The first chapter of John is considered one of the primary proof texts of the commonly-accepted doctrine of the Preexistence of Christ — i.e., that Christ had a personal, individual, and sentient existence before his conception and birth; indeed, that he was coexistent with the Father as a second person of the “trinity”.

Christadelphians often seek to refute this teaching, in John 1 at least, by asserting that the “Word” was not Christ literally, but the “Idea” or “Logos” of Christ, existing in the mind of the Father long before his conception and birth of the Son, and that this Idea found expression in Jesus when he was born (v 14?), as the embodiment of the Purpose of Almighty God.

This general idea — that the “Word” of God from the beginning (the Law and the prophets of the OT) described and pointed toward the Messiah who was yet to come — is certainly correct, but… is that what this passage is about?

The usual Christadelphian approach to John 1 is to assume that (1) “beginning” refers to Genesis 1, or earlier, and that (2) “Word” therefore cannot refer literally to Christ, at least at that “beginning”.

The following is a slightly different approach, which (1) has no problem with the “Word” being a title of Christ, but (2) interprets “beginning” in an entirely different way:

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Joh 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (NIV).

The word for “beginning” is the Greek “archee”; signifying “first in order”, from the root “arch, archon” = a ruler. “The beginning” is a characteristic phrase of John, referring to the beginning of the NEW CREATION in Christ: consider carefully Joh 15:27; 16:4; 8:25; 6:64; 1Jo 1:1; 2:7,13,14,24; 2Jo 1:6. [Notice in some of these passages that the KJV translation shows certain words italicized, and that omitting these words actually enhances the sense of the passages.]

The “beginning” of the Gospel of John is obviously patterned after the “beginning” of Genesis — hence there is much similarity of language, and connection of ideas. But it is the beginning of a new, or spiritual “creation” in Christ. As there was a Sun, created and ordained in the heavens by God, in the Genesis-beginning when He decreed, “Let there be light”, so likewise… “In the (new, spiritual) beginning” God testified of Christ: “Let there be light” (cp Gen 1:3 with 2Co 4:6; Mat 4:17; Mar 1:1; Luk 1:1,2; Act 10:37), and this time a new spiritual Light came into the world. And so God made and ordained His Son Jesus Christ the “beginning” and the first cause of His new spiritual creation (Rev 3:14).

It is instructive and significant that each gospel begins with a “beginning”: cp Mat 1:1 (genesis); Mar 1:1 (archee); Luk 1:3 (anothen); and that the four gospel accounts are placed at the head of the New Testament. Here, in the coming of His Son, God has begun the work of His new, spiritual, “creation” — the corner piece, the foundation stone of which is His Son.

As a separate point, it may be noted how often the Greek “ktisis” (creation) — when used in the NT — signifies, not the material, physical creation of Genesis, but the new, spiritual creation, in Christ, of regenerated and forgiven men and women who bear his name.

Jesus was the “Word of God”

Jesus was a man (Act 2:22; 1Ti 2:5; Rom 8:3; Heb 2:14) who spoke God’s words (Joh 8:28; 7:16). Thus, one of his names is “the word of God” (1Jo 1:1; Rev 19:13; 1:2 — there are only three other instances of John’s use of the phrase “word of God”, all referring to Christ personally). In Greek philosophy, “logos” means an impersonal, abstract wisdom; but in Hebrew thought, “logos” refers to God Himself. Yahweh is the source of all wisdom! Here in John 1 “logos” occurs with the definite article (“ho”) which serves to strengthen its meaning. Hence, ‘THE Word’ can also be seen to be THE “Divine Expression”. Christ was exactly this. It was in Christ that God fully revealed Himself to mankind. It was through Christ’s life and mission that God expressed and illustrated His new covenant, showing us the better way — which is the power of salvation for those who believe.

Jesus as the “Word” was “with” God. The Greek “pros” signifies facing toward or moving toward.

“The Word was God”

As John used the definite article (“ho”) to strengthen the meaning of “logos”, so here there is no definite article: i.e., “THE word” was not THE God personally, but rather “of God”, or “godly”, or A (manifestation of) God. (In v 14 John writes, “We beheld his glory”, i.e., the glory of the One who came from God, and was thus “divine”.) This phrase is translated, “The word was DIVINE” (Moffatt). John is affirming Christ’s divinity, not his deity. Christ was the Son of God, the ‘Divine Expression’ from heaven which dwelt among us, “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Heb 1:3).

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Joh 1:2: “He was with God in the beginning.”

This verse may be understood most literally if we define and circumscribe “beginning” to mean to the beginning of the “New Creation” in Christ. Truly Christ was with the Father in all the work of the New, spiritual, Creation in Himself; he was the prototype and the catalyst; such a Creation could not be without him!

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Joh 1:3: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

There is plainly an intended, and extended, parallel between the material creation of Gen 1 and the spiritual creation of new men and women in Christ: Col 1:15-18; 3:10; 2Co 5:17; 4:6; 1Pe 1:23; 1Co 8:6. “All things” refer to men and women (Joh 5:17,20,21; 3:35; 13:3; 16:14,15; 17:10; Col 1:16; Eph 3:9). Cp 1Co 8:6: “To us there is but one God the Father, of whom are ALL THINGS (even we unto him), and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are ALL THINGS (even we through him).”

“Without him nothing was made”

There should be a period (full stop) here. “Without me you can do nothing” (Joh 15:5). Then there is required a slight rearrangement, repunctuation, and retranslation of the text, which puts together the last portion of our v 3 with the first bit of v 4, and yields:

“That which has been made (v 3b) was life in him (v 4a).”

Should this relative clause [‘that (or what) has been made’] go with v 3 or with v 4? The earliest NT manuscripts had no punctuation. Many of the later manuscripts — which do have punctuation marks — place the equivalent of a period before this phrase, thus putting it with v 4.

It has even been suggested that the editors of some later manuscripts introduced their own unusual punctuation to place this phrase (wrongly) at the end of v 3 (as it appears in most modern translations); and that this was done in a specific attempt to bolster the erroneous doctrine of the “Trinity” during the so-called “Arian controversy” of the 4th century — in other words, to suggest that Jesus Christ himself was the Creator (or was with the Creator) in Genesis.

