Among the many strange nautical species that run aground on the coastline of the Isle of Skye the HMS Astute must rank as the strangest. This 2 month old baby weighed in at 7,800 tonnes and is reputed to have cost £1.2 billion. Pity Cdr Andy Coles as this sub is controlled by a platform management system – untouched by human hand! This fly by wire technology has been designed to deliver high tech troops onto foreign soil – unseen and unheard. To do this the sub is required to navigate in shallow water which explains why the vessel was in the narrow Kyle of Lochalsh. The sonar equipment will need some fine tuning before venturing into the Kyle again! The Bible has quite a lot of subversive material, much of it surrounding the person and work of Jesus. He was recognised from the outset by Satan who was out to destroy the Messiah. Sadly those who should have recognised Him, the religious authorities who were living in anticipation of his arrival, failed to do so. But those of every class who recognised their need of a saviour had their spiritual eyes opened and followed him. However all seemed lost when the fickle crowd changed their cry from “Hallelujah” to “Crucify him”. Pilot asked the question at his trial, “What is truth” thinking that the answer might be in a proposition instead of a person. Jesus is the truth. The dying thief recognised this fact and committed his life to him. His accomplishment of dying in the sinners place to make a complete atonement for sin, opened a way of deliverance for the believing sinner to be with his saviour God for time and eternity, and was totally subversive. It went under Satan’s radar. It went under the authorities’ radar. They were spiritually blind. Many today are still blinded by Satan and cannot see the relevance of putting their faith in the one who, as Saint Paul put it, “loved me and gave himself for me”. Cdr Coles may not have lived up to his vessels name, “Astute” but for those astute enough to admit their culpability before a Holy God and commit themselves to him the words of Jude’s doxology are packed with timeless meaning. “Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”