A Story of Love and Forgiveness: The Extraordinary Life of Jacob DeShazer

This week we reflect on the inspiring story of Jacob DeShazer, an American war veteran who lived to 95 and passed away in 2008. His journey is remarkable, showcasing how one can endure profound suffering and still come to love former enemies.

The U.S. entered World War II in December 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, a pivotal event that prompted Jacob, who had enlisted in 1940, to volunteer for a bombing mission against Japan. However, on their return, his plane ran out of fuel, leading to a crash-landing in China, where the Japanese captured him and his crew.

For 40 months, DeShazer endured the horrors of being a prisoner of war, spending 34 months in solitary confinement. He faced starvation and brutal treatment, witnessing the execution of some comrades. Despite the cruelty, he clung to his Christian upbringing and requested a Bible from a guard, which he was allowed to keep for three weeks. This moment transformed him, leading him to replace his deep hatred for his captors with love and pity, as he realised they lacked knowledge of his Saviour.

This remarkable man's life was transformed as he read Romans 10:9: "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." He committed his life to Jesus Christ after reflecting on Jesus' words on the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Jacob DeShazer made a profound promise to God in that prison camp: if he survived, he would return to Japan as a missionary. And indeed, that is precisely what he did. Jacob DeShazer felt a clear calling from God: 

Go and teach the Japanese people the way of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.

With the war's end in August 1945 came his release. He returned to the United States a broken and ill young man. However, his commitment to his Christian faith remained unwavering. Understanding God's calling, he attended Bible seminary, studied diligently, and in 1948 returned to Japan with his wife. There, they dedicated the next 30 years to ministry, establishing a church in the city he had once bombed. Isn't that an extraordinary testament to transformation! This man's deep-seated hatred for the Japanese people was replaced by love and profound concern, leading him to dedicate his life to spreading the message of Christian love and forgiveness.

This powerful true story resonates deeply with another beautiful passage from the Bible, 

2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 

Verse 1:18 further states, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."