So the whole of these verses should probably read:

“Through him (ie, Christ himself) all things were made. Without him (Christ) nothing was made. What has been made was ‘life in him’, and that life was the light of men.”

Read this way, it may be seen that John’s focus is unequivocally on the spiritual creation (‘life in HIM) and not the earlier, physical, creation of Genesis.

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Joh 1:4: “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”

“What was made was life in him” (RV footnote).

“That life was the light of men” proves that this is spiritual life, which is produced by the light of God’s word — not natural life! And thereby are set the parameters of “beginning” and “creation” in this passage: the “beginning” of God’s revelation of His Son to the world, and the new, spiritual “creation” of believers in him.

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Joh 1:5: “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood {or overcome] it.”

Briefly this states a parable of the Gospel: the epic battle between light and darkness: Jesus = the light, and the Pharisees, etc = the darkness. Cp 2Co 4:3,6.

“Understood” is the Greek “katalambano”, which may be “comprehended” (Act 4:13; 10:34) or “overcome” (RV mg). God’s word will not return to Him void (Isa 55:7; 1Th 5:4). Both meanings are relevant: the enemies of Christ did not “understand” him, nor could they “overcome” or defeat him!

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Joh 1:9: “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”

Notice: it is the Light [not every man] which was coming into the world (in contrast to the KJV translation): cp Joh 12:46; 16:28.

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Joh 1:10: “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.”

This verse is difficult too, until we recognize that Christ “made” the world in this sense: that his sacrifice was efficacious backward into the past, even for earlier believers in Old Testament times (Rom 3:25; Heb 9:15). Cp vv 3/4: “What was made was life in him”… even for Adam and Abraham. (In this sense, the new or spiritual “creation” did have a sort of beginning — at least prophetically and typically — in the history of God’s covenant peoples in the Old Testament.)

Or, “the world was enlightened through him” (Diag), which is essentially the same thing: spiritual “enlightenment” leads, in faith, to a new and spiritual creation!

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Joh 1:11: “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”

“He came to his own (‘idia’: neuter plural): i.e., his own land or country; but his own (‘idioi’: masculine plural): i.e., his own people… did not receive him” (John Thomas, Eureka 1:29).

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Joh 1:12: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…”

Vv 12,13 — looking back to vv 1-4 — describe more literally the “creative process” at the “beginning”. These vv (12,13) demonstrate quite clearly that what is being discussed here is a spiritual “creation”! Those who believe in Christ’s Name are re-created as “children of God”.

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Joh 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the Only Begotten, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

“The Word became flesh” is here a straightforward reference to Christ’s nature, not merely his birth (cp 1Jo 4:2). God manifested Himself in the flesh of humanity (1Ti 3:16), not in stone (Exo 34:6). Jesus was of David’s seed (Rom 1:3); under a curse (Gal 3:13); being born of a woman, under the law (Gal 4:4); and made “sin” (2Co 5:21). He was of sinful flesh (Rom 8:3); in the likeness of men, of no reputation (Phi 2:7); and like his brethren (Heb 2:17).

The conception of Jesus in the virgin womb is likened to the original “Creation” of Genesis; in fact, it is the beginning of the new, spiritual “creation”: cp Gen 1:2 (the Spirit of God hovering over the waters) like a mother bird brooding over her young: Deu 32:11; Exo 19:4). The words portray the energy-giving presence of God — wrapping, protecting, and caressing the chaos of the unfinished earth as He prepared to complete His creation. And THIS SAME ENERGY IN CREATIVE PROCESS is described in Luk 1:35 (“the Holy Spirit will… overshadow you…”): The language of Gabriel calls to mind that of Genesis (cp Gen 1:2, LXX); the Spirit of God “overshadowing”, or “moving upon” the face of the waters to bring forth life, as a mother hen brooding over her eggs and then her chicks. This is a direct parallel to the natural creation; this is the beginning of the spiritual, or new, creation. It is a picture of vast creative power, yet nonetheless tenderness and love.

“Made his dwelling” is “tabernacled” (RV mg): Exo 25:8,9. Jesus Christ is Immanuel, a sanctuary (Isa 8:14; Exo 33:9; 40:35). The child, and the man, Jesus was set up on earth as the perfect tabernacle or temple, in which the glory of the Father dwelt: Joh 2:19-21; Mat 12:6.

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Joh 1:15: “John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” ‘ ”

He has “surpassed” me, John said; he stands in front of me, because he was “before me”: “Protos” means: first, in sense of rank. It signifies “first” or “chief”: Mar 6:21; Act 13:50; 17:4; 28:7,17. There are numerous cases of younger men surpassing their older brothers: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, etc. Jesus is but one more, and the greatest, of younger men who surpass their elders.

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Joh 1:17: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

It may be said that the giving of the Law, by which Israel was constituted the people and nation of God, was a continuance of God’s original creation — or even the first, rudimentary, steps of His spiritual creation: men and women were being reconstituted or reborn as His own special family. So it is reasonable that the first, elementary, part of the Spiritual Creation would be seen by John as yet another pattern pointing forward to the fullness of the Spiritual Creation as it would be realized in the Son of God. What Yahweh began in Moses He finished — or rather, will finish — in Christ.

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Joh 1:18: “No one has ever seen God, but the only begotten Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”

The only begotten Son is ‘in the bosom of the Father’, an idiom for closeness or nearness: cp Joh 13:23. (Is this phrase a commentary of John, after the facts of the history, referring to Christ who was then in heaven?)

The Son has declared, or interpreted, the Father. In this final verse of the prologue is the climactic and ultimate statement of the career of the Logos, “the Word of God made flesh”, Jesus of Nazareth. His whole life, all his teachings, and at last and especially his death and resurrection and ascension to heaven, all “expound” or “interpret” his heavenly Father.

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Thus it is possible to read all of John’s Prologue as a statement about Christ, the Logos or “Word” of God in human form and expression, and the work of a new, spiritual Creation which God is carrying on through him. Indeed, this is a “Creation” which is far from finished — but one at which the Father, and the Son, continue to work to this very day. It will not be finished until every last redeemed one has been gathered in the great multitude standing before the throne of God. Indeed, so far as we know, it may not be finished even then!

