The Mission

    The Mission in the movie, "The Mission," there was a mercenary named Captain Mendoza who captured Indians and sold them as slaves. Later, after the Captain killed his own brother in a duel, he began to be remorseful about his sins. The Captain told a priest there was no penance harsh enough to make up for all he had done. The priest suggested that the Captain accompany him to an Indian village located on the top of one of the surrounding mountains.
   
     When the Captain agreed to go, the priest took a large net and filled it with his heavy armor and weapons. He tied this burden to the shoulders of the Captain who was to pull it up a steep and slick bluff that was adjacent to a mammoth waterfall. The heavy burden made the treacherous climb even more difficult and dangerous. Many times he lost his footing and his heavy load caused him to fall.

    The men who accompanied the two also felt the Captain's pain. They went to the priest and asked if he didn't think the Captain had had enough. In a key line in the movie, the priest replied, "The Captain himself doesn't think he has had enough."

    When they reached the village, the Indians themselves, fully aware of what the Captain had done to their brothers, also had pity on him. The chief of the tribe took out his knife, and severed the rope that bound the heavy load to the Captain's shoulders. When the burden fell off, the Captain broke down and cried with deep sobs of relief and gratitude for the mercy and grace extended by the very people against whom the atrocities had been committed. This magnanimous gesture on the part of the Indians allowed Captain Mendoza to finally forgive himself, and he was free.

    Are you dragging around a heavy burden or a load of guilt? Jesus Christ Himself paid for ALL your sins and bore ALL your griefs on the cross. You do not have to pay penance. The very word He uttered, as He was dying means, "Paid in full."

    "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried... But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed" Isaiah 53:4-5.

    By giving Christ your burdens and receiving His provision, you, like Captain Mendoza, can be free at last.

Copyright Daphne Harrington 1999