During this Holy Week, we recall how Christ was accused of blasphemy, mocked, beaten, and crucified, and then rose from the dead. We may wonder: Why didn’t He use His divine power to fight back against those who wanted to destroy Him? A modern-day movie may help us understand.
“Hacksaw Ridge”
tells the true story of Desmond Doss, a Christian who enlists as an army medic
during WWII. He wants to contribute to the war effort; at the same time, a
traumatic experience when he was younger results in his refusal to handle a gun.
His fellow soldiers mock him, beat him, and taunt him mercilessly, wanting him
to fight back, but he takes their assaults without saying a word or raising his
fists. The other men realize they’re powerless against him; they can’t make him give in or fight back, and so he
wins those fights by not fighting. Later, at the horrific Battle of Okinawa, he
tends to the wounded and still refuses to touch a weapon. He ends up risking
his own life to save the lives of 75 men – the same soldiers who attacked him
for being a ‘weakling.’ (Watch the movie to find out how!) If he had given in
to save himself from their attacks, he wouldn’t have been in a position to save
the others.
“He was
pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins…
He was silent and
opened not his mouth…
Through his
suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.”
--Isaiah 53:5, 7, 11
Christ didn’t
fight back because He knew He could accomplish something greater by letting
them kill Him. He loves us so much that He offered Himself to be punished for our
sins; our sins were nailed to the cross with Him. He didn’t fight death because
He knew He would conquer death. He knew He would rise from the dead, and He had
to die first in order to rise.
Jesus’
resurrection proved that God’s love is more powerful than evil, more powerful
than sin, and more powerful than even death itself. Satan could coerce the
crowd to turn against Jesus and crucify Him, but Satan couldn’t keep Christ
dead. Jesus was dead and buried, He rose from the dead, and He is still alive! His resurrection won eternal
life for Himself and us.
“Thank You, Lord, for offering
Yourself to be crucified for our sins so that we may join You in eternal life.”
Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina
Bedell Comments are always welcome! Please
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