The Attitude of Sacrifice
His body has been returned to the United States and the attention that his death attracted has already perhaps begun to wane. I was unaware of what had happened due to my trip to Brazil and my isolation from news stories from the United States. The circumstances of his life, however, are a bit unusual and caught my attention.
His name was Pat Tillman and he has become, in death, somewhat of a celebrity soldier. That was not what he wanted in life, but the remarkable sacrifice that he made has thrust his service into the limelight of national attention.
Pat Tillman died in Afghanistan, serving as an Army Ranger. Why has his name been on the lips of so many Americans when there have been many others who have likewise given their lives in service to their country and fellowman and whose names are unknown to the majority of us? Although Tillman never drew attention to this fact, he joined the Army Rangers in 2002, in the midst of a promising career as a safety for the Arizona Cardinals football team. He walked away from a $3.6 million contract offer from the Cardinals to instead serve as a soldier.
The point of this article is not to present a defense of the military action in Afghanistan by emphasizing the choice of Pat Tillman. Nor is there any intention to diminish the importance or value of the service that many others have offered to their country in various capacities. It is to observe that, in a world where greed and self-interest seem often to dominate, Tillman’s choice to exit professional football at a time when it seemed as though he had finally "arrived" is laudable. Not gifted with the physical size of many professional athletes, he substituted hard work to climb to the level of excellence of the National Football League.
I cite Tillman’s choice, however, to highlight an even greater sacrifice – that made by our Savior, Jesus Christ. Tillman gave up money, fame, security and eventually even his life to serve his countrymen, but even the magnitude of his sacrifice cannot compare with the sacrifice made by our Lord when He left the glory and honor of heaven to live among men contaminated by sin and to die on their behalf (Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 2:9). The two cases are no more equal than the beauty of heaven can be described by precious metals and stones, but it gives creatures of finite experience a place to start in understanding the depth of love and sacrifice exhibited by the incarnation of the Son of God.
The overwhelming majority of Americans appreciate the unselfish choice made by Pat Tillman and he is honored in his death. Jesus, on the other hand, was rejected by the very people that He came to save, a race of rebellious men, and suffered an ignominious death at their hands (Romans 5:6-8; Isaiah 53:3). May we instead appreciate the unselfish choice that He made!