Do you think there is such a thing as worthless gold? We all know that gold is one of the most valuable metals on earth, so how could it possibly be worthless? This story is about an occasion when gold proved to have no value at all, and human lives being saved was the only thing that mattered.
In 1859, the steamship Central America was on her way from Panama to New York. The ship carried nearly six hundred passengers, all carrying gold that they had gotten during the California Gold Rush and were taking home to enjoy.
About two hundred miles off the North Carolina coast, a terrible storm came up, and a leak developed in the steamship. In spite of all hands bailing and pumping, the steamship began to fill with water. After several days, it eventually keeled over and sank 8000 feet to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Over four hundred people’s lives were lost along with twenty-one tons of California gold.
In 1989, one hundred thirty years later, a group of very determined divers found the ship and recovered the gold. It was described as “the greatest treasure ever found; the ultimate rescue from the ultimate peril.”
However, at the time when the passengers’ lives were in terrible danger and the ship was about to sink, the gold was worthless to the passengers who owned it. Two women shook $11,000 in gold onto the floor, announcing that anyone could take as much as they wanted. One man ripped open a bag of gold dust worth about $20,000 and strewed it on the cabin floor like sand. Others flung the shining gold coins across the floor, telling everyone to help themselves. But no one did. Some, as in a daze, tossed gold coins to the wind. Purses filled with gold lay untouched. However, there were those unwilling to part with their hard-earned gold. They tied it in their clothing or stuffed it in coat pockets. But the gold became too heavy later when they were trying to keep afloat in the ocean, and they had to let it go. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold were thrown away and sank to the ocean bottom.
Can you guess what the people were fighting for among themselves instead? They were battling for the boards that were breaking up from the ship, the doors, boxes, life preservers -anything that might keep them afloat with the hope of being rescued. Passengers were crying to God and committing themselves to His will. As the steamship sank, they realized that eternity loomed before them, and they knew then that there was something far more important to them than gold - where they would spend eternity.
Because we are separated from God by our sins, our souls are in danger of being lost and separated from God for all eternity. The Lord Jesus died on the cross of Calvary more than two thousand years ago. He gave His life to die in our place, providing “the ultimate rescue from the ultimate peril.” His death opened the way for rescue, “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)). He was the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:2929The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)). Now our part is to come to Him, confessing that we cannot save ourselves and that we desperately need a Saviour. God will cleanse us from all our sins, because we have come to Him in the way He provided for us.
Without help from somewhere else, no one from that sinking ship could have survived the cold ocean water. Another ship saw the distress signals in the terrible storm and came alongside to rescue those who were still able to get into the lifeboats.
Calling on the Lord Jesus to save us is our distress signal. Then He becomes our lifeboat and promises to carry us safely to His home in heaven to spend eternity with Him. Having our sins forgiven and the assurance of a home in heaven is absolutely “the greatest treasure ever found.”
Oh, yes, oh, yes,
there’s something more,
Something more than gold:
To know your sins are all forgiven
Is something more than gold.
ML-06/30/2002