Saving Private Ryan

Luke 5:1-11

 

One of my favorite movies is “Saving Private Ryan”. It is a story based in WWII. A platoon is sent on a mission to find Private Ryan because his three brothers were killed in action so that he became the sole surviving son. The platoon eventually finds Ryan in a village where they engage a much larger force of Germans. The Captain makes sure that Ryan lives even though he dies protecting him.

 

A lifetime later, an elderly Ryan returns to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial with his wife and adult son and his family to visit the gravesite of the Captain who had given his life for him. While there he tearfully asks his wife the question, “Have I been a good man”? In other words, he wonders if his life was worthy of the Captain dieing for him.

 

In the passage today, Simon Peter and his fishing partners, including James and John, and his brother Andrew, “left everything and followed Jesus”. They must have been very excited about Jesus to make such an extreme decision to leave their family and livelihood.

 

It makes you wonder what their expectations were as they “left everything”. We know that some time later these same fishermen were arguing amongst themselves who would be the greatest. Who would sit on Jesus’ right and his left. We also know that when Jesus was arrested that all of them deserted him. And although Peter stayed close by, he even denied knowing Jesus.

 

However, the bottom line for each of these men is that they followed Jesus even to martyrdom for some. They performed miracles. They saw thousands come to faith in Christ and begin to follow him. Their initial excitement of fishing for men, of being a part of something bigger than themselves, was fulfilled in ways they never imagined.

 

Just maybe one or more of them towards the end of their life asked the same question as the elderly Ryan: “Was my life worthy of the death of my good friend and Lord and Saviour Jesus”?

 

It’s the same question that you and I can ask ourselves whether we are 20 or 70. Was my life worthy, or will it be worthy, of the death of my Lord Jesus? Was I, or will I be, a faithful follower of him? Have others, and do others, see Jesus in me?

 

And when that day does come, as certain as taxes do every April 15, will He say to me, “Well done my good and faithful servant”?