The Call to Surrender
On March 10, 1974, Lt. Hiroo Onada was the last World War II Japanese soldier to surrender. Onada had been left on the island Lubang in the Philippines on December 25, 1944, with the command to "carry on the mission even if Japan surrenders." Four other Japanese soldiers were left on the island as Japan evacuated Lubang. One soldier surrendered in 1950 and another was killed in a skirmish with local police in 1954. A third was killed in 1972 but Onada continued on with his war alone. All efforts to convince him to surrender or to capture him failed. He ignored messages from loudspeakers announcing Japan's surrender and that Japan was now an ally of the United States. Leaflets were dropped over the jungle begging him to surrender so he could return to Japan but still he refused to believe or surrender.
Over the years he lived off the land and raided the fields and gardens of local citizens. He was responsible for killing at least 30 nationals during his 29-year personal war. Almost a half million dollars was spent trying to locate and convince him to surrender and 13,000 men were used to try to locate him. Finally, on March 10, 1974, almost 30 years after World War II ended, Onada surrendered his rusty sword after receiving a personal command from his former superior officer, who read the terms of the cease-fire order. Onada handed his sword to President Marcos, who pardoned him. Onada’s personal war was finally over. He was 22-years-old when left on the island of Lubang and returned to civilization a prematurely aged man of 52. In a later interview, Onada stated, "Nothing pleasant happened in the 29 years in the jungle." (Citation: Summarized from a 1974 story in Newsweek)
Like Onada, many people are fighting a lonely battle against God and refusing to surrender to the one who holds the keys to the kingdom and the abundant life. Jesus throughout His earthly ministry, and today, extends His invitation, “Follow Me.” It is an invitation to go where He goes, to live as He lives, and to do what He is doing. It is a call to live the life that Jesus lived, a life of surrender to the Father’s will. Jesus said in John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
There are 6 places in the New Testament in which Jesus’ describes what it means to be one of His followers, 6 statements by Jesus Himself that must be true of us if we are to be considered His disciples. There are 3 in Luke and 3 more in the book of John and they are as follows.
• “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26).
• “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27).
• “So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions” (Luke 14:33).
• “Jesus was therefore saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31).
• “By this, all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
• “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8).
The first 3 statements of Jesus are all statements of surrender in that we are to surrender our relationships, our possessions and even our very lives with all of our hopes, dreams, and desires. Jesus is to be our first priority, and our love for Him is to exceed the love that have for our wives, our children, our brothers and sisters and maybe most importantly ourselves. Further, we are not to allow our possessions to take His rightful place.
The second 3 also speak of surrender but in a little bit different way. We are to be people who are characterized by love for one another, we are to be people who understand and obey the Word of God and we are to be people who are bearing much fruit for the kingdom of God. When these things are true of us we prove ourselves to be genuine disciples of Jesus Christ.
Christ’s invitation, “Follow Me,” is not to be understood in terms of our asking Jesus to come into our lives and bless whatever it is that we are doing or want to do, but rather it is us re-aligning ourselves with His mission and purposes which will always require our developing Christ like character and familiarity with the ways of God.
Application
This month as we consider the practical implications of “committing everything to God” I want to suggest getting there begins with embracing Jesus’ call to surrender. Only when we have surrendered do we put to death the idea that certain parts of our lives are still ours to control. Read through both of the Scriptures listed below and pick one to meditate upon for several weeks and then pick up the other one. Be sure to journal what God reveals, making sure it ends in practical application. And don’t forget to blog what you learn.
1. Read John 21:15-23 and answer the following. What has been your response to the call of Christ, “Follow Me.” Have you joined Him in His work? Have you given all of yourself to following Him? Do you love Him more than anything else in life?
2. Read Luke 14:25-33 and consider the following. Our living for the will of God begins with our obedience to His revealed will in the Word of God (the Bible). Is God speaking to you right now about anything that is keeping you from following Him more completely?
Author
Pastor Bruce is the Executive Director of God's Living Stones. He lives in Omaha, NE, with his wife Barb. They have two adult children.
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