“For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)
I was 19 and in college. It was October 14, 1987 when 18-month-old Jessica McClure fell into a well at her aunt’s house in Midland, Texas. (That was 36 years ago last week!) Americans were glued to the TV (Kids: watching news shows and reading things were how we knew what was happening in the world back before the internet)
TV crews followed every move made by the rescuers trying to save “Baby Jessica.” One guy they were planning to send down the well could actually pop his shoulders out of joint! It was like a three-ring circus. They worked tirelessly and heroically for 56 hours before finally rescuing “America’s Baby.” Jessica had been saved!
Now imagine hearing this alternate version of the story: Baby Jessica, with heroic grit and tenacity clawed and dragged her tiny 18-month-old baby body up the 22-foot sheer wall of the well she had fallen into and saved herself! America’s Baby – a true American hero!
Of course it’s ridiculous! She was helpless to save herself. She was completely powerless.
I tell that story because no less was true about us when we were lost in our sin. We had the power to save ourselves much like a baby stuck in a well. She needed outside help and so did we!
Thank God, even though we were helpless, Jesus came to save us. That is grace.
Let’s talk about it Sunday as we continue our sermon series Grace and Truth.
