The Road Home

Anyone who has seen a “Rambo” movie knows pretty much what to expect in the story and violence dept’s. In First Blood, John Rambo, an ex-Vietnam veteran, fights against a small minded, small town sheriff, in Rambo: First Blood part II he is recruited by the military to go into Vietnam and rescue POW’s, and Rambo III finds him launching a mission to rescue an old friend and commanding officer in Soviet controlled Afghanistan. Then, in the final episode, Rambo fights to save the lives of Christian-missionaries in war torn Burma.

In short, John Rambo is a modern day warrior who fights wars no-one else wants to fight.

In the series Rambo uses big guns, knives, and anything else at his disposal to snuff out hundreds of movie extras that are best described as cannon fodder. With regards to Rambo himself, one can only describe his journey through the four movies as complete torment, a living nightmare that he sees no escape from. In fact, it could be argued he’s not really living at all; he has no peace, no comfort, no joy, and no hope, and as we’re reminded, “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope.” (Author unknown)

However, I was inspired by the final scene in the last Rambo movie. After all the violence, bloodshed, and gore, John Rambo is seen walking down a road towards his family home back in the U.S., a place he hasn’t been for many years. As the credits roll we watch as Rambo walks down the long dirt driveway to his father’s house, finally after four movies of mental and physical warfare, he finally returns home.

There was a tremendous amount of closure at that point. We can only guess what happened when he is reunited with his father. I like to think that his father greeted him with open arms saying something like, “My son, I thought you were dead, but you are alive!” I can imagine the tears falling down both of their faces as they embraced, neither one wanting to let go.

This is what it’s like when one of God’s children comes back home. Whether we know it or not, we have a heavenly Father just waiting for us to come home to him. Like Rambo you may have been through or even done terrible things, and may have lost all hope. You may be thinking, “Who could ever love someone like me?” It’s easy to think of oneself as nothing and lose hope, especially as the world tells us every day that we’re either somebody or nobody.

However, this is far from the truth. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us, “Every man is somebody because he is a child of God.” (1) As a Father, God desires nothing more than for His children to come home to Him (1 Tim 2:3-4).

No matter who you are, what you have done, what you have been through, or how far you have travelled away from Him, the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) reveals to us that God is still our Father and waits eagerly for all of us to return home to Him.

In the final scene of the Rambo saga, I truly got the sense that he had at last found peace, a peace that transcends all understanding. He is no longer fighting, and as he takes those final steps towards home it isn’t the end, but a beautiful beginning.

Christian St John M.Div, BChM, ACS
October, 2008

References:
(1) Quotation taken from http://www.snvoakland.org/king/kingquotes.html – accessed 6th Oct 2008