Its decisions are immutable (Isa 8:20). Its doctrines are holy (Psa 19:80). Its precepts are binding (Deu 6:6). Its histories are true (Isa 55:11). It has light to direct you (Psa 119:105). It has food to nourish you (1Pe 2:2). It has comfort to cheer you (Psa 119:50). It is the traveler’s map (Isa 30:21). It is the pilgrim’s staff (Isa 41:10). It is the soldier’s sword (Eph 6:17). It is the pilot’s compass (John 16:13). It is the river of pleasure (Jer 15:16). It is a mine of wealth (Psa 14:10). Read it to be wise (Isa 55:4). Believe it to be safe (John 5:24). Practice it to be holy (2Co 7:1). Let it fill the memory (2Ti 3:4). Let it guide the feet (Psa 73:24). Let it rule the heart (Rom 10:10).

Johnny Oates is a retired baseball manager. He was never more than a mediocre baseball player, but — like some other athletes of marginal abilities — he had a keen eye for the strategy and flow of a game, and was a quick learner. Ultimately he became a very successful manager: his team, the Texas Rangers, won their first three divisional championships under his guidance.

Johnny Oates is also dying of an inoperable brain tumor.

Just recently, he was honored — along with three retired players — by induction into the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame. The ceremony preceded a game in Arlington, Texas, and over 30,000 fans were in attendance. Almost needless to say, they reserved their loudest cheers for their favorite manager.

Johnny Oates is an avowed Christian, not one of the “closet” variety. He flourished in a profession not particularly known for Christian beliefs or conduct (though of course there are a number of baseball men who practice their faith while being professional athletes).

Johnny Oates succeeded at his chosen profession by employing a keen tactical sense, and a positive, constructive approach to dealing with lots of supersize egos. He did not yell, curse, or argue (very much!) with umpires. He treated every man, great star and bit player, alike — with honesty and dignity. When his team did poorly, he shouldered the responsibility, and resigned from a very well-paying job.

At the induction, the current manager of the Texas Rangers, Buck Showalter, spoke of Johnny Oates as “a really good manager, but — besides that — he was the most honorable and moral man I ever knew.”

Big, rich, tough professional athletes cried, and hugged and kissed their old manager Johnny Oates.

When Johnny stood to address the crowd, he moved carefully and awkwardly with his cane (he is now partially paralyzed on one side), but his words were strong and clear. After acknowledging certain dignitaries, and thanking the current management for their hospitality, and the fans for their support, he said: “It’s quite an honor to be here. There’s one big difference between each of the other inductees and myself. Each of them are here tonight because of what they did. I’m fortunate enough to be here tonight because of WHAT OTHERS DID FOR ME.”

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The believer in Christ is surely where he is because of what others did for him! There is no truer statement than that. But do we remember it? And do we thank the people who made us — at least the better parts of us — what we are?

The athlete may pat himself on the back, and say to himself (or even publicly) that he has gotten where he is by hard work and practice alone — but that is not true. He did not create for himself his bone and muscle structure, and his reflexes — those came from his parents and grandparents, but in the most meaningful sense they came from God. And the raw materials of the athlete required molding and training by coaches. Many of the multimillionaire professional athletes owe much of their success, if the truth be known and acknowledged, to volunteer youth league coaches and low-paid high school coaches who reshaped their natural talents into a supremely marketable skill. And sometimes, those who have climbed to the pinnacles of the athletic world even remember to thank those who helped them along their way.

The rich man may hold himself out to the world — and may be praised by others — for his hard, relentless work that brought him a great fortune, or for his brilliant foresight. He may have gotten “ahead of the curve”, out on the frontier where vast sums of money accrue to the fellow who builds a better mousetrap, or writes a faster computer program, or develops a more efficient engine, or discovers a new life-saving drug. But look a little deeper, below the surface — and you will often find a not-so-pretty story: a story of scheming and trickery; or a story of other, “little” people who were stepped on, or pushed aside, or manipulated, or stolen from… so the rich man might reach the heights. Certainly this is not always true, it may be granted, but it does happen all too often.

And many of those who achieve great wealth can thank parents whose nest eggs gave them a start, and benefactors or sponsors in business — who saw their potential and gave them a valuable opportunity.

And others can thank family connections, or simply the fortuitous circumstance of being in the right place at the right time:

“I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all” (Eccl 9:11). Here it’s worth pointing out too, that “chance” doesn’t really mean “chance” — so much as the “providence (of God)”. What may look like a mere “roll of the dice”, or “the luck of the draw”, is really — in the eyes of the Bible writer — the design of the God, who sees the end from the beginning.

The educated man, the great scholar, may say, “I studied hard to get where I am. Nobody helped ME!” But again, his brain — like the athlete’s body — is to a large degree the result of a fortunate arrangement of his parents’ genetic material by a Creator God.

And besides that, many great men and women of learning — like the proverbial twigs — were given their early bent in a scholarly direction by those same parents, or grandparents, or perhaps teachers, or other mentors. And, for that matter, we have not mentioned nearly all the other factors that make scholars what they ultimately become:

• school systems, and libraries, and free education for all, in many advanced countries;

• governments which provide safe and secure access to places of learning;

• all the scholars who have gone before, whose work and writings have paved the way to greater advancements; and

• quite possibly, not just parents who sacrificed so that they might have the best possible educations, but sometimes spouses and children, who gave up their quality time with them so they might follow their own specialized pursuits.

Those who have succeeded, to any degree, in their workaday lives, has done so — in no small part — because of coworkers and subordinates. The woman who rises to a management position has benefited, quite directly, from the labors of others beneath her on the corporate chart. Like Johnny Oates, she can — and should — say, “I am fortunate enough to be here because of what others did for me!”

And more than all this, the very air we breathe in, and the capacity and ability to breathe it in — a thousand times while we have been sitting here together — so that we can achieve ANYTHING at all, is through no achievement of our own. It is only because the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth has given us life, and nurtured and protected that life, in a multitude of ways we can scarcely understand. “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). As the hymn writer put it,

“Unnumbered comforts to my soul Thy tender care bestowed, Before my infant heart conceived From whom those blessings flowed.”

