«Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do» (Colossians 3: 1 3).
Charlie Brown was an American pilot who, in 1943, departed from England on a mission of bombarding an aircraft production facility in Bremen (Germany). Before fulfilling its mission, his B-17 bomber was targeted by the German fighters who damaged the electric, oxygen and hydraulic systems and almost all machine guns and three of the four engines of the plane. The crew was also seriously hurt, and they barely managed to stay in flight in order to return to England. Then, the damaged bomber was spotted by an enemy airplane on the ground which got ready to tear it down. However, strangely enough, the German pilot gave up on the target and instead escorted it up to the North Sea and let it go. This incident stayed in Charlie’s memory who tried to locate his benefactor forty years after the war. «I’m looking for a man who saved my life on December 20, 1943,» he wrote in a newsletter for former fighter pilots. Finally, in 1990 he found him. «It was like meeting a brother,» were Charlie Brown’s moving words. Franz Stegles was that brother who, when the incident took place, already had twenty-two victories and he was one victory away from earning the honor of the Knight’s Cross. But «there was no honor in tearing down that defenseless aircraft and its wounded crew,» he said. «To morally survive a war, we had to fight with honor and humanity.» This was the code of honor he had learnt under the command of lieutenant Gustav Rödel as narrated in the book A Higher Call by Adam Makos and Larry Alexander.
In other words, Rödel’s influence inspired Franz to spare the life of his vulnerable enemy. That code of honor not: only protected the life of the wounded enemy but allowed them to subsequently develop a friendship that survived the war.
In the same way, the Commander of the heavenly hosts gives us a higher call, «Forgive one another.» ‘There is no honor in condemning a vulnerable sinner. It is not worthy bringing down those who try to survive the damages of sin. Christ’s influence will save lives if we practice His love-based code. You can find a brother in your enemy, someone thankful for your helpful gesture. «As Christ forgave you, so you also must do» and this is’ what He is asking us to do today.