Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001405A
00:06 [soft piano and guitar]
00:20 This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 00:23 Thanks for joining me. It's the first place in the 00:27 world to see the sun. The Chatham Islands - named 00:31 "Rekohu" or "Misty Sun" by the island's original 00:36 settlers. Population 600. 00:43 It's a part of New Zealand and it's 840 km or about 500 00:47 miles east of Christchurch in New Zealand's South Island. 00:51 Today, the Chathams are home to farmers and fishermen and some 00:55 of the biggest crayfish you're every likely to see. 00:59 At 373 square miles the Chatham Islands - 01:03 an archipelago of ten islands - is a quarter 01:06 of the size of Rhode Island. 01:08 Life moves slowly here, kind of how you might wish the rest 01:12 of the world would be. It takes about a day to get 01:15 around the main island, but there's plenty to see and 01:19 even more to discover. 01:25 The Chatham Islands are the scene of one of the greatest 01:27 environmental success stories of the last hundred years. 01:31 In 1980 there were five Chatham Island Black 01:36 Robins left in existence. 01:38 And among them, only one breeding female. 01:42 But through the hard work and genius of government 01:44 conservationists, led by a man named Don Merton, 01:48 the Chatham Islands Black Robin was pulled back 01:51 from the brink of extinction. 01:53 Today there are around 250 Chatham Islands Black 01:57 Robins alive, living out there on Little 02:00 Mangere and South East Islands. 02:05 But 200 years ago here on Chatham Islands it wasn't 02:08 the birds facing extinction, but the people who 02:11 lived here. The most painful chapter in this 02:14 island's history shines a light on a remarkable stand taken 02:18 hundreds of years before by a leader here, and on the 02:23 convictions of a people who considered a sacred covenant 02:27 to be of far greater importance than even their own physical 02:30 well-being. 02:35 Maui Solomon is the grandson of Tommy Solomon, 02:38 the last full-blooded Moriori, and he's the chairperson of 02:42 the Hokotehi Moriori Trust. Maui is one of the driving 02:46 forces behind the revival of Moriori culture. 02:49 Moriori were the first to settle these islands seven to eight 02:55 hundred years ago, and Rongomaiwhenua and his 02:58 younger brother Rongomaitere came from eastern Polynesia 03:02 and came directly to these islands. 03:05 We have two threads of settlement, 03:08 one directly from eastern Polynesia and another from 03:11 Aotearoa. Rekohu literally means to gaze 03:15 at the sun through the mist. When Moriori first arrived on 03:19 these islands, it would have been a shock, because they'd 03:22 come from tropical Polynesia to a very temperate climate 03:26 here on Rekohu. 03:30 But they rapidly adapted to this environment , and they used 03:34 local materials, flax and bull kelp and local trees 03:38 to construct their canoes, and their canoes were in 03:43 a very similar model were shaped to a European 03:46 rowing boat. 03:50 Over 600 years ago, Nunuku-whenua, the last in this 03:55 line of spiritual leaders, had witnessed from the mouth of his 04:00 cave two warring factions. He decreed that the people lay 04:05 down their arms and that from that time forward they live in 04:10 peace and share the resources of the land and the sea. 04:14 He laid down the curse, "The day you disobey, 04:17 may your bowels rot." And from that day forward, there 04:21 was no further killing. That worked for them in on these 04:26 islands for centuries . And, of course, that experiment 04:29 was put to the ultimate test when Ngati Tama and 04:33 Ngati Mutunga invaded these islands in 04:37 November 1835. 04:42 In 1835, everything changed for the peaceful Moriori 04:47 society. To call what happened here a 04:50 tragedy would be to under- represent the magnitude 04:53 of what occurred. This was a catastrophe. 04:57 In fact, it was genocide. And while a catastrophe can 05:02 sometimes bring out the worst in people, it can also bring 05:06 out the best. And this one did both. 05:11 900 - men, women and children were brought in two boatloads 05:16 from Wellington in the "Lord Rodney," 05:19 an English sailing vessel. When they arrived, 05:22 they were very unwell; it had been a rough journey. 05:26 The people were looked after by Moriori. 05:29 They were fed, sheltered. Not long after that, the newly 05:32 arrived Maori from New Zealand began to "takahi" 05:36 - walk the land - and killing and enslaving 05:38 Moriori as they went. And it was obvious what the 05:42 intensions were, was to wipe Moriori out. 05:44 [distant rumble] To understand the magnitude 05:48 of what happened here, you really need to keep 05:50 in mind the era in which it occurred. 