Bygones

In the summer of 1914, war had erupted in Europe. Many people had an optimistic view that the war would indeed be over by Christmas time that year. Within only a few months, however, hundreds of thousands of soldiers had been killed in heavy fighting. The German advance had been checked at the Marne, and the “Race to the Sea” between Germany and the Allies had played out at Ypres. The result was a bloody stalemate, with a front that stretched from the Swiss border to the North Sea. By December 1914, the reality of trench warfare had settled in, and weeks of heavy rain had turned both the trenches and the No Man’s Land that separated them into a cold, muddy slough. For those on the Western Front, daily life was miserable, but it was a misery that was shared by both sides of the conflict who were, in some places, separated by 50 yards (46 metres, 150 feet) or less.

By December 25th, the constant rain gave way to frost, and the ground began to freeze. The battlefields of Flanders were blanketed with a light dusting of snow. To contribute to the Holiday atmosphere, the German emperor sent Christmas trees to the front in an effort to bolster morale. On December 23rd, German soldiers began placing the trees outside their trenches while singing hymns such as “Stille Nacht” (Silent Night.) As the Germans were making due with what they had and trying to enjoy what little festivities they could, voices from the Allied lines began responding in kind with Christmas carols of their own. By Christmas Eve, some lower-ranking British officers began ordering their men not to fire unless fired upon, popularly coined as the “live and let live” policy. This policy was developed without any authorization from the chain of command, but despite this, the tenuous “truce” slowly started to take hold. As morning broke on Christmas Day, German soldiers emerged from their trenches, waving their arms to demonstrate that they had no ill intent. When it became clear that they were not carrying weapons, British soldiers soon joined them, meeting in No Man’s Land to socialize and exchange gifts.

Days, weeks, and months before both sides were killing each other without prejudice. But on this hallowed day, both sides put behind their differences to celebrate the reason for the season, the Birth of Jesus Christ. It was the recognition of Jesus that brought these two sides back together. It was what Jesus called us into that silenced those guns. Because both sides recognized the importance of the Birth of Jesus Christ and the day that marks his birth, both sides joined in unlikely friendships and bonds for just a short time. Playing soccer, sharing food and drink, and holding joint church services to bury the dead with religious honour, yet just a day before, they were mortal enemies. While it was the men on the front lines who recognized the humanity in their foes only yards away, it was the generals and leaders on both sides who quickly took steps to prevent any further episodes of “fraternization.” It does not bode well for the men who are in power when the people they are trying to control recognize that the person they are being pitted against is indeed a blessed child of God.

Unfortunately, nothing new is under the sun. Men who are more concerned with the ways of man and not the ways of God continually try to lead the masses astray. Sometimes, they go as far as to try to blame Christianity for the destruction and the unsettlement in the world, or they use Christianity as their excuse for the destruction and unsettlement in the world that they cause. I admire the men on that Christmas morning who were able to put everything behind themselves and come together with one common bond, and that bond is Jesus Christ.

It makes you wonder. How would we handle the same situation today? Knowing that the men you are congregating with not only speak a different language but also come from a different place, wear different clothes, and were literally trying to kill you, your friends and maybe some of your family members a few days earlier. But here you are, sharing in the celebration of the birth of Jesus and all that Jesus had done for us… knowing that probably in a few day's time, you will probably be opposing each other again. Honestly, how would you handle it? Adolf Hitler, who was a dispatch runner for the regimental headquarters at the time, sharply criticized the behaviour of the men, saying, “Such a thing should not happen in wartime, have you no German sense of honour?.” I am almost ashamed to say I feel like, in the moment, I might have responded the same as Hitler did. Especially knowing the training and the desensitization that the military puts us through in preparing us to kill others. What is even more alarming is our society is doing this to us without us even knowing it. Back in the day, you would play soldier in the woods, using sticks as assumed guns and pine cones as grenades. But now you can actually play video games where you can run through your enemy with a bayonet and watch their innards spill out as they drop to their knees, holding their wounded stomach. You can play video games and watch shows where nationality is against nationality, and the carnage that ensues is glorified. I am ashamed to say that I don’t think our response as a society at large would be far off from what Hitler said as he watched the events unfold on that hallowed Christmas morn. But what intrigues me about this event is that these men, in no man's field, were giving us an ever-small glimpse into how God intends us to live out our lives as we interact and encounter people. My mind goes specifically to 2 Corinthians 5:13-21

2 Corinthians 5:13–21 NIV

If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Bible commands Christians to be ambassadors for Christ. Being compelled by Christ's love, directing us not to consider anyone from a worldly point of view, but rather the Bible encourages us to follow in Christ’s example, reconciling ourselves back to God through Christ, working to commit ourselves to the message of reconciliation, while not counting other people's past sins against them. If you are indeed in Christ, the old has gone, and the new is here! Jeremiah points to the “new” when he writes in Jeremiah 31: 29-34 these words:

Jeremiah 31:29–34 NIV

“In those days people will no longer say, ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge. “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Before the new covenant, the sins of the past were very much held against all the people. Children suffered due to their parent's sinful inequities. The child that David bore with Bathsheba died due to David’s sins. Israel was brought into captivity time after time for the sins of God’s chosen people at that time, and their children and grandchildren had to suffer in captivity because of the sins of their parents. But because of the new covenant, if we repent, the Bible says that God will forgive us and remember our sins no more, reconciling us through Jesus Christ back to Him.

If we truly follow in the example that this sets, we would readily live lives in true reconciliation, not holding people's pasts against them and not holding the sins that were committed towards us against them either. Jesus emphasizes this in a parable found in Matthew 18:21-35

Matthew 18:21–35 NIV

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

The Bible is clear: if we follow Jesus, we will enter into a ministry of reconciliation like we are called to. We will not hold the actions of the past against the people we are called to interact with (which is all people, according to the Great Commission). Instead, we will actively seek to be ambassadors for Christ, begging people on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God because He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

What I admire about those men in no man's land on December 25, 1914, during the Christmas truce, is that they recognized that they had to place everything behind themselves for Christ. They had to place the pain, the suffering, the death, the bloodshed, the anger, and every sense of hatred towards their enemy down. As they stepped out of their trenches with arms lifted high, they left behind, with their rifles, the hatred brought on by the ways of man. Stepping towards each other in an ever so brief act of true reconciliation, they began to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Eventually, any sense of reconciliation would be lost, and these men would be trying to best each other in deadly battle again.

What shattered that reconciliation?

Men did. Men who were more concerned with the ways of man. Men who couldn’t allow their prideful positions to be swayed. Men who were more concerned about the ways of man than they were about the ways of God.

Why?

Because it is not good for the men who are in power, when the people they are trying to control recognize that the person they are being pitted against is indeed a blessed child of God. It is better for men to turn man against man. It is better for the pits of hell to receive men with rage-filled hearts. It is bad business for man and hell when humankind seeks true reconciliation with each other while following Jesus' example and not counting others' past trespasses against them.

Lets Pray