Hymn to the Fallen

I'd like you to examine this man's face for a moment. Especially his eyes. What do you see? Tears? Pain? Sorrow?

There is a link to a movie clip at the end of this story. I'd appreciate it if you'd scroll down and watch it. Perhaps then you will be better able to understand what I am about to tell you.

In the movie, the man pictured above was saved in World War II by someone he didn't know. The man who did the saving actually sacrificed his own life so that Private Ryan could live.

When we hear the story of Jesus and how He sacrificed His life so that WE could live, why doesn't our face look like this man's? Where are OUR tears and sorrow?

We hear the story of Jesus death so often that the weight of it gets diminished. We become so numb to the actual sacrifice Jesus made that we just accept it.

Part of our apathy is that the crucifixion story is just that - it's 'a story' to us. We never witnessed it. We never saw Jesus actually die. Perhaps if we had our eyes would be filled with those tears. We would better be able to feel the weight of what He did.

I want those tears! I don't want to be numb!

"At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was 

the Son of God!” - Matthew 27:51-52,54

I think I'm going to take this man's picture and place it in my Bible at each of the crucifixion stories, to act as a reminder of the sacrifice given and what it truly means for us all.

Hymn to the Fallen - Saving Private Ryan