It was March 25, Friday, the end of a long, hard week. Some workers had already collected their paychecks and were preparing to leave. Joseph Zito ran the elevator for the big, ten-story building filled with clothing makers. He stopped the roofless elevator at every floor, and each floor was filled with workers, sewing machines, cutting tables and piles of very flammable cloth scraps. Up on the ninth floor with only fifteen minutes until closing time, Katie Weiner had already gotten her coat on and was chatting in the coatroom with some of the other workers. It was just like every other Friday - time to relax a little before heading home.
Suddenly Joseph’s elevator bell began to ring wildly. He could just make out some shouting from up above, as he sprang into action and got his elevator moving up to the top floors. Then shattered glass from doors on the top floors began to fall on his head and shouts of “FIRE!” rang out.
On the ninth floor, the fire came billowing through an air vent, spreading its heat and smoke rapidly across the room. Little fires started in scattered spots around the room, as workers ran to try to escape through the exits.
Katie heard the first screams and headed across the big room for the stairs on the far side. She frantically worked her way around tables, rolls of fabric and other workers as she rushed for the stairway. Huge clouds of thick smoke filled the air, making it hard to breathe and difficult to see. As the panic spread, people around her screamed in fright and rushed over to windows to grab a breath of fresh air. But the drafts of air from the open windows helped to feed the spreading flames.
While Katie searched frantically for an exit, Joseph Zito was still hard at work. He’d take his packed elevator down to dump its load of workers and then start back up for more. As his roofless elevator headed up the shaft again, he could feel the heat and hear the panicked screams. Passing the eighth floor, he could reach out and nearly touch the flames, but it didn’t stop him, as he fearlessly headed for what was at least his fifth trip up into the heart of the burning building.
Joseph’s courage reminds us of a far greater courage. The Lord Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth to find lost sinners. He entered straight into the heart of a far greater flame than Joseph Zito - He faced the fire of God’s judgment against sin! Even though He was sinless, 1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24) tells us that He “bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
Joseph showed great courage as he saved people that he barely knew, and he himself survived the fire without injury. Jesus personally experienced the worst suffering anyone will ever endure as He came purposely to die for His enemies. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)).
Back on the ninth floor, Katie Weiner saw the crowd shoving and elbowing to reach the elevator. She had tried to get into the elevator before, but there had been no room. She tried to get on again. Again the doors closed without her, and the elevator started down.
Behind her the fire crackled. Sparks carried on the gusts of superheated air landed on piles of clothing and started new fires around the room. The smoke made it nearly impossible to breathe. Katie saw that her last chance of escape was in that elevator already on its way down. She jumped into the elevator shaft, fell through the roofless opening of the elevator, and landed on the heads of the twenty-four people packed into that tiny space. Her legs banged the sides of the shaft all the way down to safety.
Katie took advantage of her last and only chance to escape from the burning building. You may be sitting comfortably reading or listening to this story, not feeling like you need to escape from anything. But God has warned all of us to “flee from the wrath to come” (Luke 3:77Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Luke 3:7)). Time is running out! Christ is your only escape from the judgment for your sins. Will you trust Him as your Saviour right now?
ML-01/07/2007