Today is Memorial Day and we get caught up in thinking about soldiers and warriors who sacrificed everything for our (freedom, safety, sovereignty, lifestyle, etc.) benefit. We’re all aware of the various conflicts and the human cost of them, and we’d like to think of the sacrifices of the fallen to be for some iteration of our well-being. My neighbor spent a day this past week down at one of the local cemeteries placing flags over the graves of veterans, and his work is duly noted as a reverent act of memorial dedication to our military heroes as is fitting for the occasion. There are festivities in communities all over the country in honor of our soldiers, in fact, as on every Memorial Day, I’m wearing a printed t-shirt with a picture of a distant cousin who died in Japanese captivity after enduring the savage Bataan Death March in the Philippines in WWII.
With all the recognition taking place today, there’s probably not a lot I could offer in the way of testimonials that isn’t already being told, so I would like to dedicate this post to another cadre of fallen warriors who should be recognized. These martyrs are after all, the very people who sacrificed their lives in furtherance of the entire future of mankind. I’m speaking, of course, of the great men of God who made it their mission in this life to impart faith and honor of God to the rest of us. Men like Saint Peter, the great apostle to whom Jesus Christ appointed the maintenance of the whole Christian Covenant. According to Christianity.com and as is believed throughout the world of faith, Peter died as a result of his crucifixion in Rome, but there is no definitive evidence. When Nero was the Roman leader, it is believed that he had Peter crucified. Some have said that Peter asked not to be crucified the same way Christ was because he didn’t think he was worthy, so they crucified him upside down, but again there’s no proof. I think it can be safely presumed that Peter died for his faith in Christ, for at one time during Jesus’ time here, Jesus had told Peter, [John 21:18]: “‘Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’”, and following that, He said, “Follow Me”, believed to be signifying that Peter would be executed by crucifixion.
One of my favorite fallen heroes of battle is John the Baptist. Although mention of John is minimal in the Scriptures, he was nevertheless one of – if not the – greatest supporter of Jesus Christ in all Christendom. John wasn’t afraid to speak up when he saw something going on that needed attention, even to the extent of publicly calling out Herod for marrying his brother’s wife. Since Herod was the tetrarch, or king, of that part of Israel, he eventually had John taken captive and Herod’s wife, apparently stung by John’s accusations, schemed to put him to death, which Herod finally did. John was beheaded, but in his life, he had made it known to his followers (and everyone else) that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and he never backed down from his faith. John was born and raised as a poor pauper who lived on the bare minimum of sustenance and wore clothes made of camel hair. But John the Baptist was a dyed-in-the-wool true servant of God. John was the one who had the supreme honor of baptizing Jesus Christ Himself! Jesus commended John to the disciples by saying that no greater man had ever been born of woman than John the Baptist, so coming from Jesus, you gotta believe John was the real deal. A true martyr of Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul was a disciplined adherent of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A good portion of the New Testament was written, or transcribed letters of instruction in the faith by Paul, nee Saul and prior to his Christian conversion, a rabid persecutor of Christ’s followers. Paul was on the receiving end of a powerful vision of Jesus which actually left him temporarily blind, but which also got his attention so that he became one of Jesus’ most ardent supporters, and became the apostle assigned to preach to the Gentiles. Again, there’s no proof, but is widely believed to have been beheaded in Rome, probably at the behest of Nero and around the same time as Peter’s execution. Another valiant warrior for Christ worthy of remembrance.
James, the brother of Jesus was reportedly beaten to death or thrown from the pinnacle of the temple. James the brother of John was slain by the sword on orders from Herod Agrippa. In fact, all of the original disciples of Jesus are thought to have died violent deaths, primarily because of their faith in Christ, with the notable exception of Judas Iscariot, who committed suicide, and John, son of Zebedee and brother of James who apparently died of natural causes.
In addition to the disciples and prophets, there have been innumerable heroes of this great battle, guys like St. Francis of Assisi, Deidrich Bonhoeffer, the early prophets, and so many more. Early Christians were slaughtered wholesale at the hands of the Romans – many times for spectator sports. It’s important to note that most of them died at the hands of violent men for their faith in Jesus Christ.
By all means get out today and show your respect and support for our fallen soldiers; they deserve no less. But keep in mind the other warriors who gave their all to ensure you had the opportunity to be saved from this world of war and trouble. And give some thought to exactly what their cause was that was so important to them that they were willing to lay everything on the line for you and me. Your understanding (and acceptance) of what they were willing to die for was worth it to them. Think about it.
May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.
MK