05:53 In 1835, invasion meant subjugation and it meant 05:57 slavery. Blood would be shed, 06:01 lives would be lost, it would be ugly. 06:05 The practice of the invaders was to cannibalize their 06:09 enemies. So the invasion of the Moriori 06:12 here at Rekohu would involve unspeakable horrors. 06:18 Now, at that same time the musket wars were taking place 06:21 among the Maori tribes on mainland New Zealand. 06:24 So for the invaders, the thought of coming 06:27 to an island, taking it, 06:29 and killing the inhabitants was nothing out of 06:31 the ordinary. The Moriori held a council at a 06:35 place called Te Awapatiki to discuss what they should do. 06:39 Some of the young men urged that they should fight back. 06:42 After all, two thousand Moriori and about a thousand fighting 06:45 men against nine hundred invaders gave them a pretty 06:48 good shot at victory, even though they weren't 06:51 a fighting people. Not to win? 06:54 Well, that would mean they'd be killed, eaten, enslaved, and 07:00 wiped out altogether. So two thousand against nine 07:04 hundred, you'd think the outcome might be certain. 07:08 Except it wasn't that simple, because of Nunuku's Law. 07:14 [Maui Solomon] The ancestors brought with them 07:17 the traditions and the customs from eastern Polynesia, 07:21 so they were a warrior people, a war-like people. 07:24 They also practiced cannibalism. They came to the conclusion that 07:28 if we keep killing one another, we'll wipe each other out. 07:31 They recognized that there's always going to be conflict 07:34 when you have humans. So how do we manage that 07:36 conflict? So they evolved their own 07:39 covenant of peace. Combat was ritualized using 07:42 a wooden staff. First blood drawn, 07:45 honor satisfied, fighting was to 07:47 cease. There shall be no killing. 07:49 Thou shalt not kill. About 500 years after Nunuku 07:53 lived in this very cave, the Moriori discovered 07:58 they had invaders in their backyard, 08:00 and their very existence was threatened. 08:03 So what would they do? They could honor Nunuku's Law, 08:07 which defined them as a people and ensured that life was 08:11 treated as sacred, or they could defend themselves 08:14 and abandon a vital principle of their society. 08:19 Whatever their decision would be, it would have enormous 08:22 consequences. So what would they do? 08:25 Find out in just a moment. 08:28 [soft ethereal music] 08:38 World history has taught us to associate the word 08:41 "surrender" with thoughts of defeat, shame and loss. 08:45 But what if it were the road to ultimate victory? 08:48 What if surrender meant letting go of your sin or your 08:50 dysfunction in exchange for freedom and integrity? 08:54 What if your conqueror offered you healing, wholeness and 08:58 power? When you're used to being in 09:01 charge, surrender to God may be a struggle. 09:04 But I guarantee you surrender to God is the greatest victory 09:07 you'll ever win. If you'd like to understand 09:09 more, request our free booklet, "The War is Over." 09:13 Simply call 800-253-3000 and ask for your free copy 09:17 of "The War is Over." If the line's busy, 09:20 please try again. Or you can write to 09:23 It Is Written at P O Box 6, Chattanooga, 09:26 Tennessee, 37401. We'll mail a free copy to your 09:30 address in North America. It Is Written is a faith-based 09:34 ministry, and your support makes it possible for us 09:37 to share God's good news with the world. 09:40 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address on your 09:42 screen, or through our website at ItIsWritten.com. 09:46 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. 09:49 [deep rumbling tones] 09:55 [John Bradshaw] This is It Is Written. 09:58 I'm John Bradshaw. This is a rugged and often 10:02 windswept place: the Chatham Islands. 10:05 Five-hundred miles east of New Zealand in the 10:08 southern Pacific Ocean. Almost 200 years ago, 10:11 this was the scene of an incredible tragedy, 10:14 one that very nearly resulted in the extinction 10:17 of the people who lived here. 10:21 [Maui Solomon] Nine-hundred Maori in 10:23 total arrived and landed at Port Hutt. 10:27 It was clear to the people at that time that the invaders 10:33 intended to wipe them out, to enslave them. 10:39 We're told that a thousand men met at Te Awapatiki to debate 10:44 over three or four days what the response would be to the 10:48 invasion by Ngati Tama and Ngati Mutunga. 10:52 So the young men urged resistance, but the elders 10:54 forbade breaking their covenant of peace, and said that the 10:59 covenant wasn't something that could be varied to 11:02 suit the dictates of the time, and it would be a 11:04 complete loss of mana for them as a people 11:07 if they violated that sacrosanct law. 11:11 So this covenant of peace was so sacred to Moriori they put their 11:15 spiritual beliefs above their physical needs. 