The Zamperini Story After Chapter 37

After seeing the movie Unbroken, I felt compelled to read the book. It is the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who endured incredible hardship as a survivor of a plane crash in open sea and then as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese. After seeing the movie, I could not believe what he went through but the book tells even more of what he had to endure. To emerge a survivor is truly incredible.

About 95% of the book is dedicated to the horrors that Zamperini experienced. But the title is misleading because Zamperini could not possibly have endured what he endured without being broken in some way. Every man has his breaking point. Zamperini post-war was a shell of a man. We learn of his alcoholism and recurring nightmares of his lengthy abuse at the hands of the sadistic Japanese guard "The Bird" beginning in Chapter 34. We learn of his overwhelming desire to find and kill "The Bird". We learn of his marriage falling apart. This is a man that is really broken. We would not have a movie if the story ended after Chapter 37. Zamperini would have been one of the many racked by the ravages of Post Traumatic Stress.

In Chapter 38, we learn of his coming to faith in Christ and in Chapter 39 we hear of him going to Japan to purposely forgive his captors. He even was willing to forgive "The Bird" who was determined to be alive but did not show up to face Zamperini. The book ends after Chapter 39 although there is an Epilogue that describes Zamperini's  life post-conversion. The movie celebrates this man's endurance and so that is truly special. But it is false to think that this man was unbroken.

Time and space could not heal the deep wounds of his soul. God had to heal him.The opposite of broken is not unbroken, but healed. Zamperini was healed! What healed him was grace. Jesus Christ was broken in an even greater way. His undeserved breaking resulted in our healing.  We cannot will ourselves from our brokenness - we have to be healed. Healing is being changed from the inside out and that is what Zamperini experienced. And that is why we have the movie.

The City of Hope

Christmas brings to mind lots of things.  Family, friends, gifts, saying thank you, rest and relaxation (unless you are like me and do lots of last minute shopping and I only really have to shop for one person).  All of our girls and our son-in-law are visiting and it has been a very enjoyable few days at our house.  It is always nice to have the girls home. 

On Thanksgivings when I was growing up, we would go to Newtown, Connecticut where my Dad's sister lived.  So the tragedy there this past week was brought closer to home.  What would cause a young man to take such innocent lives?  What would give someone so little hope and to inflict his hopelessness on others? 

I have been going through the Old Testament a chapter at a time and just finished up my first year.  This has been an incredible blessing, much more than I thought.  I have been looking for Jesus in the Old Testament and it has not been hard to find Him there.  A number of my friends avoid reading the Old Testament and think Jesus isn't in the Old Testament, but nothing can be further from the truth. 

The last book I am reading this year is the Book of Ruth.  This book starts with hopelessness.  Naomi, the central character in the early chapters comes from Bethlehem during some of the darkest period in Israel's history.  She leaves her country during a period of famine and goes to the pagan country of Moab.  There, her two sons marry two Moabite women.  It is interesting to note that the names of her sons of are "sick" and "puny" which describes their likely physical condition.  Her husband and two sons die in the land of Moab.  She decides to return to Bethlehem.  But her return is fraught with doubt and in fact, she encourages her widow children to stay in Moab because she believes the pagan Gentile country offers more hope for them than Israel does.  Her daughter Orpah stays in Moab, but Ruth accompanies Naomi back to Bethlehem.  Naomi which means "pleasant" is so embittered that she says on her return to change her name to "bitter" or "empty". 

If you know the story of Ruth, you know that there is a relative, a "kinsman-redeemer" named Boaz who lives in Bethlehem and marries the widow Ruth.  Boaz is what is called a "type" of Christ.  He is a shadow of another redeemer born in Bethlehem who will redeem us from sin by paying the penalty Himself upon the cross.  Bethlehem is not the city of hopelessness but the city of hope.  Further, this hope is extended to Ruth, the pagan Gentile to marry into an Israelite line that ultimately becomes part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.  Bethlehem is not just the story of a baby born in a manger, but a story of hope for those of lost and looking for redemption, even when hope seems at its bleakest. 

The Book of Ruth is a glimmer of hope and comes during one of the darkest times in Israel's history.  Judges closes with the horrendous story of a decapitated rape victim and civil war and Ruth provides the glimmer of grace and hope.  Even on the heels of one of the worst horror's we have ever seen, come to Bethlehem, the city of hope and find redemption, and grace.

A Resolution Only God Can Keep

“Really! There’s no such thing as self-rescue, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.  The cost of rescue is beyond our means, and even then it doesn’t guarantee life forever, or insurance against the Black Hole.”
Psalm – 49:7-9 Message

Well it is a new year and with every new year comes resolutions for self improvement.  Last year, I made a resolution to lose 20 pounds for Meghan and Josh’s wedding.  I lost 13 pounds so I came up short.  However, over the recent holidays, I have gained 5 back.  It is a never ending battle that is hard to win.  Most resolutions for us fall hopelessly short despite the best of our intentions.  It is because the system is flawed. A flawed system will never succeed despite our intentions.  Some resolutions last longer than others, but it is so hard to keep them. 

A resolution for rescuing ourselves from judgment is an even greater fallacy.  Yet so many think they can by self-effort please God.  God is not impressed with our self-efforts.  Self rescue or self justification is beyond our ability because we are flawed because of sin.  Our sin makes self justification impossible.  The NAS version of the above passage even states “the redemption of the soul is simply too costly” and “we should quit trying forever”.   We could never self-justify ourselves to salvation because our redemption is simply too costly.  It is a leap over the Grand Canyon, it is a swim across the Atlantic.  We could get a few yards out and hopelessly drown or we could even get a mile or two out, but still drown. 

Fortunately, self rescue is not necessary.  God has provided a means for rescue and it is in the form and atoning work of Jesus Christ.  He made the impossible possible.  He has already rescued us.  No self rescue is necessary because the rescue has already been made.  Our job is to accept it freely and appropriate what God has already given us.  God alone can achieve redemption.   The resolution all of us can keep is to accept it.