Early yesterday morning at the gym, I was watching the news coverage of the Chilean miners being rescued. I must admit that I got a little caught in the moment and teared up when one of the miners stepped out of the capsule. He immediately embraced his family, whom he had not seen in 69 days, and they were overcome with joy. I could tell that the miner’s wife was overwhelmed with emotion as she wiped away the tears flowing from her eyes. The two month ordeal had finally been concluded. What’s even more amazing is the outpouring of support from all around the world for these 33 men. It proves to me that mankind has a healthy obsession with rescue, which I would define as a deliverance from a seemingly impossible circumstance.
An even greater rescue occurred 2,000 years ago. John writes about it in his gospel account, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Man was faced with the impossibility of being forgiven from his sin, but God sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue sinners by paying the penalty for their sin.
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God” (Romans 5:8-11)