11:21 The will of the elders won out. Two chiefs, Torea and Tapata, 11:26 are quoted as having said, "The law of Nunuku is not 11:30 a strategy for survival, to be changed as 11:34 conditions vary. It is a moral imperative." 11:38 Nunuku's Law was a sacred covenant, and it would be 11:41 treated as such. The consequences for the Moriori 11:45 were disastrous. Initially, 226 were murdered. 11:50 Hundreds more were taken as slaves. 11:53 Many of the slaves were killed and eaten. 11:56 Some died from despair, while many others died as a result 12:00 of diseases introduced by the invaders. 12:04 In thirty years or so, the Moriori population fell to 12:09 just 101. Ninety percent of the Moriori 12:14 population had been killed. 12:19 Here in the Moriori marae is a memorial to those 12:23 who perished. At the Auckland Public Library, 12:26 the names of all the Moriori who died during that time 12:29 are recorded. So that while their lives were 12:32 lost, the memory of them was not. 12:36 And on the memorial are carved the names of those who died 12:40 during and following the massacre. 12:46 Now here's a question: Who would choose to lose their life rather 12:52 than to fight trying to defend it? 12:56 What kind of person or people, knowing the seriousness of the 13:01 consequences, would consider a law so important, so utterly 13:06 inviolable, that they would choose to honor that law 13:11 rather than preserve their own life or, 13:15 essentially, their entire culture? 13:19 Is a law ever so important that a person should die rather than 13:24 violate that law? When we go to the Bible we find 13:28 again and again references to people who chose to put a 13:31 greater cause above their own welfare, and even 13:35 ahead of their own lives. 13:37 Let's look in Revelation 12. It's a discussion of God's 13:40 church, God's people down through the ages from the 13:44 time of the birth of Jesus. 13:46 The church is depicted as a woman - a figure God often 13:50 uses in the Bible to represent the church 13:52 or His people. She delivers a child - 13:55 that's Jesus. Then the devil is represented as 13:59 a red dragon. He deceives a third of the 14:02 angels in heaven and goes on the attack 14:05 against Jesus. Jesus' ascension to heaven is 14:08 mentioned, and then a time of difficulty for the church. 14:12 For 1,260 years - now, remember, a day represents a year in Bible 14:16 prophecy -- for 1,260 years, the church is in the wilderness. 14:22 But God's people are ultimately triumphant, and there's a 14:25 description of at least some of God's people in Revelation 14:28 12:11. It says, "And they overcame him 14:32 by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. 14:36 And they loved not their lives unto the death." 14:40 "They loved not their lives to the death." 14:46 Is a cause ever so great that a person should be willing to lay 14:51 down his or her life for that cause? 14:55 Here on the Chatham Islands, back in the 1830s, the answer 14:59 given to that question was 'yes.' 15:04 Throughout history there have been accounts of people who've 15:07 given their lives for others. During World War II, a U.S. 15:11 Army transport ship, the "Dorchester," 15:14 was carrying hundreds of American troops to Europe. 15:18 This was a dangerous business. And while the ship was traveling 15:21 to Greenland it was torpedoed and sunk by a German warship. 15:26 In the chaos, there weren't enough lifejackets 15:29 to go around. But the four chaplains on the 15:32 ship - a Catholic, two Protestants and a Jew -- 15:37 encouraged the troops, helped them off the ship, and then 15:42 gave their lifejackets to the soldiers. 15:47 They went down with the ship into the frigid water singing 15:50 and praying together, and they died. 15:57 A 43-year-old Gulf War veteran retired from Fort Campbell, 16:01 Kentucky, and now he had the kind of time he always wanted 16:04 to have for his wife and their 5-year-old boy. 16:08 He'd been in the Gulf War, he'd been involved in the 16:10 invasion of Afghanistan. But now, with the rest of his 16:13 life stretching before him, he decided that he'd take 16:16 care of some projects he'd been wanting to get to 16:18 for some time. And one of them was to cut down 16:21 a tree in their backyard. He and his 5-year-old son went 16:24 out in the backyard, and they would clear that tree. 16:27 As the tree was falling to the ground, the 5-year-old boy 16:32 walked out into the path of the falling tree. 16:35 Now, this solider, this retired soldier, knew what to do. 16:38 He'd been awarded the Soldier's Medal for bravery for rescuing 16:42 soldiers from a helicopter crash in Haiti, and he would save the 16:46 life of his son as well. He rushed into the path of the 16:49 falling tree and pushed his son to safety. 