John was a truck driver in the western United States and often drove through the Rocky Mountains with his heavy loads. Some of the roads that John drove over had many sharp curves and long, steep hills which made it dangerous for large vehicles.
Have you ever been on roads like these while traveling with your parents? What do you think would be more dangerous, going up the hill or going down? If you guessed going down, you are right!
Now John knew that if he were going to make it safely down every hill with his heavy truck, he had to be sure three things were done right every single time. He had to make sure that his brakes were in good condition; he had to make sure they were adjusted correctly for all 18 wheels; he had to be alert for road signs warning him of steep downhill grades. Not all steep hills had warning signs, so he always had to be prepared to slow down.
Slow down to go down hills? Yes! Trucks and other large vehicles should go slowly down hills. Drivers will shift into low gears so they do not have to step on the brakes too often. If they use their brakes too much, the brakes overheat and will not work at all. When that happens the vehicles become “runaways” and race down the hills, sometimes reaching speeds well over 100 mph! They often end in traffic accidents.
One Friday night John started down a long, steep hill, knowing he was doing everything right to make it to the bottom safely. Several miles behind him was a school bus loaded with a high school football team, all their gear, plus some loyal fans squeezed in too! The bus had only gone a mile or two down the long hill when the driver realized there were no more brakes, and the bus started gaining speed quickly. It had become a runaway!
The driver had to quickly do something to protect the 50 people on that bus from harm. He let his racing bus smack into the rear end of the next big truck they came to - John’s truck!
John felt his truck make a big lurch when the bus hit his truck. He knew that recreational vehicles occasionally run into the back of trucks when they lose their brakes. Usually both vehicles can make it to the bottom of the hill safely, but with a few dents. John immediately slowed down even more, shifting to a lower gear, and they made it safely down the hill and then stopped.
Can you imagine John’s surprise when he got out of his truck and went back to see what had hit him? It wasn’t a recreational vehicle! It was a large school bus, loaded full of people still half frozen with fear from their scary ride.
Needless to say, John received some well-deserved awards for safe driving and heroism, as well as a lot of special thanks for all the lives he had saved that night.
John was an ordinary truck driver doing a good job, and he ended up saving the lives of a busload of people. He didn’t plan to do that. But unlike John, the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, came to earth to become a man with a planned purpose. He came to save us from eternal death and give us eternal life. As God’s Son He was no ordinary man. He was the only one who could become our substitute to take the punishment that we deserve for our sins. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Boys and girls and men and women are no different from the people on that runaway bus who faced almost certain death if the bus were not stopped on its dangerous downhill run. As sinners, you and I face eternal death if we continue on our sinful downhill run. The Bible warns that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Yet those who are still in their sins are often as unaware of their danger as that busload of people who started down that mountain. Those people were having a lot of fun being together, all looking forward to the game that night. Can you imagine how they felt when they realized they were not going to make it to the bottom of the hill safely and didn’t know how anyone could save them? This is your position if you are still in your sins.
Just as we know the happy ending to the runaway bus story, there can be a happy ending for you as a sinner. The Lord Jesus loves you and wants to forgive your sins and give you eternal life, if you will let Him. Not only does Romans 6:23 solemnly warn us that “the wages of sin is death,” but the happy part comes next: “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Will you let Him save you?
ML-07/09/1995