Is not this parable of rescuing the single lamb reminiscent of the
operation to retrieve Pfc. Jessica Lynch from her captors in Iraq?
The Resurrection is the central fact that distinguishes
Christianity from all other faiths. Only Christianity claims
that its founder was more than a representative for God, but
proved He was God Himself. Only God could raise Himself from
the dead, and only God could have standing to ransom us from
our sin-indebtedness, through a substitutionary sacrifice.
With the cry of Jesus from the cross, "It is finished," our
redemption was complete. Our Risen Lord returned, resurrected,
to prove that His sacrifice was not in vain.
But the other essential message of Easter is the invaluable
worth of every human life, however broken and sin-riddled. The
sacrifice of Christ on the cross was the fusion of perfect love
and perfect justice, a battle to vanquish evil forever, in this
sense: Because we owe God complete obedience, we have no means
to make restitution for our sins. Doing what we ought to do in
any instance merely zeroes our balance for that accounting entry;
we have no coin or currency that will repay the negative sum of
our accumulated sins. And so, only God Himself could rectify that
debt on our behalf, in a sacrificial act that is simultaneously
purely loving and purely just. We are, each of us, so valuable
to Him that only a personal rescue mission would do.
In a parable, Jesus asked, "What man of you, having a hundred
sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine
in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he
finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders,
rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends
and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found
my sheep which was lost'!" (Luke 15:4-6).
Is not this parable of rescuing the single lamb reminiscent of the
operation to retrieve Pfc. Jessica Lynch from her captors in Iraq?
Lt. Col. Oliver North, USMC (Ret.), has been "embedded" as a
war correspondent with the 5th Marine Regimental Combat Team,
and he described an incident from two weeks ago: "A number
of the Marines gathered around to hear the latest news and
listen to the press conference from CENTCOM that would shortly
take place. When it was announced that Lynch had been rescued,
the Marines cheered. Before returning to work, it was a brief
moment to share in the happiness that a lost comrade was now
found. ... Army Rangers -- working with Navy SEALs, supported
by Air Force air cover and aided by the diversion created by
the Marines -- made Lynch's rescue possible. Those who were not
directly involved took great pride in a job well done by their
comrades in arms. ... The rescue of Lynch is a story from which the
critics can learn a lesson. It is a story about the value of life
and how the world's most powerful military employs its extensive
resources and risks its most elite forces to save and rescue a
single soldier -- because it views every life as precious. Because
U.S. forces place such a premium on human life, they are going to
great lengths to avoid civilian casualties and, in some cases,
have put themselves in danger to save innocent Iraqi civilians.
The care with which U.S. forces are prosecuting this war stands
in stark contrast to the illegal and immoral tactics employed
by Saddam Hussein's brutal regime. Iraqi men are conscripted
into Saddam's army while their wives and children are held at
gunpoint. Civilians are used as human shields."
And so, in our conflict with Jihadistan, on the Iraqi war front
and elsewhere, we weigh lives dedicated to rescue against lives
squandered to commit murder. This illustrates the source of the
Jihadis' hostility toward us -- their hatred for those Founding
principles still guiding the lives of Americans. As Thomas
Jefferson put it, "The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at
the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin
them."
But some of our rescuers have fallen in battle, though we prayed
for their safe return. Has our Commander any explanation for
why some prayers are answered "Yes," others, "No"?
When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the eve of
His Crucifixion, He pleaded, "O My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as
You will." And He received the most resounding "No" that ever
reverberated through eternity -- until that was silenced by the
"Yes" of Resurrection morn.
The hope of our noble national experiment in liberty, defended so
honorably 228 years past, and defended still honorably today, is
based in the belief that we are valuable as moral beings created
in the image of God, and thus as worthy of sacrifice as we are
also called to sacrifice. We have only to follow the greatest
fallen warrior, the victorious Risen Lord.
Lex et Libertas -- Semper Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher,
for the editors and staff.
(Please pray, every day, for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in
harm's way, and their families waiting for their safe return. For a
list of those killed on the Iraqi front in our war with Jihadistan,
link to -- federalist.com ) |
