On the afternoon of August 5, 2010 something significant happened. 33 men went to work as usual, but didn’t go home for 69 days.

The media deemed the men “The 33″ as they were trapped 700 meters (2,300ft) underground in the San José copper–gold mine. The Chilean mining accident gained the attention of the world, as the mixed crew of men subsequently survived for a record 69 days deep underground before their rescue.

With 1 billion people watching, the Chilean men were rescued one by one and came to the surface cheering-with Jesus t-shirts on over their overalls, one man comparing it to a “darkness to light” experience talked about in the Bible.

They were trapped-miles beneath the surface-and there was absolutely nothing they could do rescue themselves. While some were in a worse position than others because of health or age, they were all in the same dark mine. Trapped. And there was  nothing they could do about their situation.

The Gospel tells you and I that we are like the Chilean miners. We are trapped in our sin and we cannot do anything to rescue ourselves. We cannot be good enough, right enough, or sacrificial enough to earn our way to heaven. Period. It doesn’t matter if you serve the poor on the weekends, are a ‘nice person’, and or even go to church weekly-those actions cannot save. Think about if the Chilean miners tried to earn their way out of the mine? The 33 didn’t need a dose of good works or nice prayers-they need a rescuer.

The Bible puts it clearly: “There’s nobody living right, not even one…They’ve all taken the wrong turn; they’ve all wandered down blind alleys. No one’s living right; I can’t find a single one. And it’s clear enough, isn’t it, that we’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? (Romans 3:8 The Message)

All other world religions-Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism-can be compared to standing at the base of a mountain. Each instructs different methods of getting to the top, but they all attribute salvation or reaching God to one’s efforts. Work harder, climb faster, serve more. Christianity, on the other hand,  tells us there isn’t a chance to climb to the top-to reach God. We are trapped. All in the same sinking boat. We need a rescuer.

Jesus came to earth-“pitched his tent among us”-and died in our place. The Bible said we deserve death because of our sins (Romans 6:23); there is no distinction between light and heavy sinners. Not an easy message on the front end-but it provides more Hope than anything you could ever imagine.

After 69 brutal days with minimal light and food, the miners were rescued from death. They came to the surface cheering, as tears streamed down the world’s faces. Why were we so engrossed in the story? May it been because stories of helpless people rescued stirs something deep within? Do you need a Rescuer? 

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