Greater love has no man than this . . .
The Civil War ended in 1865. But it wasn't until 1997 that the last shot of that war was fired. In 1997, two young boys were playing around with their new Christmas present, a metal detector. Using their new toy, they came across a live shell that dates back to the Civil War.
The boys, Michael and Andrew Zimmerman of Winchester, Virginia, didn't know what the shell was at first. Neither did their uncle, Michael Robinson. He reports poking and banging on it as he examined it. Fortunately, Robinson called the police in to inspect their new find. The police recognized the strange object as an ancient ammunition shell. They exploded it in the Robinson's yard, creating a crater that measures four feet long and five feet wide. Robinson commented, "In a way, it's the last shot fired in the Civil War, so we're glad they blew it up in our yard. The Civil War lived on last night." (1)
Isn't it amazing that 132 years after the end of a war, its weapons could still be alive and capable of destruction? Yet that seems to be the nature of war: its effects linger on in the lives of a people and a nation for many generations. Ask the children of Afghanistan. Many of them have been maimed and killed by millions of land mines left behind from a terrible legacy of war.
Even in a forward-thinking nation like ours, where history seems to matter less than progress, we set aside at least one day each year to acknowledge the influence of our wars and those who fought in them. Memorial Day is a particularly arresting day, because it is set aside as a day of remembrance for all those who have died in our many conflicts.
One of the most famous pictures from World War II must surely be the photo of five valiant Marines raising an American flag on the island of Iwo Jima. The young man in the center of the photo was John Bradley.
After the war, Bradley moved back to Antigo, Wisconsin, married his high school sweetheart, and raised a family. Although John Bradley won the Navy Cross for saving a fellow soldier's life, he preferred not to talk about the war. And he absolutely refused to accept the hero worship that others tried to force on him. One of the few comments Bradley ever made about the war, he made to his young son, James. In response to James' remark about heroism, John Bradley replied, "The heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who didn't come back." (2)
Today is the day we honor those men and women who didn't come back. The ones who, in President Abraham Lincoln's words in the Gettysburg Address, "gave the last, full measure of devotion."
But it is uncomfortable to look back. When we reflect on the honor and heroism of our soldiers, we also have to face the suffering they endured. Many of our soldiers will carry physical or emotional scars for the rest of their lives.
Lanae Hagen's father, Malcolm Amos, rarely talked about his war experiences. But the family always knew when the memories were weighing heavily on his mind. They would wake up to find Amos sleeping on the floor. One time, he threw his transistor radio out the bedroom window. Hagen's mother and father slept in separate bedrooms, to protect her mother from getting hurt during her father's "moods."
Charlie Wyatt's father was tortured by Japanese troops in the Phillippines in the 1940s. All his fingernails were pulled out. Wyatt recalls that when his father returned from the war, he always got a weekly haircut and manicure. Mr. Wyatt found comfort in having clean, well-cared-for hands. (3)
Memorial Day is an uncomfortable holiday, if the truth be known. Not only are we confronted with the sacrifices they made. We are also confronted with our response to those sacrifices. The whole concept of anyone making sacrifices for us, much less dying for us, makes us uneasy. If we confront their sacrifices, then we must feel gratitude and humility. Even worse, confronting their heroism forces us to stop and examine our own lives. Why did they do what they did? What cause is worth dying for? And the toughest question: would we be willing to do the same?
It is interesting to see the concept of "heroes" come back into fashion. In recent times we have tended to be fixated on celebrities rather than heroes.
David Granger, editor of Esquire magazine, wrote to over 200 prominent people, asking them about their ideas on heroism. Most of those who wrote back claimed that they weren't even sure what a hero is. Actor Paul Newman wrote, "I'm embarrassed, but I have no heroes that I know of. Everybody that I know or have read about is seriously flawed. Including myself." The best he could recommend was a good role model. For that post, he chose his dog, Harry. Harry's best qualities, according to Newman, are that he's "funky, curious, (and) always of good humor." (4)
What makes a hero? Is our culture so superficial that we no longer recognize heroic qualities anymore? I like this quote by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Daniel Boorstein about the difference between heroes and celebrities:
"The hero reveals the possibilities of human nature. The celebrity reveals the possibilities of the press and media. Celebrities are people who make news, but heroes are people who make history. Time makes heroes but dissolves celebrities."(5)
"Celebrities are people who make news, but heroes are people who make history." The qualities of heroism are eternal--self-sacrifice, courage, honor, duty. And in today's Bible passage, Jesus adds the integral ingredient--love. In these few verses, Jesus gives us a new context for heroism.
