Using Stories to Explain Bible Words

One of the most misunderstood statements we make is that we need to make Jesus our Savior and Lord.  This is most often stated when a person becomes a Christ follower, but it is used frequently to profess loyalty.  It is always interesting to me when words are used for Bible believers that are so seldom in natural conversation.  These would include Savior, Lord, Worship, Righteousness and many others.

To really get what these words mean, sometimes it is easier to connect them to something more current that paints a mind picture all can see.  

There was a recent news story that captured the world’s attention, where several young soccer players and their coach were trapped in a cave in Thailand.  There was a huge rain event that filled the cave between the boys and the outside and nobody knew where they were.

I can only imagine what was going through the minds of these young people and their coach as they were helplessly immobile, not even close to the exit, but well down into the cave.  I would expect that the coach may have had to continually encourage the boys, no matter what his own feelings about what the future held for them all.

In the meantime, however, concerned family members called on those who could help to seek out and find their children.  How challenging that must have been, when the layout of the caves was put in front of those skilled enough to enter.  Those boys could be anywhere, and in any condition, so a sense of urgency to save them would be on the shoulders of everyone, but especially those tasked with actually entering in and swimming through the caves to find them.  In their position, wouldn’t you expect there to be a fear that you might be too late?  The plan they laid out was so hard that it actually cost the life of one of those charged with the rescue.

So, what does this have to do with Savior and Lord.  Well, think about it this way.  The boys could not go anywhere.  They were totally dependent on someone to find them right where they were.  So, the rescuers had to actively seek out the lost boys without any expectation that the boys would do anything to make it easier. 

Here is the crazy way to think about the situation in the cave.  Once the boys were found, they were “saved”.  They were brought food, drink, fresh air and hopefulness by those who found them.  They could have stayed right where they were and survived from this point.  Sounds a bit stupid, that they would stay where they were, but when you consider the water between them and the exit, there would likely have been some thoughts about just staying a while longer and building up their strength.

Think about the word Lord.  I believe it means someone to be followed and trusted.  Translate this to the cave situation and the think of the boys.  They needed some external motivation to believe they could actually go forward to the better place. As these rescuers discussed options outside, the goal was to come up with a plan where they could go in, retrieve the boys and bring them out to a better situation. In the end, a plan and equipment were put together to get the kids through the water-passages and into the fresh air and arms of their families waiting anxiously outside.

When these rescuers presented their plan to the boys, it required each boy to allow a rescuer to equip them and swim them out of the cave as a team.  The rescuer knew exactly how and where to go, the boy just had to release control and allow the rescuer to take him to the other side.  The boys and their coach were all brought out safely as a result. 

Salvation presented as a story.