A young soldier was utterly humiliated by his senior officer. The officer had gone beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior in disciplining the young soldier and knew it, so he said nothing as the younger man said through clenched teeth, “I’ll make you regret this if it is the last thing I ever do.”

A few days later their company was under heavy fire, and the officer was wounded and cut off from his troops. Through the haze of the battlefield he saw a figure coming to his rescue. It was the young soldier. At the risk of his own life, the young soldier dragged the officer to safety. The officer said, apologetically, “Son, I owe you my life.” The young man laughed and said, “I told you that I would make you regret humiliating me if it was the last thing I ever did.”

That is God’s kind of revenge. “Behold the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world…” Something happened on Calvary that bridged the gap between a holy God and unholy humanity. We see Christ in His majesty but also in His mercy. (King Duncan, Collected Sermons)


View more sermon illustrations for inspiration for your next message.

Share this content with your peers!