The Bible Verse Fused to 9/11 Rubble Exposes an Important Message

September 12, 2024

In March of 2002, a clean-up crew that was sifting through the last remains of the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City found an astonishing piece of debris.

Crosswalk reports that a firefighter found a bible verse fused to a chunk of rubble and showed it to Joel Meyerowitz who later wrote the book “Aftermath: World Trade Center Archive.”

Meyerowitz said, “This shredded, burned and rubble-covered Bible came to me from the loving hands of a fireman who knew that I was the record keeper of ground zero.”

Even more remarkable was the specific Bible page featured key verses addressing retaliation from the Gospel of Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount. The verses in Matt 5:38-39 say:

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

The passage seemed especially applicable, given the sense of outrage and desire for vengeance that many were feeling after the 9/11 attacks.

Meyerowitz donated the fragment of rubble to the National September 11 Memorial Museum where it could continue to inspire as the nation moves forward.

Meyerowitz noted, “My astonishment at seeing the page that the Bible was open to made me realize that the Bible’s message survives throughout time, and in every era we interpret its teachings freshly, as the occasion demands.”  

Photo: top, Credit: YouTube/A&E