Facing Down Certain Death?

Facing Down Certain Death?

10 Days after Chernobyl

Ten days after the initial Chernobyl disaster, another potential disaster was in the making at the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Water that was used to try and fight the flames unsuccessfully had become contaminated and then pooled beneath the reactor core. The reactor had substances such as clay, sand, and boron dropped onto it by helicopters in an attempt to smother the flames. The resulting mixture was like lava and was slowly burning through the floor. If it had it reached the water, a steam explosion would have occurred and the resulting radioactive steam fallout would have turned most of Europe into a nuclear wasteland.

The only way to drain this water was by opening the gates and the valve was only accessible by if someone dived down into the highly radioactive and contaminated water to get to it. Whoever did that would almost certainly die.

Three plant workers volunteered. With full knowledge of the danger and with basic scuba gear and a dodgy lamp, they dived down to find the valve. During the dive the dodgy lamp failed but still the trio somehow found the valve to open the gates and swam back up. Twenty-thousand tons of water was drained out.

A report stated that had the dive not taken place to open the gates, a thermonuclear explosion would have occurred as a result.

Two of the men died two weeks later in a Moscow hospital and the third succumbing to death not long after. Due to the high radioactivity levels on their bodies, they were buried in lead coffins that were soldered shut.

Their brave actions no doubt saved hundreds of thousands and maybe millions of lives throughout Europe.

However, few have ever heard of these super-heros!

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Have you ever been faced with doing good might result in dire consequences for yourself?

If a family member was in a burning house, would you run in to get them out knowing that you too could die in the process?

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So today we celebrate Palm Sunday.

This is just the week before His resurrection or even just a few days before Christ’s crucifixion.

God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die in our place.

Christ came to this world for that purpose!

Christ surely faced such a situation when God had Him come to this earth, and even other times when He faced the temptation from the devil and even rebukes from the people of this earth.

As that time to fulfill His purpose came, He tried to forewarn His disciples.

Even His own disciples rebuked Him for what He had to do.

Matthew 16:21-28 (Peter’s Rebuke)

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. 28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Jesus told of His death three times before entering Jerusalem. And they were grieved.

When you’re grieved you don’t always think straightly and you may say things you might regret.

Matthew 21:1-11 (Jesus’ entry)

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”