This morning my heart is really torn and I’m experiencing a mix of emotions that I’m not sure I’ve ever felt before. The reason is the recent prisoner of war exchange between the US and the Taliban. Obama exchanged five known Taliban operatives, formerly housed at Guantanamo Bay for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl of Idaho.
There appear to be very serious allegations that Bergdahl deserted his platoon and wandered off on his own looking to “get lost in the mountains.” It seems that this supposed desertion was the final act in Bergdahl’s inner tumultuous journey of being “ashamed” and “embarrassed” of America and their role in the world.
There were numerous unsuccessful search parties sent out to locate and rescue Mr. Bergdahl. In those searches five US soldiers were killed by Afghan militants.
The U.S. gets back one soldier who apparently deserted his platoon (and had previously deserted his country in spirit.)
The Taliban gets back five men, two of whom were previously very prominent. ( At least one of whom in all likelihood committed serious warcrimes and mass murder against innocent Afghans.)
The U.S. loses five known and loyal infantrymen and also loses face in the world.
If this were the NFL it would be the equivalent of trading Peyton Manning and the entire Denver Broncos offense (the league’s best) to the eternally hapless Jacksonville Jaguars for Justin Blackmon, who in his short NFL career has been in and out of substance abuse trouble and shows no signs of changing anytime soon.
Not only would that trade go down as the worst in NFL history, but John Elway’s effigy (and possibly his body) would be burned in the streets of Denver. It would not make sense.
What Obama did does not make sense. Mercy does not make sense.
I often struggle with this idea of “God showing mercy to me, to humanity, to whoever” by “dying on the cross” … “for my sins”… etc.
What did I ever do that I need mercy for?
But then I look at the Bergdahl trade and the gospels and I notice some eerie similarities.
In the account of the crucifixion there was a prisoner exchange that is often overlooked. The Romans had captured and imprisoned this Jewish rebel named Barabbas. He was a revolt leader, hated the Roman occupation, and was a known murderer.
Jesus Christ, was not a known murderer, had actually helped the Roman government in some cases (see the story about the Roman Centurion) and had a lot of popularity with the ordinary joe smo’s of Israel. (Mainly because he would like feed and heal them and stuff.)
The Jewish religious leaders hate Christ because he equates himself with God, which is blasphemy in their book and punished with death. So they have to kill him, but they can’t because they’re occupied by Rome and Rome gets to decide who lives and who dies and carries out all executions.
So the Jews ask the Romans to release Barabbas, who was on the equivalent of death row, and take Christ and execute him instead.
Like Obama, the Jewish leaders made a trade and showed inexplicable mercy to Barabbas, whether they realized it or not.
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl does not deserve to be free. He does not deserve it because he deserted his fellow soldiers and his country.
His return to freedom has cost the lives of at least five soldiers, and potentially will cost the lives of many more in the future as known killers are returned and enabled to begin killing innocents again.
The least Mr. Bergdahl can do is spend the rest of his life in sincere and humble service to his country for sparing his life when he hated his country and all that it stood for.
Jesus Christ was killed by a bunch of people who hated him. They had no cause to hate him. He had only helped them, and by letting them kill him, was helping them in a way they didn’t even understand.
The only way for it to get any more real was if Obama had abdicated his presidency and volunteered to trade himself into the Taliban’s hands in exchange for Sgt. Bergdahl’s freedom.
But that’s exactly what happened when Christ was killed on the cross. He showed inexplicable mercy by dying for people that hated him. To his face, they hated him. And it wasn’t a begrudging mercy. He loved them and forgave them even while they killed him.
“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Obama doesn’t know what he just did.
Bergdahl and Barabbas are two of the luckiest dudes in history.
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