Little Toot and the Tormented Boat

He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Mark 6:48

When I was a little boy my mother and I would walk to the library and bring books back home. She would read to me as I could not read yet. One of my all-time favorites was the story of Little Toot, the tugboat that rescued large ships during a storm. It made such an impression on me that I recently bought a used copy out of sentimentality.

The illustrations of Little Toot showed him with a face that could show all kinds of emotions. I thought of him with feelings. I know now that tugboats do not have faces or feel emotions, but I still love the story.

A study of the term tormented (Greek--basanizo) is used in Mark 6:48 and Matt. 14:24 of the disciples straining at the oars against a contrary wind. Strong's lists it as G928.

The same G928 is used elsewhere of torment in the lake of fire. Comparing tormented corpses in Isaiah chapter 66, with those tormented in the lake of fire, I came to the conclusion that those in the fire were dead. After all the Bible is very clear that being cast into the lake is the second death.

It came together for me. About the torment, same as a boat tossed by the sea. Little Toot did not suffer, but he sure was tormented as he did his heroic deeds.