The P47 Thunderbolt, nicknamed the “Jug,” short for juggernaut, was one of the main fighter planes for the U.S.A. in World War II. The plane was powered by a single 2000-horsepower engine. It was well armored and equipped with eight large-caliber machine guns. It was one of the fastest planes in the war. In fact, a souped-up P47 would hold the world speed record for single-engine planes until 1989. Although it was well-armed and fast, it was at a disadvantage in a dogfight against the lighter, quicker, more nimble Japanese fighters. The Japanese fighter plane could turn and accelerate much faster than the P47 Thunderbolt.
American pilots developed a strategy to consistently beat the Japanese Zeros in battle. This strategy was called “Boom and Zoom.” In this strategy, the heavier, better-armed P47s would cruise at high altitude looking for enemy planes beneath them. Then they would steeply dive towards their targets building up incredible speed. When they got enemy planes in their sights they would open fire with their eight machine guns. Then, before they lost too much speed, they would pull back on their sticks to gain altitude and “zoom” out of the battle zone. They had to keep their speed up so they could “bounce” back up to high altitudes. As long as they kept their speed up, the Japanese planes were no match for them, but if they lost that speed and tried to engage the Zeros at lower speeds, the Zeros could easily turn the tables and out-maneuver and outflank the heavier P47s.
A Serious Mistake
This explains what happened one day when three P47 pilots were flying near Guadalcanal. They were cruising at high altitude and saw three Japanese light bombers beneath them. They swept down on the bombers and opened fire. Two of the bombers were destroyed immediately in the machine gun fire and went up in flames. The third bomber was riddled with bullets but didn’t go down. The P47 pilot who made the attack on this plane made a fateful mistake. As an experienced pilot, he knew better. Instead of using his speed to bounce back up to high altitude out of the battle zone, he slowed the speed of his plane down to circle and attack the bomber again.
He was just about to do this when, out of the blue, a Japanese Zero attacked him. The quicker, more nimble, Japanese fighter plane flew behind the Thunderbolt and opened fire on it. The P47 was hit and smoke and fire issued from the fuselage.
The plane’s wingmen saw what was taking place and from their higher altitude zoomed down and shot the Zero to pieces. But during the dog fight they lost sight of their fellow pilot whose plane had been damaged.
These pilots felt a fierce loyalty to one another. They flew their planes and searched long and hard for their fellow pilot but didn’t find him. They only gave up the search when they were running out of fuel and needed to return to base. Sometime later it was discovered that this pilot had been killed by machine gun fire from an enemy plane as he parachuted to earth. The wingmen who had flown with him were heartbroken and deeply disturbed by this news.
A Unique Opportunity
A couple of months later, one of these wingmen was flying his P47 Thunderbolt plane on patrol over the Philippine Sea looking for targets. Once again he spotted a Japanese bomber below. He put his plane into a deep dive and in seconds the light bomber was shot to pieces. He watched as the Japanese pilot ejected and his parachute opened up like a white blossom against the background of the deep blue sea.
This was his opportunity to take revenge for his friend. The American pilot turned his plane towards the enemy descending by parachute. He remembered what the Japanese had done to his friend months before. He flew his plane directly towards his enemy.
One burst from his machine guns and the man would be cut to pieces. Hadn’t his friend been machine gunned in a case just like this? The American pilot had his finger on the trigger and the man in his sights. He was about to pull the trigger when suddenly it felt like a strong arm reached out from nowhere and pushed him back in his seat. He heard a voice saying, “Do not do this thing.” Later, he concluded it was the voice of the Lord speaking to him.
The P47 Thunderbolt pilot veered away from his enemy. The man parachuting landed in the open water with a small splash. The American pilot slowly circled around and flying just above the wave tops slid his cockpit canopy open. If somebody told him he might keep a Japanese pilot from drowning the day before, he would have told them they were nuts. The pilot took his life preserver and threw it into the water near the downed pilot and then flew off to continue his patrol.
An Infinitely Honorable Act
It was an honorable act and I am glad it was later memorialized. However, I know an act that was infinitely more honorable where mercy was shown to enemies. In this act, the One who spoke and created the universe left heaven to come to this earth. Did the world receive Him? make Him welcome? honor Him? No, just the opposite. He was born in a stable because there was no place in the inn. Then when He was 33 years old, the Lord Jesus was cast out and crucified. Could God have taken vengeance on such a world? Oh yes, indeed.
However, this is not what God did. He took that act that men meant for evil and turned it into the greatest act of love and mercy this world has ever known, for by the death of His dear Son on the cross, God opened the door of salvation to all mankind. “God commendeth His love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)).
What is a sinner but an enemy of God? The Lord Jesus died for us when we were His enemies. He died to save us from the death our sins deserved. We deserved to come into judgment and to be sent out of God’s presence forever, but by His death He made a way that we might instead be reconciled to God for time and eternity. “If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:1010For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Romans 5:10)).
The Lord Jesus left heaven’s highest glories and came to this earth. He was slain and laid in a grave, but the grave couldn’t hold Him. God raised Him back to life, and He showed Himself alive for 40 days before ascending up to heaven to sit at God the Father’s right hand, His name being made higher than every other name.
But the “boom and zoom” strategy is only loosely like what happened with the Lord. There are important differences. He didn’t descend to destroy but to save. And the Lord didn’t ascend up to heaven after His resurrection because He was in danger. Far from it. “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth,” He said (Matthew 28:1818And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18)). He had the power to destroy all His enemies if He wanted to. Instead, He sat down at the Father’s right hand in the heavens in order to give the unbelieving world time to consider the truth of His death and resurrection and repent, believe in His name, and escape the condemnation their sins deserve.
This waiting time will not last forever. In the future, the Lord Jesus will descend once again to this earth and take vengeance on His enemies. “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).
In this interim time between His resurrection and His coming again, He is waiting for His enemies to have a change of heart and get right with God. When they come to Christ in faith, they are forgiven, washed, and set apart for His love. Truly no one ever loved their enemies like the Lord Jesus who voluntarily gave up His life to save them.
Will you honor Him by bowing your heart before Him in love and believing in His name? You don’t have to stay an enemy to God.