Only a few good men?

“You can’t handle the truth!” ~ Colonel Nathan Jessup

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.” ~ Job 38:1-4

Do you sometimes feel like it is just you against the world? If you do not stand in the gap or take the reins everything is bound to go wrong. Everyone is counting on you and you alone. If you don’t do it then no one will. It is easy to fall into that trap and get overwhelmed with a sense that the entire free world is counting on you to stand for a certain principle or hold true to your subculture.

My wife and I enjoy the movie “A Few Good Men”. If you are not familiar with the story; a marine has died at a military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba under suspicious circumstances. The Colonel in charge, Nathan Jessup is an imposing man who has a very inflated view of his own self worth and his command. His orders are not to be questioned because if they are not carried out, marines will die.

A team of JAG attorney’s including Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee is sent to investigate after the arrest of two marines named Dawson and Downey. The accused are charged with giving their fellow marine Willie Santiago a “Code Red” which was a form of hazing another soldier into a better performance and meeting the expected code of conduct. The Code Red goes awry and Willie dies. Dawson and Downey claim that they were just following the orders of their commanding officers, yet these same officers deny any involvement or complicity in the death.

There are two key scenes in the movie that show the heart of the issue; Colonel Jessup’s testimony during the court martial hearing and the reactions of Corporal’s Downey and Dawson when the verdict is read.

Jessup believes in his heart that he is an honorable solider and in a sense he is right; he has sworn to protect something true and right. But in his desire to protect liberty he has taken it upon himself to determine how it should be protected and if there are casualties along the way, so be it. His orders and pronouncements are sacrosanct and should not be questioned and his motives, in his mind, are beyond reproach. Under cross examination by Kaffee he rages; “Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way.”

Jessup started out with the right purpose; to protect the honor and integrity of the uniform he wore and the country he represented. But he ultimately lost sight of that purpose and felt that he could justify those actions because of what he thought he was protecting. His perception was that he was free to adjust or re-write the marine corps code of conduct and break the rules (and law) to fulfill that mission. He thinks he needs to be “on that wall” because if he isn’t then who will? He believes they do not know what he knows, and that others are not capable or discerning enough to do it like only he can.

What is our view of our fellow Christians outside of our subculture? Do we think that they are incapable or discerning enough to stand for biblical truth and inerrancy like only we can? Do we as believers fall into the trap of “the end justifies the means” or think that because we are fighting to protect our subculture or movement that it gives us license to despise others that do not do it the way we think they should? Have we unconsciously violated 1 John 3:15a in the process? Or are we like Peter in Galatians 2; holding up the "walls" of our subculture to the exclusion of the "gentile believers"? We think that we are standing for God and that if we don’t Christendom stands in the balance. We think we are a dying breed or the last of “a few good men.” If people challenge your perceptions or question your motives do you think they have “messed with the wrong marine”?

The prophet Elijah felt that way in I Kings 19:14 when he stated; “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” But the Lord reminded Elijah in verse 18 that he was not alone, and there were 7,000 left in Israel who had not compromised or forsaken Him. Elijah felt alone and maybe had an over inflated view of his own importance for the sake of the kingdom. He had forgotten that God was and is sovereign over all. Men, movements and subcultures come and go, but God is unchanging and the only constant. He doesn’t need us, we need Him.

I mentioned that there were two key scenes in the movie; the other was when the verdict of a dishonorable discharge for conduct unbecoming of a marine. The two marines stand mystified at the decision of the court and Downey says; “What did we do wrong? We did nothing wrong.” You can see the wheels turning in the mind of Corporal Dawson when he states; “Yeah, we did. We were supposed to fight for the people who couldn't fight for themselves. We were supposed to fight for Willie.”

Are we fighting the wrong battle? Are we fighting for what we think is right or are we fighting for “Willie”. The “Willies” we are supposed to be fighting for are those who have not been changed by the light of the Gospel. I am perplexed at times over what we choose to expend our energy on, and where we draw the battle lines within the body of Christ. The truth of the matter is souls are dying and going to hell each and every day and we would rather contend for our personal hobby horse than expend that same amount of energy to share the Gospel.

There is a fine line between over estimating our value for the furtherance of God’s divine plan while underestimating the impact, both good and bad we can make for His purposes. Are we standing on the wall or are we fighting for Willie?

"And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” ~ Matthew 25:40

“Then Job answered the Lord and said: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” ~ Job 42:1-2