The Great Escape

Neal and I enjoy watching movies. Our favorites are the old classics. Patton, for example. Or anything with Humphrey Bogart or John Wayne.

A few months ago, we watched a movie called The Great Escape. Set in World War II Germany, it was the true story of Allied airmen and others being held prisoner by the German Luftewaffe. These prisoners had made themselves such nuisances to their German prisonkeepers by constant escape attempts that they were moved to a brand new, state of the art facility the Germans thought was inescapable.

That proved not to be the case as prisoners planned not just one escape, but a mass escape. With patience, time, effort and dedication, they worked on not one, but three tunnels and finally over 200 succeeded in escaping.

Only two remained free. The rest were all recaptured, 50 of them ruthlessly executed.

The subterfuge they used, the ingenious methods they employed and their determination remained with me a long time. So did the discouraging thought that so few of them were successful and that so many died in the process.

But their goal was not to escape. Their goal was to so tie up German forces looking for them that troops and equipment would be pulled from the Front. In that, they were extremely successful.

Still, there was that haunting thought that if they had only had a little bit better intelligence, they might have made it.

Even more haunting was the sudden realization a day or two after seeing that movie that each one of us is engaged in our own daily great escape attempt.

Satan is our prison guard, Luftewaffe and Nazi army.

Sin is our prison.

We go through all sorts of machinations, contortions, logic and subterfuge in an effort to escape the consequences of our sin and past. Just when it looks like we might be getting away…boom!…there is an enemy tank or plane or soldier and we’re caught again.

The good news is the Good News. We do have better intelligence against our enemy than these World War II airmen had against theirs. And we have help and assistance on The Outside. Someone immune to the fiery darts of the wicked one.

We are, in other words, already free. Our Great Escape has been secured by Jesus Christ.

Our prison no longer has walls or guards or gun towers. The fence has been torn down. All we have to do is welcome the gift with praise and thanks and follow Jesus out of the camp!

Praise the Lord!