John Allen Chau - foolish or a martyr?

A lot has been said about Mr. Chau's trip to Sentinel Island. Many have criticized him for being stupid, wrong, or misguided.

An overriding feature of the criticism is that he was reckless and thoughtless in his mission. He has been taken to task for the possibility of bringing disease, disturbing a society, and not respecting the desire of the people to be left alone. He is regarded as foolish for undertaking an ill-advised, dangerous, and illegal mission trip.

I think all these criticisms are invalid.

Mr. Chau had ample biblical precedent for going to a place he was not wanted, a place where he might die, a place that had many risks:

Ac. 4:18-20 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Ac. 5:40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

Ac. 9:28-29 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him.

Ac. 14:19-20 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered round him, he got up and went back into the city.

2Co. 11:23-28 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

Paul never considered his own safety when sharing the Gospel. He ignored the legality of his activities. He faced many perilous situations, risked his life, and was violently opposed. The fact that he might die did not stop him.

The early church was fearless in their evangelism. Many were put to death, persecuted, and tortured for their faith. It speaks to our generation of comfortable Christians who cannot conceive of a situation where their faith might imperil their lives. That's why Mr. Chau's death so confuses and offends us.

In fact, Mr. Chau's death convicts us, and that is the real problem. We compare our lives and faith, and we come up short. We would never do such a thing, because we value our lives and our position more than obedience to the call of the Gospel.

We don't understand this level of commitment and obedience. That's not how we do things in these modern times. But Mr. Chau trusted Jesus.

Re. 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

I suspect there will be an impact on the church for years and decades to come. He laid the groundwork for the possibility of more outreach to this and other peoples as people gain courage to embrace their faith in ways they may not have considered before.

Mr. Chau's priority? Pleasing God at all costs. He wanted to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."