The Point of No Return!

“T

hey’ve just reached the point of no return. There’ll be no turning back now!” The announcer’s voice boomed over the television set as the Saturn V rocket hurled heavenward, ferrying its cargo of three men and a landing craft toward the moon. 

Those few short words, spoken just moments before, indicated the crew had reached a critical milestone in the flight.  Attached to the very top of the rocket was a small tower equipped with three engines.  This attachment was known as the escape tower.  During launch, the commander of the flight kept his hand on a handle inside the command module.  At the first sign of danger, he could pull that lever and fire the escape tower’s rockets.  The tower would then pull the command module away from the rest of the rocket and land the astronauts safely in the ocean. 

There was, however, one catch to this procedure.  The escape tower could only be used if a problem occurred in the lower atmosphere.  Once the rocket reached a certain altitude the tower was useless. At that point, the commanding astronaut jettisoned the tower from the space craft, severing any possibility of a safe return to Earth. That is why the announcer’s words were at once both wonderful and ominous.  The announcement meant the astronauts were on their way out of earth’s orbit and headed toward their lunar destination. It also meant the crew was committed! The completion of their mission was the only safe way to return to Earth.

The disciples were faced with the same situation as the astronauts above.  They were faced with a moment of truth, a life-or-death-decision, and a choice to commit to Christ or to jettison him. The difference was the disciples had no escape tower and no guarantee of a safe return if they bailed out!

In John 6:66-69 we read these words of Jesus, “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’”

Wow! Way to go Peter! Jesus gave him the choice.  Peter’s hand was on the escape lever.  He could have pulled it, he could have separated from Christ, and he could have decided to bail out right then and there.  But Peter didn’t and neither did the other disciples. Instead, they passed the point of no return, they committed themselves to the mission, knowing the only way home was to accept and complete the assignment Jesus had for them.

And what about us?  We all face moments of truth.  As Christians, there will be a point of no return when Jesus asks us specifically if we will follow him or reject him.  The choice is ours. Our hands are on the escape lever as we hurl full speed ahead into life.  At a certain moment in our flight God will inform us that we have reached the time of commitment, the point of no return.  On this side of that point we can pull the escape lever and bail out.  But where will we go?  We can also take our hand off that lever and commit to the mission ahead.  The choice is ours.  What will our decision be?  Bail or commit?