As you read the title of this week’s column, “Horton Hatches the Egg – an Easter Story”, I’m sure you probably thought something like, “Huh? Has he lost his mind?” Well, to answer your question, no I haven’t lost my mind. In Theodor Geisel’s (Dr Seuss) book, “Horton Hatches the Egg”, we find many similarities and character traits between Horton the Elephant and Jesus. Please read on.
The thesis of Dr. Seuss’ book was the faithfulness of Horton the Elephant in doing, despite adverse circumstances, what he said he would. Horton is persuaded to sit on an egg while its mother, the good-for-nothing bird, Lazy Maysie, takes a semi-permanent vacation to Palm Springs. Horton waits and waits for Lazy Maysie to return. He endures a freezing winter and insults from his friends. “They taunted. They teased him. They yelled ‘How Absurd! Old Horton the Elephant thinks he’s a bird!’” Then some hunters trapped Horton the Elephant and sold him to a circus where he traveled the world. However, despite every insult and every adverse circumstance he encounters, Horton continues to sit on the egg. He exclaimed, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant. And an elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent!” Then one week shy of a year the egg begins to hatch and who should make her way back into the story but Lazy Maysie. She came to claim what was rightfully hers. However, she was surprised to see that when the egg hatched, it was as much an elephant as it was a bird!
As I have already stated, there are many shared character traits between Horton the Elephant and Jesus. Take faithfulness for example. As Horton the Elephant, Jesus committed Himself to a task. And once He committed He would not quit. His task was the redemption of mankind. As with Horton, it meant saving innocent life that wasn’t conceived by Him. Mankind is conceived in sin, born in sin, and has no hope but to live and die a sinner – except for the intervention of a Savior. Just as Horton was the savior to the life contained in the egg, so is Jesus our Savior.
As with Horton the Elephant, Jesus endured the most hurtful tauntings and the most adverse circumstances. He was mocked and ridiculed. Then he was scourged (beaten) with a whip called: A Cat of Nine Tails. In this beating the recipient was tied to a whipping post. His back was made bare. The ends of the nine tails of the whip had shards of bone and rock woven into them. The person giving the whipping was trained how to inflict maximum pain and damage. They would throw the whip and as it hit the recipient and lapped around them – the executioner would violently pull back on the whip causing the shards of bone and rock to grip into and tear their flesh. In all likelihood, Jesus looked more like a piece of hamburger meat than a human. Then He allowed Himself to be crucified on a cross. And all of this was done to redeem a life which was not conceived of Him. He did this to redeem you, me, and all of humanity. I’m thankful that when Jesus agreed to become the Savior of mankind that He meant what He said and said what He meant. In his birth, life, death, and resurrection – Jesus was faithful 100 percent!
The same Savior Who redeemed my soul lovingly cares for me in this life. And just like the life inside Horton the Elephant’s egg, when my spiritual birthparent, satan, returns and attempts to take possession of me, he discovers that because of the love of Jesus, again, just like the life inside Horton’s egg, I have been transformed. I find great solace in 1John 3:2(KJV), “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him …”
Easter is a reminder to us of Jesus’ faithfulness. The greatest message ever proclaimed is very simply: He arose! He meant what He said and He said what He meant. Jesus was/is faithful 100 percent! And He is still transforming lives today! When it comes to our commitment to Jesus, can it be said of us that we meant what we said and said what we meant – that we were faithful 100 percent?
Happy Easter!
Brother Aaron
To schedule Brother Aaron to preach a Sunday service at your church, a revival meeting, or a special event, you may contact him at: 1-800-511-9536, 706-302.9162, or e-mail: freshfire@mindspring.com