I’ll speak from personal experience for a moment. It only dawned on me, some years after the fact, that I was alive because of medical advancements over which I had absolutely no control. When I was a youngster, I had more than one case of pneumonia, and related respiratory problems; and the doctor said I was “lucky” to be alive, and that the only thing that saved me was penicillin. This I heard from a fairly early age. What I didn’t learn until much later was that penicillin became a widely used antibiotic only in the 1940s. That’s when it dawned on me that if I had been born a mere 5 or 10 years earlier, I could easily have died as a small child — never having access to the drug that saved my life. Truly I am here because of what others (even people I never met) did for me!

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But especially it is the believer in Christ who should say, “I am here because of what others did for me!” We might think to ourselves, “I am here because I learned the Truth!” But for most of us, we did not so much learn the Truth as we were taught the Truth — perhaps at a quite early age (though it took more years to bring that early learning to fruition) by parents and grandparents and Sunday School teachers. To all them we owe a debt of gratitude that is simply too big ever to repay.

Many of us sitting here are directly descended from early families in Texas who happened to be in the right place at the right time, and were touched by a couple of pioneer Christadelphians. The Oatman brothers were physicians who learned the true gospel in Illinois from John Thomas, and migrated to Texas in the 1850s. These men traveled all over the hill country of Texas, healing the sick and preaching the Truth everywhere they went, finding one or two here and there, who learned and were baptized. In turn, many of these folks held out steadfast over whole lifetimes, in tough living conditions on the frontier, managing to teach their children the same truths they held most dear, and passing on to the next generation the precious promises of the Bible. We are here because of what they did for us.

Some of us sitting here have, much more recently, made their own choices to accept the teaching of the Bible, and be baptized, because of one particular person who introduced us to these concepts. Our “family line” or “family roots” don’t go back nearly so far as those of some others, but they are no less precious — and maybe they are held more dear because we have experienced more of the “other side”:

“I once was lost, but now am found… Was blind, but now I see!” (cp John 9:25).

For us who have more recently learned the Truth, there may be an immediacy and power to these ideas that changed our lives — which make us especially thankful for what others did for us! And perhaps more eager to do for others what has been done for us!

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For parents who provided a settled environment in which to grow up, safe from fear…

For a grandmother who lived nearby and encouraged us, in her own outspoken and unique way, to think of spiritual things…

For the example, learned at an early age, of driving an hour each way to attend Christadelphian Sunday school and meeting, practically every Sunday (“No, Mom, I want to sleep. I’m tired. I don’t feel well.” “Get up anyway; you can sleep in the car; you’ll feel better when you get there. It’s the right thing to do!” So off we would go!)…

For the old brother, who — every time he exhorted — repeated the same Bible verse, until it drove us to distraction: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Yes, it drove us crazy, and we laughed about it… but what we didn’t realize at the time was that we were learning it so well, that we could never forget it!

For all these things, and more, we must say, “We are what we are because of what others did for us!”

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But, most especially, as believers in Christ, we are what we are because of what one man did for us! And from this one supreme act of love, under the guidance of a Loving Father, all the other blessings flow. BECAUSE OF WHAT HE DID FOR US, WE ARE WHAT WE ARE!

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD” (Jer 9:23,24).

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:22,23).

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2Co 5:14-17).

The Word of God enlightens (Psa 119:130). The Word of God converts (Psa 19:7). The Word of God convinces (2Ti 3:16). The Word of God teaches (Psa 119:99; 2Ti 3:16). The Word of God quickens (Psa 119:9; John 15:3). The Word of God washes (Eph 5:26). The Word of God sanctifies (John 17:17). The Word of God dwells (Col 3:16). The Word of God works effectually (1Th 2:13). The Word of God prospers (Isa 55:11). The Word of God bears fruit (Mat 13:23). The Word of God exhorts (Heb 13:22). The Word of God builds up (Acts 20:32). The Word of God guides (Psa 119:105). The Word of God strengthens against sin (Psa 119:11). The Word of God endures (1Pe 1:23). The Word of God corrects (2Ti 3:16). The Word of God judges (John 12:48).

The word of faith (Rom 10:8); The word of grace (Acts 20:32); The word of truth (2Ti 2:15; James 1:18); The word of righteousness (Heb 5:13); The word of reconciliation (2Co 5:19); The word of promise (Rom 9:9); The word of power (Heb 1:3); The word of salvation (Acts 13:26).

“More bitter controversies have been waged over this portion of the Scriptures than over any other, with the exception, perhaps, of ‘this is my body’! Some fierce upholders of purity in the church have applied the prohibition against tare pulling to the purging of those without, namely in ‘the world’ and have proceeded to arrogate to themselves the business of gathering the tares into bundles and burning them – even doing so literally in the case of thousands of heretics burned at the stake! Others have taken a different view and have made this parable an excuse to contain within the church every evil thing on the basis that to remove them would root up the wheat also! Neither view… is correct.

“The mild and loving discipline to be exercised by the church of our Lord is amply provided for in other NT writings, apart from this parable; and, it seems, what is forbidden here is exactly the thing that was done in the brutal, savage excommunications so characteristic of the church of the Middle Ages, which mounted the Spanish Inquisition and many other diabolical institutions upon the pretense of purifying the church” (Coffman).

This parable has caused much controversy among Christadelphian expositors. Some rather strange and disconnected interpretations have been put forth because the expositor “looked ahead” and sought to avoid an inevitable but unwelcome conclusion. Let us look carefully at each section of the parable, not fearing any conclusion simply because it may be unfavorable to an old viewpoint. Brother Thomas has well said, in his “Rules for Bible Students”:

“Never be afraid of results to which you may be driven by your investigations, as this will inevitably bias your mind and disqualify you to arrive at ultimate truth.”

This parable goes one step beyond the previous parable (that of the sower), yet it follows on in the natural life-cycle of the seed: sowing, sprouting, growing to maturity, and finally harvest. In this parable the “seed” has become more than simply the word of God, as it was in the previous parable (Mat 13:19). The “seed” now symbolizes the individuals subsequently begotten by the sown word (Mat 13:38) — again, one step further along in their personal development.