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other." (John 15: 12-17 NIV)
As you know, there are two main words used for "love" in the Bible: phileo and agape. Phileo refers to brotherly love, an affectionate bond between people. Agape refers to unconditional, sacrificial love. It is interesting to note that in all the Biblical commands to love one another, the word phileo is never used. Not once are we commanded to have a "brotherly love" for one another. But repeatedly, we are commanded to have agape, a sacrificial love for one another. The greatest demonstration of agape love for us was Jesus' willingness to "lay down" his life for us. The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus knew what he was doing when he allowed himself to be crucified. He could have stopped his suffering at any time. His sacrifice for us was a choice, and it stands as the greatest act of love in history. And as Jesus' followers, we are expected to be willing to do the same for others. This kind of love is not motivated by our emotions. It does not come naturally. It is a radical choice.
Secretary of State Colin Powell tells in his autobiography of an incident during Operation Desert Storm that deeply affected him. Newscaster Sam Donaldson was interviewing a young, African-American private.
"How do you think the battle will go? Are you afraid?"
The private replied, "We'll do okay . . . I'm not afraid because I'm with my family." As he said this, he motioned toward the other soldiers sitting nearby. A few of the soldiers called out, "Tell him again! He didn't hear you!"
With even more assurance in his voice, the young man stated, "This is my family, and we'll take care of each other." (6)
Do you think that young private would be willing to lay down his life for those he called his family? Absolutely. Because he loved them, and he knew they loved him, he had the courage and commitment to do anything necessary to protect them.
Imagine if we in the church had that kind of love for each other. Imagine if we could point to any member of our church and say, "That's my family, and we take care of each other." Imagine if we could back up those words with loving, sacrificial action. That kind of love would have the power to change not only our church, but our whole society. We would be unstoppable. And those around us who witnessed our love for each other would have to say, "There's something different about those people. I want what they've got."
Pastor William L. Stidger tells the story of a man in his congregation who served in the Navy during World War II. One night, this man was running his transport across the Atlantic, when he noticed the white trail of a torpedo coming toward him. His ship was manned by hundreds of soldiers; the potential loss of life would have been devastating.
Nearby, another smaller ship had also seen the torpedo coming. This captain of this smaller vessel maneuvered his ship between the transport and the torpedo. The explosion destroyed his ship. All those aboard died.
The man who told this story ended it by saying, "Dr. Stidger, the skipper of that other ship was my best friend." Slowly, he remarked, "You know, there is a verse in the Bible which has special meaning for me now. It is this: "˜Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.'" (7)
What kind of love would give itself up for another? What kind of love would be willing to die for you and me? It is certainly greater than mere human love. It is the love that Jesus demonstrated to show us how much we mean to God.
It is the love we celebrate today in the example of those soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom.
Pastor Edward Chinn writes, "In India there is a cemetery where the bodies of American soldiers are buried. Over the entrance to the cemetery are these words: "˜Tell Them We Gave Our Todays for Their Tomorrows.'" (8)
Let's never forget that our tomorrows were bought with a price. Someone had to pay with their lives, so that we might be free today. There is no way we can sufficiently say, "Thank you." In the revised words of that great hymn, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, "As he died to make men holy, let us live to make men free, God's truth is marching on."
1. "Abandoned Civil War Shell Exploded," Copyright 1997, The Associated Press.
2. James Bradley with Ron Powers, "The Man in the Photograph," Flags of our Fathers. Reprinted in Reader's Digest, Nov. 2000, pp. 125-129.
3. Hampton Sides, "Blood Brothers," Modern Maturity, Nov./ Dev. 2001, p. 54.
4. David Granger, "Boy, Do We Ever Need A Hero," Esquire, November 1998, p.26.
5. Daniel Boorstein (Former Librarian of Congress, Pulitzer Prize winning historian). Cited in Quote, "The Speaker's Digest," August 1995, p. 216.
6. FromAn American Journey, by Colin Powell, cited in The Magic of Teamwork by Pat Williams, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1997, p. 178.
7. Wayne H. Keller, Emphasis, Nov./Dec., 1998, pp. 41-42.
8. The Rev. Edward Chinn, D.Min., "Why Do We Remember Our War Dead?" Religion in Daily Life, May 24, 2001. EdwardChinn@earthlink.net