For days, a three-hundred-pound stellar sea lion entangled in a rope was trapped on Race Rocks just outside Victoria, Canada. The brown, barren rocks jut up just above the surface of the water near the mouth of the harbor. Across the inlet of the harbor stands the lighthouse. They are called Race Rocks because the tide races by them twice daily. They form a little rock island. Sea birds sometimes roost on the island. A heavy rope had wrapped itself around one of the flippers of a sea lion. The other end of the rope had become lodged in the rocks.
The rope was just long enough so the animal could jump in the water and swim a short distance. However, it wasn’t long enough to enable him to catch fish. The sea lion had gone for days without eating. During these days he had never ceased struggling to free himself from the rope that had cut into his flesh at the base of his flipper.
A team of six workers from the aquarium in Vancouver came to the animal’s assistance. The swift-flowing current and big waves made the rescue difficult. In a rubber zodiac boat they slowly approached the rocks. One of the aquarium workers sighted down the barrel of a rifle and took careful aim with a tranquilizer gun. He squeezed the trigger, and a dart shot out of the gun and hit the animal in the hip. The sea lion felt the sting of the dart, sensed danger, and dove immediately into the water. The workers knew they would have to act fast because the sea lion would lose the ability to swim once the drug started working.
The zodiac boat was driven up to the rocks and four of the workers stepped out on the slippery rocks. They wore orange survival suits to protect them if they fell into the water. It was December and the water was cold. Some of the men had poles to help hold the sea lion’s head out of the water so it could breathe. One of the men was a veterinarian. He held a huge, shiny knife in his hand in order to cut the rope around the flipper. He had to lean way over the edge of the rock to reach the sea lion in the water. The rope was heavy and the veterinarian had to saw through it going back and forth. After he cut through the rope, he inspected the wound on the sea lion’s flipper. It looked like it would heal in time by itself. The veterinarian reached in his pocket and took out another syringe filled with medicine. He gave the sea lion a second shot. This shot counteracted the tranquilizer. In a very short time the sea lion came back to consciousness. The men holding him let go and the sea lion swam slowly off.
The veterinarian later expressed his opinion that the sea lion had a very good chance of surviving.
The sea lion tethered to Race Rocks was a pitiable sight. No matter how it might have struggled, it was no match for the strong rope which held it. Left to itself, it would have died of hunger. Thankfully, it received help from the men at the aquarium and was set free.
A long time ago, a very special Man was nailed to a cross and left to die. This man, far from doing anything wrong, had done remarkable things like giving sight to the blind, multiplying a few loaves and fishes so they might feed thousands, and calming a raging storm at sea. His name is Jesus Christ. However, it wasn’t the nails that held Him to the cross. It was something much stronger. It was His love for lost sinners that held Him there. He knew that in order to set men free, He had to die for their sins. For six hours He remained on the cross, a spectacle for onlookers, before He died.
Afterwards, the most marvelous miracle of all took place. His body was laid in a dark tomb. Early in the third morning He arose from the grave and was seen by many of His followers. Acts 1:33To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (Acts 1:3) reads, “To whom also He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days.” The word infallible in this verse means foolproof, fail-safe, watertight, and reliable. In short, the resurrection of Christ is a truth you can utterly depend on.
It is by faith in the name of Jesus that every sinner who wants to get into heaven needs to be saved. Acts 10:4343To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43) reads, “To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.”
Because He died and rose again, every person who trusts Him as Saviour will be saved. It doesn’t matter how tightly sin has wrapped itself around their hearts or how deeply it has wounded them. He is the Saviour who can forgive them and bring healing to their lives. Won’t you trust Him so you can say like David of old, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who [forgives] all thine iniquities; who [heals] all thy diseases” (Psalm 103:2-32Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; (Psalm 103:2‑3)). Sinners who trust in Christ for forgiveness will have reason to praise Him throughout time and eternity.