“The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field” (Mat 13:24). “The field is the world” (Greek kosmos: an arrangement or order) (v 38): Here is the preaching of the gospel message first by Christ and then, by extension, by his disciples and later brethren, in obedience to his command of Mar 16:15,16 and Mat 28:19 — a command which is still obligatory today. The “seed” takes root and produces fruit from place to place, known as “children of the kingdom” (Mat 13:38). (This “sowing” has been continuous from Christ’s day to ours; there is no arbitrary “boundary line” at AD 70 after which the “sowing” was to cease!)

The men who sleep (Mat 13:25) must refer to Christ’s followers and “fellow-laborers” (1Co 3:5-9), the parabolic “workers in the vineyard” (Mat 20:1-16). The “sleep” represents the sluggishness and carelessness of the appointed ecclesial watchmen in every age (Eph 5:14; Rom 13:11; 1Th 5:6) which allows the enemy to do his diabolical work.

The enemy who sows “tares” among the wheat is the “devil” (v 39), the lusts of the flesh (Heb 2:14) embodied in individuals and organizations who sow evil and false thoughts secretly in the midst of the ecclesias in every age. Again compare Paul’s loving warning in Act 20:30, where he foretells that after his departure men will arise speaking “perverse” things with the effect of leading away unsuspecting believers. (See also 2Ti 3:4-6 — men who “creep in stealthily”; Jud 1:4 — “unawares”; 2Pe 2:1; and Gal 2:4.)

The “tare” or “darnel” is a very troublesome weed found in Oriental wheatfields. It was thought by the ancients to be a degenerate form of wheat (LTJM 1:589). It looks exactly the same as wheat until late in its growth cycle. Its seed is similar in size and shape, but is gray in color; its fruit is very scarce. When present in a field with good wheat sown broadcast, the roots of the two are intertwined. Thus the darnel can be successfully separated from the good wheat only at the time of harvest. Thankfully, it causes no danger during growth, but even a little will spoil the finished product!

There is a definite and intended contrast in the Lord’s parables between the “tares”, sown in the midst of the ecclesial field, and the “thorns” (Mat 13:7,22), already active in the field of the world, in the “soil” of human nature (Gen 3:18), before the “good seed” is even sown.

The “tares” sown by a subtle and secret enemy produce fruit in the “children of the devil” (v 38). There were many such intertwined among the faithful believers in Christ’s day (Joh 8:44; Mat 3:7; 23:33). Such “children” are lip-servants, hypocrites, “questionable brethren” — not “questionable”, certainly, to him who knows what is in the heart of every man (Joh 2:24,25), but indeed “questionable” to his brethren who lack such infallible discernment. By the explicit teaching of Christ, his brethren have no right nor duty to exclude these “tares” from their “fellowship”.

Of course there are some brethren whose errors in doctrine or conduct clearly place themselves beyond the boundary of traditional Christadelphian “fellowship”, and faithful ecclesias will deal with these brethren in accordance with Mat 18 and related passages — always remembering, of course, that every opportunity must be given for repentance and reinstatement. It would seem that, in practical terms, this parable is designed to teach us that most of our time should be spent in sowing the good seed instead of rooting out those who may or may not be unacceptable to Christ at his judgment. If there is ever any doubt, Christ says, as to a brother’s “fellowship” standing, then let him grow until the harvest (v 30), when the infallible Reaper will decide his case.

“Let both grow together until the harvest” (v 30). Some would contend that this commandment refers to the apostasy outside the ecclesia. But if this were the case then it would be a pointless commandment, for we have no responsibility there — in the churches of Christendom — at all. Our only freedom of choice lies in the “ecclesial world” (James Carter, “Questions and Answers”, Tes 39:272-274). And Christ very clearly is telling us there will arise a questionable class within the ecclesias which cannot be discovered and extricated without the risk of doing grievous damage to the true wheat. He is pointing out to ecclesial laborers their inability to judge perfectly , and thus their inability to be always certain that they are uprooting tares instead of wheat. And furthermore he is implying that the “roots” even of the wheat might be weakened by continual agitation.

“The harvest is the end of the world (Greek “aion”: age, era, dispensation)” (Mat 13:39). Some brethren suggest that this means AD 70, and the related overthrow of Israel is the fulfillment of this parable, but this seems to involve more than a minor dislocation of several related references. In the first place, such an interpretation would imply that the “sowing” or gospel proclamation must also have ceased in AD 70, and this is far from the case. Furthermore, the end of the aion means generally in the Bible the full and final end of Gentile times, marked by the resurrection and the judgment of the responsible. In this very same chapter (Mat 13), in Mat 13:49, the phrase has that obvious meaning. In the world (aion) to come, ye shall receive eternal life, Jesus said (Luk 18:30).

It is at this judgment that all things will be made manifest (Mar 4:22; Luk 12:2; 1Co 4:5). This is the time for the rewarding of both classes. Then and only then will the tares be separated; for, according to the type, they do no damage to the good grain in the field, but even a very little will taint the finished product!

All of the other allusions in Christ’s explanation of the parable of the wheat and the tares point just as directly to the judgment of the saints. Consider the following references:

Mat 13:39: “The reapers are the angels” — Other examples of angels at the judgment:

Mat 24:31: “He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet.”

Mat 25:31: “All the holy angels with him.”

Mar 8:38: “When he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels.”

Luk 12:8,9: “Him shall the Son of Man confess before the angels of God.”

Luk 12:41,42: “They shall gather the tares out of his kingdom…there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Similar Scriptures have to do with the last judgment:

Mat 8:12: “Ye shall be cast out of the kingdom.”

Mat 13:50: “And shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Mat 24:51: “Shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.”

Luk 13:28: Same as Mat 8:12.

Luk 13:42: “A furnace of fire”: This is the “second death” (Rev 20:14; cp Mat 25:41 and Mar 9:43-47). These allusions to the second death clinch the argument that the “tares” represent false believers, not a “Christian” apostasy which is not even amenable to resurrectional judgment.

Luk 13:43: “Then shall the righteous shine forth.” This is a quotation from Dan 12:1-3, a prophecy of the last days, the resurrection, and the judgment. The righteous ones — the good seed — will shine forth in the newness of Spirit life at the same time that the wicked will be subjected to a well-deserved shame and contempt. The analogy of the “harvest”, it must be emphasized, requires that the tares be separated at the same time as the righteous are rewarded.

