"Jesus," The Name Of A Slave Ship?

One of the first two English slave ships to carry West Africans to the New World was named Jesus. Jesus of Lübeck. Its captain was Sir John Hawkins, known as the first English slave trader.

Now, it is believed, or it's historically true that this ship was one of the first to ever land the shores of West Africa to carry slaves from here to the western world. According to journalist Michael Eli Dokosi, Sir John Hawkins persuaded West Africans to gain salvation by boarding the Good Ship Jesus. 

Now, let's talk a little about the ship. 

Jesus of Lübeck was a carrack built in the Free City of Lübeck in the early 16th century. Around 1540 the ship, which had mostly been used for representative purposes, was acquired by Henry VIII, King of England, to augment (increase) his fleet (warships). 

The ship saw action during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight (Island in England) in 1545. She along with Samson were used in an unsuccessful attempt to raise Henry VIII’s flagship, Mary Rose (a carrack-type warship of the English Tudor navy of King Henry VIII), after she foundered (sunk) in the Battle of the Solent. She was later chartered (hired) to a group of merchants in 1563 by Queen Elizabeth I.

First voyage (1562–1563)

What we ought to know is that the Jesus of Lübeck was not the first slave ship to arrive in Africa. The Atlantic slave trade started a lot earlier than you think. The Portuguese began trafficking African captives in the 1440s. In England, the Wars of the Roses had yet to begin (civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late 15th century).

Queen Elizabeth I, sent Sir Hawkins, a naval commander on a voyage in the 16th century which allowed him to be a privateer (a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war.)

England was not at war with Spain, but the commission allowed Hawkins to steal the Spanish fleet for loot (property taken from an enemy in war). 

In 1562, Hawkins set sail with three ships to Sierra Leone where he captured 300 slaves and took them to the plantations in the Americas where he traded the slaves for pearls, hides, and sugar.

His missions were so lucrative that Queen Elizabeth I sponsored his subsequent journeys and provided ships, supplies and guns. She also gave him a unique coat of arms bearing a bound slave.

The ship Jesus of Lübeck was purchased by King Henry VIII and 20 years later it was Queen Elizabeth I who lent it to Hawkins, sanctioning the trade in humans and showing the English involvement in the slave trade at its highest level.

It is believed by some persons that Hawkins claimed to be a devout Christian and missionary who found some Sierra Leoneans harvesting their crops.

He then proceeded to tell them of a God named Jesus and then asking them who wanted Jesus to be his/her saviour. The 100s who raised their hands to be saved by a ship were led to the shore where his ship was (Jesus of Lübeck) also known as The Good Ship Jesus to attain "salvation". 

Those who entered the ship soon found out that salvation was not what they found but captivity at its highest.

It is also said by some sources that Hawkins was a religious man who "served God" daily. 

Now, this is a historical piece. My problem here is this, many people, especially black people, because of slavery on the ship called Jesus of Lübeck, hate with passion Christianity. I think their problem is not with Christianity but with ignorance.

John Hawkins was a naval commander, not a missionary as many will have you to believe. He was a master manipulator. His plan was a calculated one. Tactical. With a ship named Jesus, what could go south?

He manipulated about 300-500 people on his first voyage commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I, in the 16th century.

To hate Jesus or dislike Christianity or disbelieve Jesus was a real person because of the story of the Jesus of Lübeck is laughable and ignorant. The Jesus of scripture existed before the Jesus of Lübeck (a ship for that matter). 

Jesus is not a name of a slave ship rather, a ship was named after Jesus, originally, not even for the purposes of slavery but representative purposes before King Henry VIII acquired it for the purpose of war, to augment his fleet.

The ship was owned by King Henry VIII and 20years down the line inherited by Queen Elizabeth I, who then loaned it to John Hawkins for the purposes of slavery/war. She commissioned the voyage of Hawkins.

What do we see here? We see the violation of the second commandment. The Lord's name was used in vain and for the selfish purposes of man. Hawkins used the name of our good Lord to steal, and do all kinds of bad under the sun.

What Hawkins did is not so different from what we see in most churches today. We see that countless pastors use the name of Jesus to manipulate people into giving them money. This is wrong and must be stopped.

Now, Jesus was not a ship (not denying the existence of the ship of Lübeck). Jesus was a real person. Don't follow what is being taught widely. Search for yourself. Jesus is not some man-made concept. He is real. He died on a tree and on the third day He rose. And good news is, He is going to come back again to judge all of earth's people.

It is rather sad that some use the name of Jesus for selfish purposes and it is sadder to the first man who ever heard the name Jesus and becomes a slave to man to be treated like a dog.