Made famous my the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai, World Ward II Allied soldiers were forced by their Japanese captors to labor on a jungle railroad in Thailand. But the movie does not do justice to the true story.
Under the strain of captivity they had all degenerated to barbarous behavior. Yet not all.
One afternoon "a shovel was missing. The officer in charge became enraged. He demanded that the missing shovel be produced, or else. When nobody in the squadron budged, the officer got his gun and threatened to kill them all on the spot . . . It was obvious the officer meant what he had said. Then, finally, one man stepped forward. The officer put away his gun, picked up a shovel, and beat the man to death. When it was over, the survivors picked up the bloody corpse and carried it with them to the second tool check. This time, no shovel was missing. Indeed, there had been a miscount at the first check point."
"Greater love has no man than this, that one say down his life for his friends." John 15:13 The man had given his life for others.
"The word spread like wildfire through the whole camp. An innocent man had been willing to die to save the others! . . . The incident had a profound effect. . . The men began to treat each other like brothers." The gospel of Christ, which forgives us our sins, but then also grants us grace to forgive our enemies, transformed thousands of Allied soldiers in Thailand.A few years later, "when the victorious Allies swept in, the survivors, human skeletons, lined up in front of their captors . . (and instead taking revenge on their enemies) insisted: 'No more hatred. No more killing. Now what we need is forgiveness.'" Sacrificial love has transforming power. It begins with a genuine experience of Christ's sacrifice at the cross, but then leads to sacrificial love toward others, even forgiving enemies, loving them and praying for them, as these young soldiers did.
Ernest Gordon
Look at the real story of what happened in Thailand in the movie: To End All Wars. (Trailer) This movie was based on the book Through the Valley of Kwai. It will give you hope. If the Lord can transform cruel prisoner of war camps, then he can transform me, you, America, Japan and even this self-absorbed world.