“The parable of the tares cannot refer to the Romish apostasy, or equivalent heresies, for the good seed is NOT growing together with that! If, however, some still persist in not recognizing the plain teaching of the parable of the tares, what of the adjacent parable of the net and the good and bad fishes? These are not sorted out until they are brought to land, and then, and not until then, is the division made. This cannot refer to outside apostasy, but rather to developments inside the ecclesia, and Jesus is warning his followers what to expect” (Ibid, p. 273).

Other parables picture the same sequence, especially those of the foolish and wise virgins (Mat 25:1-12); the servants and the talents (Mat 25:14-28); and the sheep and the goats (Mat 25:31-34).

“If, however, we had to admit that the claims of the critics are true, and that they really are consistently more strict in their fellowship than we are, still it does not necessarily follow that they are more faithful. We want to act as the Lord would have us act. We want to be guided by the precept and example of scripture. The Lord Jesus was not as strict in condemning offenders as were some contemporary sinners. The apostle to the Gentiles revealed extraordinary patience in dealing with faults of both doctrine and practice. With these examples before us it must be admitted that it is possible to err on the side of severity in the matter of withdrawing from those who are accounted weak or faulty. Even in ecclesial life an industrious rooting out of tares may be a mistaken zeal” (IC, “A Pure Fellowship”, Xdn 95:259; reprinted from Xdn 68:408).

“It is possible to err on the side of severity.” This might be the keynote of Brother Collyer’s writings on the broad subject of fellowship. Such an emphasis is notably anticipated in the well-balanced comments of John Thomas on several occasions, with special reference to the parable under consideration. I quote these as a sort of appendix to our study of the wheat and the tares: “Beloved brethren, human nature is always tending to extremes and transcending what is written. As the saying is, it will strain at gnats and swallow camels by the herd. It set up the Inquisition and is incessantly prying into matters beyond its jurisdiction. It is very fond of playing the judge and of executing its own decrees. It has a zeal but not according to knowledge, and therefore its zeal is intemperate and not the zeal of wisdom or knowledge rightly used. It professes great zeal for the purity of the Church, and would purge out everything that offends its sensitive imagination. But is it not a good thing to have a church without tares, black sheep, or spotted heifer? Yea, verily, it is an excellent thing. But then it is a thing the Holy Spirit has never yet developed, and it cannot be developed by any human judiciary in the administration of spiritual affairs. There are certain things that must be left to the Lord’s own adjudication when he comes…” (The Ambassador, 1866, pp. 91,92; reprinted under “Dr. Thomas and Divisions”, Xd 67:52,53).

“The Mystery of Iniquity, then, had its beginning in the Apostolic State. The seeds of it were then sown broadcast by the enemy. But they did not ripen as soon as sown; they only began to grow. The fruit was to be the ‘Lawless one’. But fruit, when first formed, is not mature. Considerable time passes from the first appearance of fruit to the time of ingathering because of ripeness. So with the Lawless One, he had to appear as the fruit of the Mystery of Iniquity; but after his appearing, he had to grow and ripen for the vintage, when he should be ‘consumed with the spirit of the Lord’s mouth, and destroyed with the brightness of his coming’ ” (Eur 1:431).

“As Paul testified 30 years before, ‘the Mystery of Iniquity’ was ‘already’ at work, and showed itself in the ‘false apostles’ at Ephesus; the spurious Jews of the Synagogue of the Satan, at Smyrna; the Balaamites and Nikolaitans at Pergamos; the children of Jezebel and the Satan, at Thyatira; the twice dead, at Sardis; the but little strength, at Philadelphia; and the wretched and pitiable, and poor, and blind, and naked, at Laodicea. These were tares, which in 280 years from the day of Pentecost, choked the good seed, so that a separation had to ensue.

“But while the Mystery of Iniquity was thus developing ‘after the working of the Satan’ with all power, and signs and lying wonders…there existed a class, who not only knew the Truth, but loved it. This was ‘the salt’ of the first three centuries, which gave savour to pre-Constantinian christendom. It was the redeeming and antagonizing element in the Ephesian haters of the deeds of the Nikolaitans; in the Smyrnean rich in faith…

“The Apostolic Christendom, then, to which John wrote, was divisible into these two sections, which were more or less commingled in the ecclesias generally — real and nominal christians…” (Ibid 421,422).

This basic interpretation is followed also by Robert Roberts:

“The reservation [about particular additional demands in fellowship] is a reasonable one, and needless distress is being caused by the insistence of a ruthless rule of excision. There is great danger in this course. While trying to pull up an incipient tare or two (if they are such) they are levelling whole rows of genuine wheat” (Xd 35, July cover page).

And, finally, it is followed by HPM also (“The Parable of the Tares”, SB 9:65-69).

The baby in the manger uttered his first cry, and thereby his Father staked a claim upon our lives. Thereby the Mighty God of all creation became also “Abba” — the tender Father of a little child; and OUR Father as well!

The God whose son was born in that stable, amidst the simple farm animals, ceased being (if He ever was!) a God of remote abstractions and technical theories.

He is now, for us, a God who loves PEOPLE, a Father who is not willing that any should perish, who holds back no blessing from His “children”, who searches out and loves even the least worthy and most neglected.

A tiny cry in a manger. It was truly a miracle. It was the greatest of all miracles — the birth of God’s own son!

But isn’t every birth a “miracle”, and a mystery? Isn’t every child a “holy” child, because he or she receives life from the God who is holy? Isn’t every child a “gift” from God, showing His continuing love for man, showing that even yet He has not “given up” on us?

And shouldn’t every child be a special child — like Samuel or John or even Jesus — who should be dedicated by righteous parents to the service of God?

Like Mary and Joseph, many of us have been entrusted by God with future kings and queens — who will one day, by God’s grace, sit upon thrones and apply to the nations the lessons learned in their parents’ homes.

And, in fact, aren’t we ALL — from youngest to oldest — children of God, begotten by His love… children who manifest our “sonship” by our love for one another? If there is a lesson in the Christmas story, it is this: the preeminence of love. We love him, because He first loved us. For, after all, “sonship” is not what we do, but what we receive. Not what we earn, but a gift. Thanks be to the Father in heaven, that through His special Son we have received the gift of knowing what it means to be His children.

