On this day in history, July 24th in 1998, the film “Saving Private Ryan” premiered in theaters. Immediately, it was a critical and commercial success and went on to win five Academy Awards and was named by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best films of all time [1].
This fictional, yet realistic film, is set in the final years of WWII and centers on the story of one American soldier–Private James Ryan (Matt Damon)–and the small squad of fellow American soldiers led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) who are commissioned to find him in the battlegrounds of Europe and bring him home due to the ‘Sole Survivor’ policy. This actual American policy mandated that a soldier who was the sole surviving son of a family return safely home.
The film begins with the D-Day scene. This harrowing and intense depiction of the Normandy invasion vividly portrays the chaos, brutality, and heroism of the soldiers as they stormed Omaha Beach on June 6,1944. The squad seeks Private Ryan in the German controlled French countryside and by the time they find him, two men on the squad were already killed.
The plot thickens as Private Ryan does not want to go home but wants to continue fighting with his fellow soldiers. With a choice to make–to take up Private Ryan’s mission to secure a key bridge to damage German resistance or to return home–Captain Miller and his squad decide to join the fight to secure the bridge. However, in the battle, Captain Miller dies because of complications of gunshot wounds. As Private Ryan looks on in horror and grief, Captain Miller says to him, “Earn this. Earn it.”
The film closes with an elderly James Ryan returning to the U.S. cemetery in Normandy, France with his wife and grandchildren. As he looks at Captain Miller’s tombstone he says: “Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge. I’ve tried to live my life the best that I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that at least in your eyes, I’ve earned what all of you have done for me.”
His wife then walks over to him and Ryan tells her, “Tell me I’ve led a good life. Tell me I’m a good man.” His wife replies, “You are.” In a few short sentences, as he looked upon Captain Miller’s grave, Ryan spoke of his greatest needs to justify his life: to be enough and to be good.
Private Ryan’s needs are our needs too. But unlike the film, we are not meant to find our needs fulfilled through what we “earn” or through the affirmation of others. Our greatest need is meant to be only satisfied by God.
The gospel’s good news is that no one can earn their enoughness or their goodness. These fundamental human needs can only be received by grace through faith in Christ because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23)” but “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
Like Ryan, we could all suffer the weight of survivor guilt knowing Jesus Christ died the death that we deserve in order give us life. However, Christ’s words to His disciples are not to “Earn it.” Rather He says to: “‘Take it [my body]’” (Mark 14:22).
‘“Take it’” (Mark 14:22). What beautiful words from a loving Savior who gives us what we truly need: ongoing relationship with Christ Himself. Instead of living with survivor’s guilt, God calls us “in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Rom. 12:1) because in Christ we are enough and are good.
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[1] American Film Institute. “Saving Private Ryan (1998) – AFI Movie Club.” Accessed July 23, 2024. https://www.afi.com/news/saving-private-ryan-1998-afi-movie-club/.