope was cut, the whale sensed she was free and swam towards the murky ocean depths. Just before she disappeared out of sight, the whale turned around and swam back towards the men. For a frightening moment, one of the divers thought the whale was coming back to harm him, but at the last possible second the whale paused, brushed up gently against his body, and then looked at him with her eye a few feet away. She did this to each of the five divers. The divers interpreted this action of the whale as her way of saying thank you. Afterwards, when the divers related this experience to whale experts, they were told to be careful attributing human qualities such as gratitude to animals. However, even after talking to experts, the divers still insist the whale was showing them gratitude. Freed at last, she swam into the distance.
Perhaps you have an opinion on whether a whale can feel gratitude in the same manner as humans. Do you side with the divers who thought the whale was saying thank you? Or do you side with the whale experts who warned the divers not to give them human traits? Perhaps there is not a definitive answer.
However, there is something about gratitude that is undeniably true. Human beings are made in such a way that they should feel gratitude and express it, not only towards other human beings for favors received, but also towards their Creator.
We live in an amazingly beautiful world where incredible creatures such as whales exist. For the most part, we have all the clothing, food and air necessary to live. Most of us have families and communities which are precious to us. Even our very being is given to us by God. All these good things are provided to us by the all-beneficent, all-powerful, supreme-being God, and we ought to thank Him profusely. He is the fountain of all goodness, and every good thing we enjoy in this life comes as a gift from Him.
One gift from above is greater than all the others. This is the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Nearly two thousand years ago, the One who made the world became a man. As a man He went all the way to Calvary’s cross where He died for His creatures. He did this so that sinners might have a way to be forgiven and have the stain of sin washed away from their souls.
Sin. What a heavy weight to drag around through life! The guilt is heavy! The shame is more than people can bear! The weight of it, if never dealt with, will pull souls down to a lost eternity. If the divers hadn’t rescued the humpback whale, the animal would have eventually perished. Men and women are hopelessly entangled in the cords of sin and are in danger of perishing too. “His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins” (Proverbs 5:2222His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. (Proverbs 5:22)).
Only one Person in the history of the universe can set the sinner free, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Even if the situation for different souls looks hopeless, He can loose the sinner from the cords of iniquity which bind them tightly and set them free. When a sinner repents and believes in Christ, he receives the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
Only a heart full of horrible ingratitude can say “no” to the Lord Jesus when He has done so much on our behalf. As human beings, we are not to live on the level of beasts. We were designed to interact with God, and one of the ways we interact with God is to express gratitude for His blessings. Won’t you believe in the wonderful name of Jesus, and then thank God for the gift of eternal life?