Stairwell A

9:02:59 a.m. EDT.

September 11, 2001.

United Airlines flight 175, a fuel-laden Boeing 767-200ER wide body jet, cruising at approximately 550 miles per hour at an angled bank, knifes into the southeast corner of 2 World Trade Center (the South Tower), creating a gash between floors 77 and 85.

The North Tower had already been struck about 17 minutes before, so news cameras were already trained on the twin colossal structures. The second strike was the shift. What, at first, seemed like a tragic aviation accident suddenly transformed into something much more sinister.

Pause. Fireball. Gasp. Debris. Disbelief. Millions watching live.

All elevators in the South Tower were instantly offline. Multiple core columns and exterior columns were obliterated. Of the three emergency stairwells, Stairwell B and Stairwell C were completely severed and unpassable due to the fiery chasm in the building. Only Stairwell A remained intact. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) determined that 619 people at or above the impact floors perished. A small number of people in that zone managed to find Stairwell A and escape. There were many above the flames, and only a few found the way.

It so happens that floor 78 of the South Tower was a sky lobby where elevator passengers switched to and from express elevators. That lobby was crowded during impact with a mix of wary people wanting to go down and some returning to their offices upstairs after the South Tower had been declared secure (since no one expected the same thing to happen to the South Tower).

After impact in the South Tower did occur, however, there was total confusion on what to do. Some found Stairwell A but insisted on going up to the roof to escape due to fear of the smoke from below (which is understandable). A few others went upward to help others (including firefighters and some civilians) despite knowing going down was the best option. Still others forged downward along Stairwell A through smoke and debris.

18 people made it out on Stairwell A.

No one made it out on Stairwell B. No one made it out of Stairwell C. Those paths were completely severed.

No one made it off the roof before the South Tower collapsed. The doors were locked and there was no rescue available.

Only those few who both found and followed Stairwell A escaped.

That was a day of incredible tragedy and evil of some juxtaposed with bravery and sacrifice on the part of others. There is no moral of the recounted story of the South Tower on 9/11 because the event was unprecedented. No one in the South Tower could have been expected to know what was coming or what exactly to do when the chaos ensued. There is, however, an illustration embedded with this historical account which is simply this: sometimes there is only one way out.

Having only one way out is unpalatable to us as humans. The very idea insults our pride in our ability to be creative and find alternative options and solutions to our problems. To be clear, there often are many creative solutions to a wide variety significant human problems. The point here, however, is that sometimes—just sometimes—there is only one way.

In the Book of John in Chapter 14, Jesus is talking to his disciples about leaving them (and leaving Earth) to be with the Father and preparing a place for His disciples. Jesus’s disciple “Thomas asked him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:5-6 (NIV). His words, not mine. Unpopular. Uncensored.

Jesus didn’t say He is an excellent way—an excellent option. To drive the point home and to leave no ambiguity, Jesus’s second sentence forecloses all the other options (like Stairwell B, Stairwell C, and the roof): “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is describing one of those situations where, regardless of how unpopular it may seem—particularly to our human pride—there is only one way out. Jesus: The way—our own Stairwell A in a world that is on fire and destined for collapse.

In Matthew 13:14, Jesus warns that “small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” His words, not mine. Uncomfortable. Uncensored.

The good news is this: Jesus as a foundation is all that is required for our rescue. Not climbing to Him, but resting on Him. Even for those of us who only have wood and straw to show for ourselves (instead of good works of fine gold and silver), if Jesus is the foundation, even “if [our work] is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through flames.” 1 Cor. 3:15 (NIV).

In our post-9/11 world, our figurative Stairwell A is Jesus Christ. Stairwell A is not striving to be a good person by living a “moral” life. Rather, our Stairwell A is casting off all our own self-righteousness to the ground and yielding to the perfect person of Jesus Christ to be clothed in His righteousness which He offers to all who will receive Him (John 1:12).

9/11 came with no warning for those in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the planes themselves (including United Airlines flight 93 where the brave passengers fought back after learning of the sinister plot). We, on the other hand, have been warned about a coming event far more impactful than 9/11. This warning comes from the most studied historical figure on our planet. A man who claimed to be God, was tortured to death by the Roman empire, and then came back to life, appearing to more than 500 people. Regardless of whether you believe these things about Jesus to be true at this point, a reasonable question for all of us is this: What is your exit strategy?

Used with permission by Earnest Expedition, LLC.