Swallowed by a whale...
Audio here and video footage here.
Well I saw an astonishing video on my news feed today, with the headline “Watch moment man is swallowed by humpback whale”. You can see it for yourself on the BBC website[1].
It’s quite
astonishing. Adrián Simancas was out kayaking with his father, Dall, on the Patagonian
coast off Chile, when he felt like something was lifting him, something too
strong to be a wave. Next he felt something blue and white passing close to his
face. He didn’t understand what was happening as he got submerged down into the
water as a slimy texture brushed his face.
Fortunately
for Adrian, it was a Humpback whale which actually has a very narrow throat, so
the whale which may just have been motivated by curiosity spat out the kayak
and its kayaker within a couple of seconds. All of this was recorded by Adrian’s
father Dall, and Adrian lived to tell the tale.
Adrian says he
felt he received a second chance in life when he was spat out, and said that
the unique experience had invited him to reflect on what he could have done
better up to that point and on the ways he might benefit from the experience and even appreciate it as well.
I wonder if you
have ever had a near brush with death, a second chance experience? I believe
that every day we have is a gift, and we should treasure each moment, because
none of us know when our time will come. It’s right to reflect on how precious
life is, and to consider our ways before we meet our maker.
There was a
guy in the Bible who was swallowed by a whale. You may have heard of Jonah.
This time he was in it for 3 days and 3 nights. Jesus himself referred to Jonah’s
experience and pointed back to it as a kind of foreshadowing of his own experiences,
as Jesus spent the best part of 3 days and nights in a tomb.
But just like
Adrian came back out of that whale alive, and as Jonah did, Jesus came alive
from the tomb and through him, God is saying, “you can have a second chance,
you can have new life, if you just receive the help that my Son Jesus brings”. You
can read more about Jonah and Jesus in the Bible.
Thanks so much
for listening.