John Griffith (no relation) was in his early twenties. He was newly married and full of optimism. Along with his lovely wife, he had been blessed with a beautiful baby. He was living the American dream. But then came 1929 – the Great Stock Market Crash – the shattering of the American economy that devastated John’s dreams. The winds that howled through Oklahoma were strangely symbolic of the gale force that was sweeping away his hopes and his dreams. And so, broken-hearted, John packed up his few possessions, and with his wife and his little son, headed East in an old Ford Model A. They made their way to the edge of the mighty Mississippi River where John found a job tending one of the great railroad bridges there.
Day after day, John would sit in the control room and direct the enormous gears of the immense opening bridge over the mighty river. As he raised the middle section of the bridge John would look out wistfully as bulky barges and splendid ships glided gracefully under his elevated bridge. Each day, he looked on sadly as those ships carried with them his shattered dreams and his visions of far-off places and exotic destinations.
It wasn’t until 1937 that a new dream began to be birthed in John’s heart. His young son was now eight years old and John had begun to catch a vision for a new life, a life in which his son Greg would work shoulder to shoulder with him. The first day of this new life dawned and brought with it new hope and fresh purpose. Excitedly, they packed their lunches and headed off towards the immense bridge.
Greg looked on in wide-eyed amazement as his Dad pressed down the huge lever that raised and lowered the huge bridge. As he watched, he thought that his father must surely be the greatest man alive. He marvelled at how easily his Dad could singlehandedly control the movements of such a stupendous structure.
Before they knew it, noon had arrived. John had just elevated the bridge and allowed some scheduled ships to pass through. And then taking his son by the hand, they headed off to eat lunch. As they ate, John told his son in vivid detail stories about the marvellous destinations of the ships that glided below them. Enveloped in a world of thought, he related story after story, his son hanging on his every word.
Then, suddenly, in the midst of one of his tales about the time that the river had overflowed its banks, he and his son were startled back to reality by the shrieking whistle of a distant train. Looking at his watch in disbelief, John saw that it was already 1:07pm. Immediately he remembered that the bridge was still raised and that the Memphis Express would be there in just minutes. In the calmest tone he could muster he instructed his son “Stay put.” Quickly, he leapt to his feet, jumped onto the catwalk and as the precious seconds flew by, John ran at full-tilt to the steel ladder leading into the control house.
Once inside, he searched the river to make sure that no ships were in sight. And then, as he had been trained to do, he looked straight down beneath the bridge to make certain nothing was below. As his eyes moved downward, he saw something so horrifying that his heart froze in his chest. Below him in the massive gearbox that housed the colossal gears that moved the gigantic bridge, was his beloved son.
Apparently Greg had tried to follow his dad but had fallen off the catwalk. Even now he was wedged between the teeth of two main cogs in the gear box. Although he appeared to be conscious, John could see that his son’s leg had already begun to bleed. Then an even more horrifying thought flashed through his mind. Lowering the bridge would mean killing his precious son.
Panicked, his mind probed in every direction, frantically searching for solutions. In his mind’s eye, he saw himself grabbing a coiled rope, climbing down the ladder, running down the catwalk, securing the rope, sliding down towards his son, pulling him back to safety. Then in an instant, he would move back down towards the control lever and thrust it down just in time for the oncoming train. As soon as these thoughts appeared, he realized the futility of his plan. Instantly he knew there just wouldn’t be enough time. Frustration began to beat on John’s brow, terror written over every inch of his face. His mind darted here and there, vainly searching for yet another solution.
His agonized mind considered the four hundred or more people who were moving inextricably closer and closer to the bridge. Soon the train would come roaring out of the trees with tremendous speed … but this was his son … his only son … his pride and joy. But if he didn’t lower the bridge now, all those people would he sent to their death as the train fell into the river hundreds of feet below. John knew in a moment there was only one thing he could do. He knew he would have to do it. Burying his face under his left arm, he plunged down the lever. The cries of his son were quickly drowned out by the relentless sound of the bridge as it ground slowly into position. With only seconds to spare, the Memphis Express – with its hundreds of passengers – roared out of the trees and across the mighty bridge.
John Griffith lifted his tear-stained face and looked into the windows of the passing train. A businessman was reading the morning newspaper. A uniformed conductor was glancing nonchalantly as his large vest pocket watch. Ladies were already sipping their afternoon tea in the dining cars. A small boy, looking strangely like his own son, pushed a long thin spoon into a large dish of ice cream. Many of the passengers seemed to be engaged in idle conversation or careless laughter. No one even looked his way. No one even cast a glance at the giant gear box that housed the mangled remains of his hopes and his dreams.
In complete anguish he pounded the glass in the control room. He cried out “What’s the matter with you people? Don’t you know? Don’t you know I’ve sacrificed my son for you? What’s wrong with you? Don’t you care?” Of course no one answered. No one heard. No one even looked. Not one of them seemed to care because they had no idea the sacrifice John just made so that they may all live. Then, as suddenly as it had happened, it was over and the train disappeared, moving rapidly across the bridge and out over the horizon.
Even now as I retell this story, I’m moved by emotion. For this is just a faint glimpse of what our heavenly Father did in sacrificing his Son to atone for the sins of the world. Unlike the Memphis Express, however, an express that caught John Griffith by surprise, God in His great love and according to His sovereign will and purpose, determined to sacrifice His Son so that we might live. Not only so, but the consummate love of Christ is demonstrated in that He was not accidentally caught as was John’s son. Rather, He willingly sacrificed His life for the sins of mankind.
Well, His story of course doesn’t end there. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave. For this reason, we celebrate throughout the year and particularly during Easter, the broken body, the shed blood, the mangled remains of our Saviour with joy, because Jesus overcame death and the grave through His resurrection. Moreover, like Jesus, we too shall rise. You, me, John Griffith, his son, and all those who believe, we will live forever with our resurrected Lord in the Kingdom of Heaven. Praise be to God!