16:53 But tragically, the tree fell on him. 16:56 They airlifted him to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but 16:59 he was dead by the time he arrived at the hospital. 17:04 That little boy would grow up with only hazy memories of 17:08 his father. But there's be one thing he'd 17:11 always know about his dad: he'd know forever that his father 17:16 loved him enough to die so that he would live. 17:22 [music] Now, chaplains dying for men 17:30 under their spiritual care and on their side during a war, 17:35 that's probably not altogether surprising. 17:38 A father dying for his son is incredible, it's heroic, but 17:43 that's something we can understand. 17:45 Now, the Moriori of New Zealand's Chatham Islands 17:47 died for an ideal. And in Revelation 12, people 17:50 died for someone that they had never seen. 17:53 What would drive a person to do that? 17:56 And what would you do if you ever found yourself in a 17:59 similar situation? I'll be back with more in just 18:03 a moment. 18:08 "Every Word" is a one-minute, Bible-based, daily devotional 18:12 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw 18:14 and designed especially for busy people 18:16 like you. Look for "Every Word" on 18:18 selected networks, or watch it online every day 18:21 on our website, ItIsWritten.com. 18:25 [upbeat music] 18:31 Some verses of the Bible cause you to really stop 18:33 and reflect. If you were honest with 18:36 yourself, what would you say is the driving 18:38 force of your life? What is the thing that you're 18:41 most passionate about? Paul wrote in Philippians 2:21, 18:44 "For all seek their own, not the things which are 18:47 Jesus Christ's." Of course, you can't exist in 18:50 this world without being involved in certain 18:52 things. You wouldn't be a very 18:53 interesting person if you didn't have interests 18:55 and pursuits and so on. But what is it that drives you? 18:59 What's really the most important thing to you? 19:02 Paul wrote that the problem people have - and interestingly, 19:04 he said all people -- is that they put God's interests 19:07 behind their own. Could it be that many people 19:11 need to adjust their priorities? 19:13 If you're one of those people, ask God to help you to put 19:16 His things first. I'm John Bradshaw for 19:19 It Is Written. Let's live today by every word. 19:24 [Music] 19:33 What if surrender meant letting go of your sin or 19:35 your dysfunction in exchange for freedom and integrity? 19:39 If you'd like to understand more, request our free 19:41 booklet, "The War is Over." Simply call 800-253-3000 19:47 and ask for your free copy of "The War is Over." 19:50 If the line's busy, please try again. 19:53 Or you can write to It Is Written at 19:54 P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tenneessee, 37401. 19:59 We'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 20:03 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry, and your support 20:07 makes it possible for us to share God's good news 20:09 with the world. Your tax-deductible gift can be 20:12 sent to the address on your screen, or through our website 20:15 at ItIsWritten.com. Thank you for your continued 20:18 prayerful support. Again, our toll-free number is 20:22 800-253-3000, and our web address is 20:26 ItIsWritten.com. 20:30 [ominous music] In 1835 a society was attacked 20:43 without provocation. Many were brutally murdered, and 20:47 of those, many were cannibalized and the survivors were enslaved. 20:52 Almost 200 years later, that society no longer exists. 20:58 Remnants of that civilization can still be seen. 21:01 Centuries-old carvings made by the Moriori are still visible 21:06 on the trunks of trees, ancient living artifacts 21:10 from another era. [melancholy piano music] 21:20 [Maui Solomon] I don't judge the ancestors 21:22 for what they did at the time they did it. 21:25 That was the right thing for them to have done, because 21:27 that was their custom, that was their tradition. 21:30 And by holding fast to those traditions, they have passed 21:35 on to this present generation of Moriori a legacy of peace, 21:40 of hope, of making a sacrifice that 21:42 left a lesson for humanity. They're not forgotten. 21:46 The legacy of peace and hope lives on. 21:56 [chimes] Geographically, Chatham Island 22:02 is a stunning place filled with incredible features, 22:06 including these basalt columns reminiscent of the 22:10 Giants Causeway in Ireland. It was here in this stunning 22:15 place that a peaceful society met a violent end, because it 22:21 chose to adhere to principles that put values even above 22:26 life itself. For the Moriori, it was more 22:29 important to do the right thing than to dominate 22:33 or to conquer another people. 22:36 The Moriori would choose the right path and make a bold 22:40 stand for peace. Like God's people in Revelation 22:45 12:11, they loved not their lives unto the death. 