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Salvation in Slavery: The Story Sqaunto (Thanksgiving)

 

God truly works in mysterious ways. As I reflect on the tradition of Thanksgiving, I marvel at how the Lord Jesus Christ has done wonders. In particular, there is one life story I wish to share and give thanks for. There was an Native American named Squanto, whose life was shaken when slave traders took him from his home and tribe to England. The voyage I imagine seemed to this young Indian a sentence worse than death, slavery. By providence, Squanto ended up with Christian Monks who taught him faith in Christ and English. Squanto became a Christian and monk of sorts, and was later set free from slavery with help of his monk brothers. Squanto returned to the Americas to discover his entire tribe had perished from the Pox (a plague, Smallpox we call it today). The Pilgrims fleeing religious persecution, landed at Plymouth Rock,  Massachusetts. By the hand of God they ended up in the only friendly Indian territory. Salvation came to Pilgrims who were perishing through Squanto who could translate between natives and Pilgrims and help the new settlers foster friendly relations and learn how to plant whole foods like corn. Thanksgiving was a feast where Pilgrims and Indians came together to give thanks for the Lord's provision and his protection through each other.

Squanto's slavery became salvation in five ways:
I. Firstly, it prevented his death via the Pox that wiped out his tribe.
II. Secondly, and most importantly Squanto became saved and believed in Jesus Christ thanks to the Monks.
III. Thirdly, Squanto's tribe survives through him because even if he married another Indian woman of another tribe the blood of his people would go on through his genes.
IV, Fourthly, salvation came to the Pilgrims because Squanto could speak the Indian tongues and languages as well as the Pilgrim's English and thus foster the ties that would save the Pilgrims from starvation.
 V. Fifthly, Squanto a Christian is a perfect missionary, he can preach the gospel to the Native Americans because he is a native himself and he knows their languages.
Interestingly, Christ Jesus had five wounds on the cross: one was His head (crown of thorns), two were his hands (the nails), one was his side (the spear), and one was his two feet pinned together with a nail. The fact that Squanto has five kinds of salvation come forth from his life is not coincidence, but a number divine and alluding to Christ's death that brought salvation to all who will believe in Him.

For Squanto the analogy of slavery is powerful. He became a slave and was destined to a living death, but salvation came to Him in a monastery and it begot more salvation. Had Squanto not become a slave, he would have perished with his people, he would have perished and gone to hell, never knowing Christ, the Pilgrims would have starved to death or offended the Indians, and Squanto's tribe would have been completely annihilated had he died. Through slavery God wrought salvation. The bible says, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people (NLT). You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives (NIV)." (Genesis 50:20). Squanto's life embodies this Scripture. Genesis 50:20 is Joseph who also was sold into slavery by his brothers, and through the process of Divine Providence Joseph went from prison to Prince of Egypt. Squanto thus has much in common with Joseph in the Bible.

So remember while you may seem to be in a slave ship of your own or bound for great suffering, remember that Christ Jesus is faithful and you might become a door and lamp of salvation to others; leading the most unsuspected to faith in Jesus. This Thanksgiving give thanks for the trials, tribulations, and testing, they are the tools that God uses to lead us to a greater calling than we can imagine. Squanto probably planned to live an ordinary life as hunter, gatherer, and husband in his little village, but God had bigger plans, one was to save his soul, the other to save the lives of the Pilgrims, and the future mission of reaching the Indians for Immanuel. Give thanks, because you may be a Squanto who is facing hardships, but will be the hand that heals and herds people via Holy Spirit to Heaven.

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