Rescued From Above

                                                —by Chris Stinnett

 

Thursday, August 5, the miners entered the San Jose copper mine in Chile and set about their work almost half a mile underground. Then the roof fell in and 33 men were trapped under 500 yards of rock. On the surface, hundreds of people sprang into action and over the next three weeks nine separate test holes were drilled into the mountain, trying to find signs of life from the trapped men.

            Hope was fading when the ninth test bore was pulled back up after penetrating a rescue shelter area 1500 feet down. Tied to the drill was a plastic baggie with a note inside: “We are waiting in the shelter—the 33.” They had stretched their food by holding to a strict diet: two tablespoons of tuna, half a cup of milk and one canned peach—every other day. On the surface, euphoria quickly gave way to sobering reality.

            There are not many success stories of lengthy mining rescues: three Chinese survived 25 days; two Australians came out after 14 days. Chile is determined to get these men out alive although it may take four months. They are supplying food, water, air and medicine through three four-inch tubes. Meanwhile, they are maneuvering into position a drill that can punch a 25” diameter hole through the unstable mountain. Ideally, each man can be hoisted through the tube in an operation that will likely take 40 minutes per man. Chileans will do whatever it takes to save them.

                        Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

                        Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:26-27 NIV).

            Those 33 miners are helpless and hopeless to save themselves. They can do nothing except wait for rescue to come down to them. And we were helpless and hopeless to save ourselves from our own ruin. All we could do is accept the rescue that has come down to us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God.

            In the most daring rescue operation ever staged, the Son of God gave up His rights to occupy heaven with the Father. He volunteered to accept human form and enter this created world like any other baby—naked, helpless, and completely vulnerable. He grew to manhood among flawed people yet avoided the minefield of sin that has claimed us all. He willingly accepted torture and judicial murder to satisfy the penalty of justice. He rose and now He applies that credit to anybody who will commit all of life to Him.

            Every human-made religious system demands worthiness—people must show themselves worthy by good works or brave deeds or some other benchmark—and it’s all worthless because it saves nobody. But God actually saves our souls by making us—unworthy people—to be worthy. We can’t save ourselves, but He has reached down from above and lifted us from the pit. Impossible to us; already done by God.