Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek. That belongs to the Roddenberry estate and Paramount pictures. Also, the views contained in here are purely my own and do not reflect those of Gene Roddenberry or anyone else associated with Star Trek.
A\N 1: The scenes here are taken from episode# 67 "The Empath" The Bible verses are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATION VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
A\N 2: You can see the incredible scene of Gem healing McCoy at .com/watch?v=1OF5bXlJnfI. Courtesy of CBS.
Twelve-year-old Lucy Jones loved classic Star Trek episodes. Her friends thought it was really geeky, but Lucy didn't care. She loved the mysterious, handsome Spock, the brave Captain Kirk, and the sharp-tongued Dr. McCoy. She loved the action-packed battle scenes and the witty dialogue. Most of all, she loved the beautiful alien women in their colorful costumes.
She was especially fascinated by the beautiful voiceless woman who was on the screen now. Since nobody knew the woman's name, McCoy had called her "Gem". Lucy thought it that was a beautiful name, perfect for someone so extraordinary. She also thought it was funny that McCoy had given the woman a name that sounded exactly like Captain Kirk's! What was really interesting about Gem, though, was that she was an empath. She could feel the physical sensations and emotions of other people as keenly as though they were her own. Lucy watched in amazement as she touched the cut on Captain Kirk's forehead and it disappeared, only to reappear on Gem's own forehead.
The episode only got more interesting as it went on. It turned out that Gem was being held captive by a race called the Vians. The Vians were funny-looking. Their bald heads had dents in the side of them and seemed to be too big for their bodies. They were also very cruel. They had already tortured two research scientists to death. Now, they tortured Kirk.
Gem used her empathy powers to heal Kirk, but it exhausted her. Kirk was concerned that Gem would be harmed or killed if she kept trying to heal him. McCoy assured him that her" instinct for self-preservation" would prevent this from happening. Not satisfied, the Vians wanted to torture someone else, either Spock or McCoy. They would let Kirk choose which one it would be, telling him that McCoy would probably die and Spock would probably go insane. Spock was willing to be tortured, but McCoy would have none of it. He sedated both Spock and Kirk and surrendered himself to the Vians. When Spock and Kirk woke up, they rushed with Gem to the Vians' "laboratory", where McCoy was gravely injured.
Lucy watched Gem's face as she began to heal McCoy. Gem could not scream, but it was obvious by the contortions of her beautiful features that the pain was unbearable. She might have died if McCoy had not woken up and pushed her away. It was then that the Vians revealed this was all part of an experiment to see if Gem's race was worthy to be saved from extinction. They wanted to see if Gem, after witnessing the sacrificial love that the men had for each other, would give her life to save a complete stranger. At first, the Vians insisted that Gem had to die in order to pass the test. Kirk and Spock convinced them that simply being willing to die for McCoy was enough to pass the test. The Vians agreed to save Gem's race and restored her and McCoy to full health.
"It was Star Trek at its very best," Lucy told her mother later. "McCoy totally rocked! I knew he was really good friends with the captain, but I didn't realize how close he was to Spock until he knocked Spock out with the hypo. It was as if he was saying, 'You're not getting hurt, Spock, not on my watch. I will protect you even if it kills me.' And Gem was so cool! I think she was the best Star Trek alien ever! It must have been hard, feeling all that pain, risking her life for someone she didn't even know. She was so brave!"
"It sounds like it," replied Mrs. Jones. "You know who else was brave, Lucy? Jesus. The Bible says in Isaiah 53: 4 that "he took up our infirmities."
"What are 'infirmities'?" asked Lucy.
"Infirmities are sicknesses. You see, our sin, all the bad things we've ever done, are like a disease to us. They cause us to suffer. They also make us unattractive in God's eyes, just like some physical diseases can be disfiguring. When Jesus was killed on a cross, He took our sins on Himself. The Bible says in Isaiah 53:5-6 that ' he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.'"
"You know, that is like what Gem did. She took the wounds that were meant for Kirk and McCoy on herself. She got hurt, but Kirk and McCoy were healed," observed Lucy.
"Exactly," said Mrs. Jones. "Gem was willing to die so that Dr. McCoy could live, and Jesus was willing to die so that we could live. Accepting his sacrifice is the only way to get to Heaven. A lot of people think you can get to Heaven just by being a good person. But good people don't get to Heaven. Perfect people do, and no one is perfect. "
"Not even Pastor Dickerson?" queried Lucy.
"Not even Pastor Dickerson, " chuckled Mrs. Jones. "You see, you can't get to Heaven by doing good deeds, going to church, or believing the right things. You can only get there by entering a relationship with God and letting Him help you be good. Some people think that Christians are stuck-up because they say that Christianity is the only way to Heaven. They think we're trying to act as though we're better people than they are. But that's not the case at all. Christians who have a deep relationship with God know that they're not any better than anyone else. They're not going to Heaven because they deserve it but because God was gracious enough to help them when they didn't deserve it. That's why Christians should always be humble and compassionate. They need to care about other people as much as Jesus does."
"Of course, McCoy didn't let Gem die. She was all right in the end," reflected Lucy.
"Yes, and Jesus was all right in the end too. He did die, but He came back to life three days later. By doing this, he conquered death. That is why, after our bodies die, our spirits can live with Him forever in Heaven."
If you have already accepted this wonderful gift, you need to imitate Jesus' compassion. If you want to receive this gift, say this prayer. "Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sins. Please forgive me and come into my life so I can do the things you want me to do. Thank you for your wonderful compassion, and help me to be compassionate. Amen."
If you have any comments, please review. If you have questions about Christianity or becoming a Christian, you can talk to your pastor or other Christian adult. You can also talk to a Christian friend who is not an adult. Also, feel free to PM me. Just go to my profile and click on "send a message". Live long and prosper, my fellow Trek fans.