A Miracle in Time. Forgiven, Part 2
It was World War I, and the entire world was in turmoil. The Germans had invaded
Belgium, and were close to conquering it completely. There was just one small
area that continued to resist the invaders: Diksmijde. And this one tiny area
would continue to resist until the end of the war.
And just how could this tiny, nearly defeated country stand up to the German
war-engine? Simple: The Belgian army opened the dike and flooded the area
between the river Ijzer and the old rail-road in Diksmijde. And there they sat,
the Belgians on the side by the hill, and the German army on the lower side,
separated by the flood waters of the River Ijzer. And there they would remain,
playing cat and mouse, for the remainder of the war.
Only once did the attitude of hatred that so prevailed during those days change.
It was Christmas Eve, 1914. Far from home and missing their families, the German
soldiers began singing Christmas carols. It wasn't long before the Belgians
joined in with their own religious songs. Something broke in the hearts of the
soldiers that night, for on the next day, Christmas Day, instead of the usual
bullet exchange, chocolates and cigarettes could be seen sailing across the icy
Ijzer.
This display of good will even extended into the day after Christmas, December
26th. At 2:30 in the afternoon, a German officer named John William Anderson
walked straight towards the Hoge Brug, the only bridge separating the Germans
from the Belgians. He had his orderly with him, and he was carrying a golden
receptacle. It was the same vessel in which the Eucharistic host is carried
during Belgian processions. The Germans had found it in one of the abandoned
cellars of the Sisters of St. Vincent, and had confiscated it sometime earlier,
but now the German officer made it clear to the Belgian soldiers that he wanted
to return this prized possession to the Belgian people as a token of
reconciliation and peace. The vessel was then placed in a gunny sack and pulled
to the Belgian side via a rope.
Would peace finally reign over this small region of Flanders, Belgium? Would
forgiveness become the priority of both sides?
It seemed that way for a little while. But then someone started shooting and war
resumed its course. However, encouraged by the golden vessel, a commemoration of
Jesus' time on this planet, these soldiers briefly experienced the miracle of
forgiveness.
Christmas will do this to people. Unfortunately we forget all too quickly the
wonders of that day. More often than not we find ourselves either feeling
unforgiven, or in a constant loop of unforgiveness: "He fired the first shot! He
deserves to be shot at!"
Our actions weigh on us, however, especially if these actions result in people
being hurt!
That's how a woman felt when she was caught in adultery and brought before Jesus
to be stoned. This is what the customary verdict was in those days, and I can
just imagine her shivering is shame, regretting the decision that brought her to
the very doorsteps of execution. Everyone was eying her with hatred, and the
only words she could hear were: "Despicable!" "Shameful!" "Sinner!" "She
deserves to die!"
There was no accusation from the mouth of Jesus, however. Instead He bent down
and began writing on the ground with His finger. When the angry mob pestered
Jesus for a reaction, He straightened up, and looking them directly in the eye,
He calmly stated: "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to
throw a stone at her." (John 8:7 NIV) Then he again lowered himself to the
ground and continued writing in the dirt.
I wonder what he wrote on that day, for it certainly made an impact on the
woman's accusers! One by one they quickly left! And when Jesus finally stood
back up, he asked the accused woman: "Woman, where are they? Has no one
condemned you?" (John 8:10 NIV)
Shaking the woman answered: "No one, sir." (John 8:11 NIV)
The woman would always remember the amazing words that Jesus uttered next: "Then
neither do I condemn you. . . Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:11
NIV)
There is no condemnation in Christ! Our part is to simply go and leave our lives
of sin!
I wish these soldiers around the Ijzer would have remembered that event in
Jesus' life. The war would have been over! But it's not too late for us. Will we
accept Jesus' forgiveness? No matter how horrible our actions have been in the
past, Jesus is willing to forgive. That's how great His love is towards each one
of us! Nothing will stop Him from loving us. Nothing!
What will be our reaction towards such a love? Do we accept the forgiveness and
forgive in turn? Or do we prefer to take up our weapons and shoot at one another
again?
With this reaction, only one thing is guaranteed: Someone will eventually fall!
What if that someone is you?
Rob Chaffart