Quite a few years ago now, much was made of the great ‘Inter-capital Daylight Express’, the ‘showpiece’ train that ran between Sydney and Melbourne (and vice-versa). It was, for it’s time, quite luxurious and (again for it’s time), quite fast, doing the I,000 or so kms. From Sydney to Melbourne in about 13 hours. This train was later superseded by the equally famous ‘Southern Aurora’ after the standard gauge line was extended from Albury to Melbourne.
Ok, enough of the history.
Consider this. The year was 1975 and I happened to be standing on Strathfield Station quite early that particular morning. Strathfield has multiple platforms and most country or interstate trains have to pass through there. The thing that caught my attention most however was the sight of an elderly and obviously blind man who was being led along the platform by another elderly man. The blind man was an old ‘Digger’, possibly from WW2 or even WW1. He was wearing his old slouch hat and some medals on his chest. The other man seemed to be the old Digger’s brother who, as the conversation showed, had come up from Melbourne and was taking his blind brother back there. It was obvious that this was the first time the old Digger had been bound for Melbourne on the train. They stopped near me and I heard the following conversation…
“Are sure that this is the right Platform?” from the Old Digger.
“Yes Jack, it is” came the reply.
”Is this our train?” from the Digger as a train came into that Platform.
“No mate, not this one”.
“Have you checked?”
“Yes, it’s the next one to come into this Platform”.
Silence for a couple of minutes, then the sound and rush of air of another train pulling in.
“Come on let me help you with your bag” from the sighted brother.
“Are you sure that this is it?” from the blinded man.
“Yes mate, I’ve many times been on this train – come up a lot of times to see you, remember? Now, have you got your ticket?”
“Yes, of course” said the Old Digger, “Here it is”, waving it at his sighted brother. It was a small piece of white card, obviously a Pensioner or Dept of Veterans Affairs concession ticket with the numbers 1,9,7,5 stamped in large red letters across it. “It’s almost stopped now Jack so stop worrying, it’s our train. I’ve been on it many times before and know the way and all the things to do. Just let me help you on”.
They moved onto the train and I lost sight of them then.
But as I stood there waiting for my train to arrive, I couldn’t help but think of the tremendous parallel between that incident and the words of Jesus about how we can know for sure about ‘where we are going’ and how we can be certain about our final destination. This is all seen in those mighty words in the New Testament in John’s Gospel chapter 14, verses 1 -6.
- We, (by ourselves) cannot know the way. We have been blinded by the disease called ‘sin’ and need someone to help us to know how to get to our destination – and that ‘someone’ is Jesus. (That’s in verse 3)
- We have not been that way before, but He has – many, many times, and knows every bit of the way and all the details. (That’s verse 3 also).
- There is no fear of this (unknown to us) way, because we have a kind and loving brother (Jesus) to guide and show us. Jesus becomes our ‘brother’ by adoption. When we come to God in repentance for our rebellion and indifference toward Him, the bible tells us that God adopts us to become His sons and daughters, making Jesus, the true son of God, our loving elder brother.
- So, when our turn comes to make that ‘last journey’ we are not alone! There is no fear! Jesus himself said that that he would come and take us to his great home. (That’s verse 3 also).
- The ticket is valid. Like the Old Digger in our story above our entrance price to heaven has been paid for by someone else. In the case of the Old Digger it was the (hopefully grateful) taxpayers. Likewise the ticket was validated with a red stamp. The Digger’s to show he had been awarded it for that year, for us it is the red blood of Jesus who shed His blood to purchase a place for all who would claim it. The ticket was (is) validated in Red.
- And finally, for those who have come to that great ‘ticket giver’ to receive His gift of entry, the journey is in daylight! No darkness or fear here. Look up the eighth chapter of John’s book about Jesus and verse 12, where Jesus says, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk (or travel) in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
As I watched the Daylight Express vanish into the steadily brightening morning I really hoped that the Old Digger would come to know two brothers – the one who went with him on the train, and the One who “sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24) who could get him, in daylight, then, through the last journey into light and life.