These thoughts and recollections are taken from a book dealing with a disaster that occurred in Wellington, New Zealand on April 10, 1968, when the inter-island ferry “Wahine” foundered on Barret Reef near the entrance to Wellington harbour. I have added the Scripture passages that these thoughts and recollections caused me to consider.

Jonah 1:4; 4:8 — But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken… And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

The ferry had room for another 300 passengers. The passenger capacity of 924 was under-booked; only 610, including 41 children under the age of 14 were sailing that night. The crew totaled 125. Air hostess Sally Shrimpton, 23, on transfer to Wellington from Christchurch, was on the ship because ear trouble had put a temporary halt to flying… Mrs O’Neill, 35 and expecting another child, was uneasy about the voyage to Sydney. I wasn’t worried about the ferry; it was the big trip to Sydney that was on my mind, she recalled later. I told my friends to pray for us. I had my faith in God and thought He would take care of us, but I just felt something was going to happen. When I got on the boat I could not settle. I kept gathering the children together. When she had tucked her children in Mrs O’Neill got into bed. But she left the light on and began praying… Also in the smoke-room were the Hansens, watching television. They’d been early arrivals at the ship, driving their car aboard about 5.30 pm. After leaving overnight luggage in their cabin they had gone across the road from the wharf entrance to the British Hotel, and over a few beers played tunes on a jukebox. One of them was the pop song “There goes my prized possession, There goes my everything.” It was an omen.

Ezekiel 33:6,7 — But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel, therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

The 3 am forecast on the NZ Broadcasting Corporation’s all-night programme located the cyclone’s centre off the eastern coast of the southern part of the Coromandel Peninsula. They said:

“Present indications are the centre will be located about 100 miles east of Hawkes Bay by midday today.”

The weathermen were right when they predicted gale force and above southerlies in Cook Strait in a few hours (John’s note — Hawkes Bay is quite a wee ways north of Wellington, and the ferry should have been in Wellington long before midday. Cook Strait is just outside Wellington harbour). But their estimate of the centre’s location at midday was to be proved sadly inaccurate by one factor largely unknown to them: the storm had speeded up. At 3 am it was over Tauranga, building up huge seas on the coast, ripping down power and telephone circuits and in nearby Whakatane pulling a section of roofing from the toll and telephone exchange. The fringes of the storm built up the southerly over Wellington dramatically between 3 am and 4 am. At 3 am the anemometer at Wellington Airport, close to the harbour entrance, registered 10 knots. An hour later it showed 42 knots with a maximum gust of 60. The rain that would not let up until 3.30 pm was driving across the exposed runways.

The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

He had been joined on the bridge by Chief Officer Luly. Arriving back from the garage, the chief officer saw the visibility had gone and had a quick look at the radar. The picture had spun round and he realised it was out of order. Through the windows of the bridge he could see the scanner on the foremast still rotating, but the mast was shaking so violently it was touch and go if it would remain with the ship. Bracing himself against the ship’s movements, he went and stood by the master amidships and made sure his telegraph orders were received by Third Officer Noblet who was on the port wing telegraph. The orders came in quick succession as Captain Robertson tried desperately to bring the bow round. He had nothing to navigate with but his instinct and feeling. At times he sensed the ship was approaching rocks ahead and ordered her astern, or else he felt she was near the Pencarrow coast astern and ordered her ahead. Whether the ship was in fact moving ahead or astern was difficult to estimate as, so violent was the motion, for much of the time the two huge propellers were spinning uselessly out of the water.

Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth.

About five tense minutes passed and then Chief Officer Luly saw the orange light of the Barret Reef buoy, moored 400 yards south of Outer Rock. Southward from Outer Rock extend drying and low-water rocks, leaving a gap of 200 yards of deep water to the buoy. The chief officer first saw the light on the starboard bow, then on the port bow. A few seconds later he saw rocks to starboard. He cried out “Rocks ahead !”. Almost instantly came the cry “Rocks astern !” Captain Robertson raced for the starboard wing of the bridge. His reaction when he saw the rocks on the starboard bow was horror. “Then I saw them astern and there was no way of getting out of it.” The doomed ship quickly closed on the rocks. Captain Robertson had the impression she was picked up bodily and thrown on to the reef. He did not feel the initial impact but a bit later felt the hull bouncing up and down on the rocks. It was the end of a ghastly half hour of commanding a blind ship in the most hazardous position imaginable.

Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind… For He commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof… He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth, He maketh lightnings for the rain; He bringeth the wind out of his treasuries… He sendeth out His word, and melteth them: he causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow… Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling His word…”

Ashore, the wind was battering the city and threatening to remove anything not firmly secured, but it wasn’t until 7.20 that the country as a whole heard about the Wahine. With power restored, announcer Joy Ring gave the news in a special bulletin on the NZ Broadcasting Corporation’s national network link:

“The inter-island ferry Wahine is reported to have gone aground on Barrett Reef a short time ago. Tugs are on their way to help but the Marine Department believes there is no serious danger.”

This was sensational news, but the Marine Department’s belief, unfortunately unfounded, that there was no serious danger, helped allay the fears of listeners around the country, particularly those with loved ones aboard.

(Do we look at events around us and believe that there is no serious danger?)

While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you.

Outside the smokeroom, Clarrie O’Neill and his wife kept a watchful eye on their six children. He spoke to others around them about their plight. “We realised the helplessness of our position and the need of a higher power to save us. I tried to encourage the others but I was still very worried though this receded somewhat as time went on. I met a man from Greymouth and his wife I knew, and talked to them of God for about half an hour. I was very sad the next day to see his name on the death roll.

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day; For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened… The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

Clarrie O’Neill and his family were also in the smokeroom after an uncomfortable wait outside. The six children lay on the floor, still in their lifejackets, and Mr O’Neill managed to get a set for his wife, who was pale and not looking too well. He remembers one elderly woman saying, “Your children deserve a medal.” Another added, “The parents deserve a medal for looking after them so well.” “I turned around and said, ‘Medals won’t help us now. What we need is help from above.’ They both agreed.”

2 Samuel 22:3 — The God of my rock, in Him will I trust. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge, my Saviour. Thou savest me from violence… Psalm 62:7, 8 — In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us.

