| Romans 5:6 – “ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” |
Last month I was blessed to lead 24 adults to the Texas Hill Country. On our trek back to DFW, we toured the Longhorn Cavern outside Burnet, TX. If you’ve never seen it, I give it a solid “10 out of 10” on the “you must do this” scale.
During the tour, I learned some intriguing history about the cavern. In 1840, an incrdible rescue took place in “The Counsel Room”.
As legend has it, a beautiful young woman from San Antonio named Mariel King was kidnapped by Comanches and held for ransom. Logan Vandeveer, one of the patriarchs of the city of Burnet, uncovered the kidnapping by tracing a trail of dropped items that led to the cave. Vandeveer recruited two Texas Rangers (William Magill and Noah Smithwick) to join him in rescuing young Mariel fromt he Comanches’ possession. Realizing they were vastlyl outnumbered (by as much as 50 to 3) and in the secret of night, Vandeveer, Magill and Smithwick descended by ropes into “The Counsel Room” some 130 feet below ground…albeit without night vision goggles or infrared tracking.
Ultimately, the Texas Rangers and local hero fought off the Comanches, rescued the young lady, climbed out fo the cave, and the rest is Texas history (the “best history”, I might add). Today, you can stand in the clean well-lit “Counsel Room” and look up and see the small opening where they descended into the darkness.
Some 2,000 years ago, Jesus didn’t descend into a cavern, but he did enter a cave of cruelties to rescue us from Satan’s hand.
Even so, there were some significant differences. JUst consider the severity of Jesus’ rescue mission.
- We took ourselves hostage by our own rebellion to God’s will.
- Jesus mission wasn’t a violent takeover, but a sacrificial dismantling of power.
- It wasn’t a one-night rescue, but eternal intercession to the Father.
- Jesus wasn’t “undercover”. Upon His entry, a light shone into the darkness, pronouncing His arrival with worship and joy and miracles and teaching.
- The only one killed in the mission was the One who came to rescure, who also knew exactly what would happen to Him before the mission commenced.
- And even though Jesus offers a complete rescue to everyone, not everyone chooses to accept it.
Who would accept a mission with those insurmountable odds?
Only Jesus.
How easy it is to forget the terms of operation, Gethsemane!
THe cavern is impressive, but nothing compares to the cross. Vandeveer, Magill and Smithwick were daring, but only Jesus was divine. He came for us at just the right time, even though we weren’t righteous people. Nevertheless, we’re beneficiaries of His courage.
So, go and see Longhorn Cavern. You’ll be glad you did. Even more so, don’t mss the love of Calvary. It will change your life.
- Jacob Hawk