22:51 What motivates a person to live by that creedo? 22:56 A famous Revolutionary War figure paid for his dedication 23:00 to his country with his life, and is quoted as having said, 23:04 "My one regret is that I only had one life to give for my 23:08 country." Now, while that quote is 23:11 disputed by some, that's patriotism. 23:15 The night before he died, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 23:19 was speaking at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee, on 23:22 behalf of striking sanitation workers. 23:25 There had been threats made against his life; in fact, 23:27 the pilot of the plane that carried Dr. King and others 23:30 to Memphis, Tennessee, told the passengers on board that 23:33 plane that the plane had been guarded the night before. 23:38 During that speech, Dr. King said, "I don't know what 23:42 will happen with me now. We've got some difficult days 23:45 ahead. But it doesn't matter with me 23:47 now, because I've been to the mountaintop...I just want to 23:52 do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to 23:54 the mountain, and I've looked over, and I've seen the 23:58 Promised Land. I'm not fearing any man now. 24:03 Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." 24:09 The next day, outside room 306 of the Lorraine Motel, the 24:14 unthinkable happened. Now, what is it that drives a 24:19 man to go to those lengths, to consider a cause to be 24:22 more important even than his own well-being, 24:25 even than his own life? Well, for Dr. King it was 24:29 justice. It was human rights, it was 24:32 the plight of his people. But let's consider Jesus of 24:37 Nazareth. The Bible says of Jesus, "While 24:40 we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" - Romans 5:8. 24:45 And why? John 3:16: "For God so loved the 24:51 world, that He gave His only begotten Son." 24:56 Love, the great motivator. Now, there's something important 25:01 to consider here. God had a law. 25:04 Human beings had broken that law. 25:07 The only way for human beings to be reconciled to God was through 25:11 the death of His son, Jesus, although if God had simply 25:16 set aside His law, the death of Jesus wouldn't be necessary. 25:22 That would have been the easy way out for God, a way out of 25:25 a terrible situation that no parent wants to endure. 25:30 But just as the Moriori considered their law too 25:32 sacred to be set aside, God considered His law 25:36 to be too important to set aside also. 25:40 And as a consequence, Jesus willingly went to 25:44 the cross for you and me, because God so loved 25:49 the world. John 15:13 says, "Greater love 25:54 hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his 25:57 friends." I've heard people say they don't 26:02 believe they have the faith necessary to be a martyr. 26:06 Well, there are people in this world paying the ultimate price 26:09 for their faith in God, and the Bible does say that there are 26:12 challenging times ahead for planet Earth. 26:15 But the truth is, God's not asking most of us to die 26:19 for Him. Instead, He's asking us to live 26:23 for Him. And that involves death -- dying 26:26 to one's own self-interest, dying to one's own self-will. 26:31 In holding to Nunuku's Law, the Moriori gave more to the 26:35 world in their destruction than many civilizations 26:38 give to the world in their existence. 26:40 An example of what it means to be truly committed to a worthy, 26:44 to a noble cause. An example of what it means to 26:47 consider something so important that it's more important than 26:51 life itself. That's how committed Jesus was 26:54 to you: so committed that He gave His life so that you 26:59 might live. What are you planning to do with 27:02 that gift Jesus died to give you? 27:05 Let's pray. Father in Heaven, 27:08 thank you today for Jesus, your gift to the world. 27:12 Salvation was purchased at an infinite cost to yourself. 27:15 When you could have spared the life of Jesus, your son, 27:18 you didn't. When Jesus could have walked 27:20 away from the cross, He didn't. 27:23 Today as you offer that gift to the world, I pray for those 27:26 hearing me right now. In light of all you've done, 27:29 grant great grace to those who need to respond to your 27:32 mercy and goodness. Grant that they would do so now. 27:36 Will you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, friend? 27:39 Will you accept eternal life right now? 27:41 Lord, thank you for the certainty of a life of meaning, 27:44 an eternal life with you. We accept it in Jesus' 27:49 name, Amen. 27:52 Thanks for joining me. I look forward to seeing you 27:54 again next time. Until then remember, 27:57 it is written: Man shall not live 27:59 by bread alone but by every word that 28:03 proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:10 [majestic music] |
Revised 2016-08-22