One day Jesus was standing by the Lake…He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets, He got into one of the boats.

The 1976 film, “Voyage of the Damned” tells the true story of 937 Jewish refugees reluctantly permitted by the Nazis to leave Germany aboard the M.S. Saint Louis on May 13, 1939. It was absolutely necessary for these refugees to find asylum in another country in order to escape the growing persecution and hell of the concentration camps in Germany. Unfortunately, the refugees were denied entry to Cuba and even the United States. Their only recourse was to return to Germany. It was in every way the voyage of the damned.

The film details the emotional journey of the passengers who gradually become aware that their passage has been an exercise in propaganda, and they had little chance of ever disembarking in Cuba. Sadly, they would be used as examples before the world. This point was illustrated by a comment made by a Nazi official who said, “When the whole world has refused to accept them as refugees, no country can blame Germany for the fate of the Jews.” This fate would become known as the “The Final Solution”.

Yet, through what seemed at the time to be extraordinary negotiations, asylum was found in several countries. Each would take portions of the refused refugees. 181 could go to Holland, 224 to France, 214 to Belgium, and 228 to Great Britain. Sadly most of those countries would soon be overrun by the Germans and consequently over 600 of the original 937 passengers would eventually lose their lives in concentration camps during World War II.

Today’s lesson is about another group of refugees who were also on their own voyage of the damned. That group of people is you and me and all the rest of mankind.

As I researched this incident, this ill-fated voyage of M.S. St. Louis, I came across notes that were kept by the captain. He wrote that it seems once the ship was underway, steaming away from Germany, the people seemed to relax and the painful and horrible experiences they had come through seemingly disappeared once they were at sea. What had happened to them seemed more like some bad dream. The good food, attentive service, and recreation seemed to push all they had escaped aside. It was reported that children enjoyed each others' company and made new friendships as well as played childish pranks including locking bathroom stall doors and then climbing out underneath as well as soaping doorknobs.

My friends, did you ever stop to think that we are on our own voyage of the damned? We, too, are damned by our inherited sinful nature: Through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners. (Rom 5.19) Because our ancestors, Adam and Eve, sinned we all suffer the consequences: living in a fallen and unfair world; we are at war with whoever the creator is, and we all will die. We’ve all been shanghaied on to this voyage bound for hell.

You would think all this would create a sense of anger and outrage, a sense of urgency. It does from time to time in some, but remember how once they were at sea the people on the M.S. St. Louis seemed to push aside the nightmare of what they were escaping. Their voyage, then and now, seemed, at the time, a better reality, even if it had to end. How often are we like that?

For the most part, we have come to enjoy this life. We eat, drink, and make merry. We flirt with all manner of sin. We live as though this life will go on forever. We often become selfishly indifferent to the needs of others, and like some drunken pirate crew we demand more and more to indulge our sinful natures. Truly, as St. Paul writes to the Galatians, the acts of sinful nature are all too obvious. (Gal 5.19)When you get home read Galatians 5.19 and see for yourselves.

Now I know that some of those around us are polite, caring, and seemingly gentle but they like us are all pirates none-the-less, and all our mutinous minds are hostile to God. (Rms 8.7, Jam 1.15, & Matt 7.17)

Many of us have pushed aside the reality that this voyage through life is only so many days long, and it has a final destination. That destination is not the sunny shore of a tropical paradise but the fire baked, desolate, parched islands of hell. Whether we know it or not, whether we like it or not, hell is where our ship loaded with all of mankind is headed. We are on our own voyage of the damned.

Without intervention those passengers, those undesirables, on the M. S. St. Louis would perish. If someone didn’t intervene for us, we would perish, as well. The good news for us is that someone did intervene for us - that someone was Jesus. He came to restore a sense of order among the passengers, and He came to change our final port of call from hell to heaven. You would think He would be greeted as a hero but remember I described mankind, you and me, like a bunch of sin-drunken pirates. Jesus was rejected.

As we follow the life of Jesus we see that He was repeatedly rejected. We heard recently how He was rejected in His home town. (Lk 4.28-30) He was asked to leave the area of the Decapolis even after casting demons out of the man who had haunted and terrorized the community and travelers. (Mt 8.34) He and His teachings were spoken against. Some sought to discredit His miracles and others even took stones to stone Him. (Matt 12.24 & Jn 10.31) He was harassed and plotted against by the Scribes, Pharisees, and Teachers of the Law. St. John records, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, like that Nazi official…You know nothing at all. You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die …than a whole nation perish….So from that day on they plotted to take Jesus’ life. (Jn 1149-50,53)

As the plot was taking shape Jesus went among the passenger and crew teaching of another landfall called heaven. He taught how people could turn from being even the worst of pirates and receive forgiveness- full pardons- for all their abuses, lawbreaking, and sins. He showed them that even while on this voyage they could live differently.

As He moved around the deck He was gathering up the sins of all of us, all mankind. He offered again and again to take from us the cheap bobbles and bangles of this life and give to us the solid gold of His Father’s Words and promises.

As I mentioned there was a plot afoot to kill Him. Even though they thought they were so sneaky, He always knew of the plot. When they rushed into grab Him He didn’t fight back but went with them. Yes, they murdered Him- beat Him, scourged Him and nailed Him to the cross of the mast, and even then jeered and mocked Him. This He endured because it was the price set to get us and all who believe off the ship- His life in exchange for ours.

You see when the M.S. St. Louis loaded with its cargo of Jews arrived in Cuba there was a price that had been set, a bribe that had to be paid so they could get off the boat and avoid the hell of the concentration camp, but the price was so high, the greed of men in power so great, that no one could pay it, and ship with human cargo was turned away.

The price to free us was even higher- the sinless Son of God had to die, and die He did. Then they cut Him down and He tumbled into the belly of ship where the hatch cover slammed in place over Him. Many of the pirates rejoiced, but the story doesn’t end their. Three days later, Jesus rose up from the belly of the ship. He rose up unharmed, threw back the hatch and walked the ship unmolested, not seeking revenge on the mutinous crew but again offering safe passage on a different ship. That safe passage, rescue, and even the chance to turn from the dead end of piracy is offered to us even today in the words of baptism, absolution, in communion and in the hearing of His Word. There is room for all who would confess their sins and seek to turn from them, room for all who would stop following after other worldly things, and bound for hell captains and follow instead Jesus who is our Lord High Admiral.

Oh, for a time we and the rest of mankind are still on this ship bound for hell. Until our life boat is lowered that transfers us to another ship we are not to withdraw from the mutinous crew; we are not to overlook those who have been keelhauled by worldly thinking, shanghaied by sin and those nearly dismembered by the storms of life, we are to go among them with the message that Jesus has given us. We are to tell others of a different landfall in heaven. We are to bind up their wounds and minister to even the mutinous crew. We are to tell them that all the arrangements for our deliverance have been made, the price for our freedom and theirs as well as been paid, and the contract sealed in His blood. “Come, shipmates, there is much work that can be done.”