Jumbo, the Elephant

 •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 7
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What a wonderful creature the elephant is! God put him here on earth, and sometimes one will weigh as much as eight tons. These animals are so big that on the rampage they could destroy a whole village in the country where they live; yet they are so gentle at times they will babysit for their master while he is out. The elephant is so tenderhearted that he will even grieve over the death of his master.
Jumbo was a huge elephant who traveled in a circus years ago. He was so huge, and people would come by the thousands to see him and to watch him perform.
One day when the circus pulled into town, Jumbo had just been unloaded from the railway car in which he traveled. Instead of going the way his trainer wanted him to go, Jumbo decided to go for a walk instead. He got on the railway track, a very dangerous place, even for an elephant.
The shrill whistle of the approaching train meant nothing to Jumbo. In vain did the keeper try to get him off the track. The engineer, unable to stop the train in time, blew his whistle again and again, but Jumbo refused to budge.
Wasn’t he bigger than anyone else? In his faraway jungle home he had been used to having people get out of his way, and this monster coming down the track must do the same. Alas for poor Jumbo! He had more than met his match in the big locomotive that bore down on him. When the crash came, the front of the locomotive was buckled and damaged, but Jumbo’s great bulk was left a broken and battered mass beside the right of way, and Jumbo’s circus days were over.
Jumbo reminds us of some people who, when spoken to of their need of salvation and of judgment to come, only laugh and say that they are not afraid. They are like the grasshopper sitting on the railroad track and arguing with a diesel coming down the line and saying, “You can’t hurt me! I’m not afraid of you!”
But judgment is coming! “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” (Rom. 1:1818For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (Romans 1:18).) And God “now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30,3130And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:30‑31).)
But how wonderful that the same blessed God has provided a refuge, a place of safety in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins.
We read of the believers in Thessalonica that they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thess. 1:9,109For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:9‑10).)
ML-03/26/1978