Lying mortally wounded on an Afghan battlefield, Lance Corporal John List felt his life ebbing away. But he had reckoned without the courage and dedication of Able Seaman Kate Nesbitt, a medical assistant with the Royal Navy. With no regard for her own safety she raced 70 yards under heavy fire and spent 45 minutes tending to his wounds.
Her inspirational bravery was rewarded with the Military Cross, the citation reading ‘Under fire and under pressure her commitment and courage made the difference between life and death.’ Kate herself said, ‘I promised my friends and comrades I’d be their medic. I promised I’d be there if they ever needed me.’
In a similar way Jesus once reassured his friends with these words, ‘Greater love has no-one than this, that they lay down their life for their friends’, and ‘I will be with you always.’ Jesus spent his whole life under fire and under pressure from his enemies, but like Kate he kept his promises. His willingness to sacrifice himself on our behalf can make the difference between life and death for all of us, and his reward was a seat at the right hand of his Father in heaven.