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.’ ”
For a holy purpose you wouldn’t use something that was worn and tattered.
This donkey had never been ridden before.
It was prophecy.
Zechariah 9:9 (Jesus’ entry prophesied)
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Fulfilled the 69th week of Daniel 9. - They were expecting something to do with the Messiah to happen that year. This was the 69th week.
This is the week leading up to the Passover. (Month of Nisan 10 - Nisan 14)
Matthew 21:6-11
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
I’m sure this so-called triumphal entry was bitter-sweet.
His true praise was due but yet not everyone was truly praising.
Imagine someone so dear to us today, how we wish we could give Him the praise He was due!
Matthew 21:12-17 (House of prayer)
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer, ’but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” 14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. 16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “ ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” 17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
The Pharisees didn’t realize Jesus was the Savior of those who would believe, they only saw Him as a threat to their way of life.
To them, religion was something that made them rich, rather than something that made others blessed.
Matthew 21:42,43
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit
The Pharisees didn’t get it and rejected the Cornerstone, the very person who could have saved their life!
How is it possible that anyone could reject a person who is trying to save them?
If a rescuer came, would you reject them?
Joke of floods coming and man receives the warnings from a man, a boat, a helicopter and the guy died saying God would save him, but in heaven God says He sent a man, the boat or the helicopter to save him, why didn’t he get out.
Christ like those men in Chernobyl did the unthinkable faced down certain death to help others.
He gave up His life for people as unworthy as us.
Romans 5:6-8 (while we were still sinners Christ died for us!)
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This week as we lead into Easter, let us solemnly reflect on what all Christ went through for us and give Him the praise that is due His great name!