Suddenly she lurched a couple of times to starboard… and stayed there. The harsh jangle of the alarm bells and the abandon ship order a few minutes later punctured any complacency that remained. Six hundred and ten passengers were faced with the stark reality of getting off the ship into a still wild sea. Fright showed clearly on the faces of the men, women and children jammed into the B-deck smokeroom and cafeteria, passageways and cabins and in the A-deck lounge. For a few minutes panic was imminent as passengers surged to the exits in their desperate desire to get on deck.

Matthew 7:25,27: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

It was about 2 pm and now only four men — Able Seaman Donald MacInnes, Luly, Galloway, and Captain Robertson — remained. Save for the occasional crashes from below as equipment and cargo moved, the ship was spookily quiet. In three quarters of an hour 732 people had left the Wahine. Considering the conditions, the abandonment had gone amazingly well.

Jeremiah 51:16: When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. Nahum 1:3 — The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Clarrie O’Neill, his wife and six children were also in the (life) boat. He was worried about the waves and feared the boat would get side on to them. “We were helpless, and couldn’t do a thing. A woman came floating towards me in the water crying, ‘Save me, save me.’ I reached out and grabbed her hand and she cried out, ‘Don’t let me go. Don’t let me go.’ She must have been in her fifties, and weighed between 15 and 16 stone. I had a terrible job to try and get her aboard and I had to get another man to help me. I told her how glad we were to have her aboard. Then a woman in the boat cried out — ‘Has anyone seen my baby?’ A man at the end of the boat held up a poor mite, all dripping wet and asked — ‘Is this it?’ It was. The woman took her baby and cuddled it to her. It looked so cold and bedraggled that I took off my felt hat which I had on all the time and put it on the baby’s head to keep the rain off. The woman did not say anything, just gave me a look of thankfulness that was worth all the silver and gold in the world.”

Luke 8:23,24: But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, ‘Master, master, we perish’. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.

Those rescued include 61-year-old Mrs Tressa Dunford of Christchurch, and her husband, who had a terrifying time since jumping off the ship. ‘Some of my thoughts were for my mother, who is 84, and I wondered who would look after her if I didn’t get out alive. I also thought of my 3 sons and 5 step-daughters and wondered if I would ever see them again. I thought about sharks, and the mess there would be if a few got loose amongst us. Actually I love water but I like to know what is in it with me. I wasn’t frightened of dying but realised that it’s not until faced with death that you realise how sweet life is.’

Isaiah 4:6: And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for r a place of refuge; and for a covert from storm and from rain.

Isaiah 25:4: For thou hast been a strength to the poor , a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

Clarrie O’Neill, his wife, and 6 children, thanked God for getting them safely ashore. ‘I realised that we had been in a terrible situation and my first thoughts were that we had been permitted to go through the valley of the shadow of death. On the law of averages, I suppose we should have lost one or two of the children, but apart from being soaked and cold we were all right.’

Mark 4:27: And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full… And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, ‘Peace, be still’. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm… And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, ‘What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’

After radio newscasts had revealed that survivors were being taken to Wellington Railway Station, relatives and friends of those who had been on the Wahine gathered quietly behind the crowd-control barriers. The tense, anxious wait common to all disasters began. For some the vigil was in vain; others spent hours waiting, only to learn that loved ones were already in hospital. For some the wait was mercifully short.

Early in the evening police discovered they had names of far more survivors than the total number of passengers and crew who had been on the Wahine. There was much duplication of names, different spellings of the same name, different addresses for the same survivor. In the chaos of the afternoon the names of many rescuers had gone on the lists. In a few cases the names of the dead were also on the list. No name could be deleted until painstakingly checked out.

Revelation 20:12: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judges out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

I would like to conclude with a paragraph written in “The Gospel News” one time, by our Brother Christopher Damaso, from the Philippines:

“The boat is our ecclesia that brings its people to the conference which will be at Mt Zion in Jerusalem. This time the subject and the speaker will be our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will reveal himself as the King and those who are patiently and faithfully waiting for him will find joy, receiving the promise, “He who stands firm till the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13). However, sailing to the Kingdom is not easy, there are waves and winds of trials to be overcome. Sometimes, along the way, we have brothers and sisters who need to be rescued from a shipwreck. They need us to strengthen their faith. They are the survivors who call for comfort, encouragement, and prayers. Helping the weak must be a primary concern (Acts 20:28,35). Indeed, our voyage is a selfless endeavour. We are not only concerned for ourselves, but for others as well. This is what the apostle Paul meant when he said, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). If we can fulfil this responsibility, our boat will not sink and no one will fall into the sea, and, at the end, we will finally reach the harbour to meet our King.

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Begone, unbelief! Our Saviour is near, And for our relief Will surely appear: Though rough winds may wrestle — Our God will perform: With Christ in the vessel, We smile at the storm.

(John Ching)

Harry A. Whittaker, Christadelphian and Bible prophecy student, died in 1992 at the age of 83. Harry was exemplary in many areas: Bible student, teacher, preacher, missionary, author, letter-writer, visitor, counselor and upbuilder. His boundless energy, forthright message and genuine concern for the welfare of others were inspirational. Harry’s copious writings [see below] are a source of wonderful Bible insights and discoveries, and have encouraged many people in many countries. His work in the area of Bible prophecy has been particularly interesting, and has certainly influenced the thinking of many.

Harry and his wife Phyllis did pioneering preaching work in Guyana in the 1950s.

A list of the published works of Harry Whittaker:

The Last Days The Time of the End Five Minutes to Twelve Isaiah Joel Of Whom the World was not Worthy (Jeremiah) Revelation — A Biblical Approach Jews, Arabs, and Bible Prophecy Visions in Daniel Studies in the Gospels Studies in the Acts of the Apostles Bible Studies — An Anthology Israel in the Wilderness Letters to George and Jenny Exploring the Bible Enjoying the Bible Exhorting and Testifying The Very Devil Through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures Abraham — Father of the Faithful Wrestling Jacob He is Risen Indeed Genesis 1-2-3-4 Hezekiah the Great (with The Songs of Degrees, by George Booker) Passover Reformation Samuel, Saul, and David Seven Short Epistles Joseph the Saviour Word Studies Judges and Ruth The Gifts of the Holy Spirit The Letters of Peter Seven Short Epistles Jude