"Paul, I'll hold out my ax. When I say
'JUMP,' grab the ax head and jump to my ledge," Martin said, gasping for
air. “I will pull you. There is enough room for both of us.”
Paul nodded, tensing for the jump.
Focusing intensely, Martin steadied his ax
horizontally and immediately called
"JUMP !"
... and Paul landed onto
the narrow ledge, crouching down, hugging the rock with his toes and gripping
the ax in his hands. The snow crust on which he had been standing had
disappeared without a whisper.
But,
in
a
simultaneous
flash . . .
... as Paul landed,
a blurred figure hurtled out into that vast blue space over the ledge.
The rope
tied around my waist jerked me hard into near convulsions... then suddenly...
my pain was gone.
Numbly, I saw our yellow climbing rope
dangling in mid-air, the frayed end swinging freely to and fro... to and fro
... where Martin should have been.
Paul,
stunned, looked stupidly at the ax that only he held in his hand now.
I remained crouched down, pinned to the
ground in numbness. Paul inched his way toward me, off the slim ledge.
Finally, Paul said flatly, "I'm going
up. Do you want to come?" I shook my head and remained motionless,
crouched for an hour? two hours? four hours?
I lost track of the time before I heard Paul
--- haggard, spent, clothing shredded --- returning, without emotion, toward me
from the other direction.
"Did you reach the top?" I dully
asked, not caring.
"No," Paul said, woodenly. "I
didn't have what it takes."
With little talk, we grimly returned to camp
7 and camp 6 and all the rest of the camps until our expedition reached safety,
minus one mountaineer. No more expeditions were tried that year for K3.
In later years another expedition did strive
to be the first climbers to reach the top of K3 … only to find a climber’s ax
buried in the top of K3’s peak.
Engraved on the old ax head were the words,
"to
Martin from John."
+ + +
The
Great Exchange
Who was Paul?
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed Paul... except
when he snapped out criticism to Martin's well-tempered decisions. Paul, who
chafed under the restraining decisions, only controlled himself with great
difficulty.
Clever and skilled and well-trained, Paul had not yet seen the Unconquered Killer of Man devour the best
of climbers, the best of friends.
His character revealed the sins of being
bright ... with impatience, of being
exuberant... with Self-will, of being
well-skilled yet unsubmitting those skills to one with better judgment.
Paul had unswerving goals but was unmindful
of whom they hurt. He followed those deep desires only to fulfill his own
ambition and glory. Paul wanted to win,
to feel superior.
Indeed, he FELT
superior.
Now change ...
that fateful
ax into a cross. Put CHRIST on the ledge
instead of Martin.
It is CHRIST JESUS, now, extending His+ Cross to Paul.
Exchange ...
Paul’s face to yours... to mine … and you will
see what it cost CHRIST to save you…. to save me … from our sins.
Always, always chafing at His+ restraints, we will
not stop ourselves.
Our sins … our stubborn self-will, our
foolish pride in what we know, our
earthly skills, our rational rationalizing, our well-touted talents, and our
adroit abilities … put us out there on a
deceitful ledge, of evaporating snow.
Yes, it FEELS solid and looks solid --- to us --- but no solid rock underneath our feet
exists.
Unfortunately, we are too blinded with Self
to see that for ourselves. The unseen
abyss awaits us momentarily.
And worse, that unseen abyss is Eternal.
Forfeiting His+ Life is what it cost CHRIST
--- like Martin --- to deliver Paul, to
pull him to safety.
Unlike Martin, however, The LORD knew ahead of time what it would cost HIMSELF+ to rescue you... rescue me... rescue everyone of us human beings.
Yes... HE+ knew ahead of time that HE+ was going to EXCHANGE His+ life for yours, for mine, for all ... while we were yet angry, proud sinners like Paul ... when HE+ extended His+ Cross to us.
HE+ did it anyway.
This is what our deliverance cost JESUS.
Every
time you sin… every time I sin …
are we
crucifying CHRIST afresh?
Are we repeatedly putting HIM+ to an open
shame before all ... before the eyes of others .... and also before the unseen Watchers in the Heavenlies ?
CHRIST, better than Martin, knew the strength of the
enemy awaiting to devour men.
+ + +
CHRIST died for you, Scripture says.
HE+ gave HIMSELF+ for your sins,
that HE+
might deliver you
from this present evil world
... and an eternity
in the lake
of fire.
HE+ did it all for you.
GOD, be
merciful to me, a sinner.
+ + +
LORD JESUS CHRIST, LAMB+ of GOD,
WHO+ taketh away the sin of the world,
Have mercy upon me.
LORD JESUS CHRIST, LAMB+ of GOD,
BEARER+ of our sins,
Have mercy upon me.
LORD JESUS CHRIST, LAMB+ of GOD,
SAVIOR+ of the world,
Grant me Thy+ Peace.
+
