The Indian Chief Demonstrates the Love of God
by: Rev. DanA fact of internet life is that your friends and aquaintances will e-mail you stuff like this:
Subject: Help from Above
A friend sent this one to me, and I thought it well worth posting:
This is one I have never seen before, but explains it with simple language.
An old Indian chief constantly spoke of the Lord Jesus and what He meant to him. “Why do you talk so much about Jesus?” asked a friend.
The old chief did not reply, but slowly, deliberately gathered some sticks and bits of grass. He made a circle of them. In the circle he placed a caterpillar. Still silent, he struck a match and lit the sticks and grass.
They watched the caterpillar. As the fire caught around the circle, the trapped caterpillar began to crawl around rapidly, seeking a way to escape.
As the fire advanced, the helpless caterpillar raised its head as high as it could. If the creature could have spoken, it would have said, “My help can only come from above.”
Then the old chief stooped down. He extended his finger to the caterpillar which crawled up his finger to safety.
“That,” said the chief glowing, “was what the Lord Jesus did for me! I was lost in sin. My condition was hopeless. I was trapped. Then the Lord Jesus stooped down in love and mercy and He drew me out of the horrible pit of sin and shame.
How can I help but love Him and talk of His wondrous love and care?”
– Author Unknown
Usually I hit the delete key or write a polite e-mail response and ask not to be send drivel like this, but this one caught my attention because it really is an apt description of Christianity. Consider:
Who lit the match? The Chief.
Who created sin? God.
Who created a situation with potentially devastating consequences for the innocent catepillar? The Chief. Who created a situation wherein you’ll be banned to eternal suffering if you don’t act like a sheep in this life? God.
The Chief, quite like the God he illustrates, creates a dire situation for a being less capable than himself, and provides himself as the “only way out.”
As the fire advanced, the helpless caterpillar raised its head as high as it could. If the creature could have spoken, it would have said, “My help can only come from above.”
I think the helpless caterpillar, if it could have spoken, would have said “Hey, you asshole… why did you put me in a life-threatening situation so that you could rescue me? What kind of sick, twisted game are you playing?”
I was lost in sin (which God created). My condition was hopeless (because God put me in a hopeless situation). I was trapped (because God took me and put me in a circle of fire). Then the Lord Jesus stooped down in love and mercy (sounds like abuse to me) and He drew me out of the horrible pit of sin and shame (y’know… the one that he created.).
In line with this thinking, a burglar “saves your life” by not shooting you when you interrupt your home being burgled… and you should be grateful… “How can I help but love the burglar and talk of his wonderous love and care?”
God saves us from the sin he so lovingly created. Really God, what kind of sick, twisted game are you playing?
And that has a be one of the best summaries I’ve ever read about “salvation.”