David Verwey was talking with his grandson, Joey, and Joey’s father, Alex, when he noticed a hornet fly in and hover about a foot in front of Joey’s face.  It was a Japanese Giant Hornet, and it was not backing away and could sting him at any moment.

David knew he must act quickly.  He knew some things about the Japanese Giant Hornet from some research done on the internet.  He had learned that although not normally hostile, the Japanese Giant Hornet can be aggressive if provoked and can sting a victim multiple times.  Its venom, which is injected by the 6.25 mm (quarter inch) long stinger, attacks the nervous system and damages the tissue.  The sting can be very painful, highly venomous and may require hospitalization.  The potency of the sting is due to the relatively large amount of venom injected.

One sting can be lethal for people who are allergic and suffer from anaphylactic shock.  The sting can also be lethal to people who are not allergic, provided the dose is sufficient.  Multiple stings would likely require immediate medical attention and could cause renal failure.  Annually thirty to forty people in Japan die after having been stung by bees, wasps or the Japanese Giant Hornet.

David had recently removed some hornet nests from around the buildings of the Japan Mission, so he and his co-workers had been keeping a can of wasp and hornet killer handy as they worked at the Mission.

Now one of these hornets was flying dangerously close to David’s grandson.  David immediately crouched down beside Joey while grabbing a can of hornet killer and sprayed the hornet.  It fell to the ground.

Later reflecting on this incident, David wrote, “My quick response surprised me.  I had just been stung a couple of days before, but I knew exactly where I had put that can of spray.  My love for Joey and the desire to protect him from this hornet drove me to instinctually step up next to him, just [a foot] away from this hornet.  If Joey was not there, approaching this hornet would have been crazy.  I should have rather retreated.  However, the fact that this hornet was hovering so close to my beloved grandson’s face and knowing that he could be moments away from being stung, made me take this drastic action.”

David also gained from this experience a glimpse of a glimpse into the perfect and unconditional love that God has for us: “Jesus did not hesitate to put Himself in harm’s way to protect us from the ‘sting’ of death.  Why?  Because His love for us was so deep and profound!”

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

David shared this insight: “It is hard to fathom the depth of God’s love for us.  It is because of this boundless love, that Jesus did not hesitate to come into this world to shed His blood for our sins, so that we may be saved from certain destruction!” *

Because Jesus endured the “sting of death” on our behalf by dying on the cross for our sins, we can be saved from sin and receive the gift of eternal life.

God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

"O Death, where is your sting?  O Hades, where is your victory?  The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

Jesus loves YOU so much that He endured the sting of death for you.  Won’t YOU accept His offer of salvation and eternal life on His terms?

-- David A. Sargent

* Source: Article by David Verwey of Japan Mission entitled “The Japanese Giant Hornet.”

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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