If you ever need an example of perseverance, it would be difficult to find a better one than Hiroo Onoda. He was a Japanese soldier who fought in the Philippines during WWII. He was deployed in 1944. His commanding officer told him never to surrender. When the war ended in 1945, Onoda did not believe the reports and thought it was propaganda from the United States. He led three other men into the jungles of the Philippines to continue fighting. He would obey the orders of his commanding officer.
The other three men either surrendered or died, but Onoda kept resisting. Leaflets were dropped in the jungle, telling the men that Japan had surrendered and that they ought to do the same. They even dropped letters from his family stating this. But Onoda thought these were also enemy tricks. He lived off fruit, animals he could kill, and by raiding local farms.
Finally, in 1974, a Japanese man traveled to the Philippines to find Onoda and convince him to come home. Onoda would do so only if his previous commander came and told him he could surrender. Japanese officials sent the officer, and Onoda turned his weapons over to the Philippine government and returned to Japan as an international sensation. He had persevered in the jungle, “fighting the enemy,” for over twenty-nine years.
When he surrendered, he still had his official sword and the rifle the army had issued him. They were in excellent condition, along with several hand grenades and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. He had been a faithful soldier until the end, obeying the orders given to him.
Some have questioned Onoda’s motives, saying that he actually knew the war was over. They maintain that through the years Onoda had attacked fishermen, police, and farmers in the Philippines because he loved violence. His claim that he did not know the war was over was only an excuse to murder people. It has been estimated that he killed thirty people during those years.
Most, however, accept his account. The Philippine government pardoned him for his crimes. That he was able to convince the three soldiers who stayed with him that the war was not over suggests he really believed it. Perhaps Onoda suffered from some mental illness. He would have had to really like killing people to be willing to live in a jungle for thirty years just so he could do so!
If we assume Onoda spoke the truth, he shows us what perseverance means. Even though he was a soldier of a monstrous regime, he had been given his orders. He kept them and wanted to be faithful to the one who told him to fight against the enemy. Throughout those years, he kept his weapons in a highly functional state, always ready to do what he had been told. His devotion was incredible. I know I could not have done what he did.
The believer also has a Commander. However, our Commander is perfectly wise and righteous. He has told us to obey Him, to never give up, and to endure until He returns (Matt 24:46; Rom 5:3-4; Gal 6:9; Heb 10:36; Rev 3:10a). We are to fight the good fight (1 Tim 6:12).
We could say that Odona did what he did because he wanted to be rewarded. His reward would be not dishonoring his family or bringing shame upon his name. He wanted his commanding officer to be pleased with him. Our Commander will reward us as well. But our rewards will be eternal and will involve honor in Christ’s eternal kingdom. May He be pleased with us!
Like Onoda, our Commander has given us the weapons we need to wage our battle. He has given us spiritual gifts, the Word of God, and the fellowship of other believers. May we use those weapons as we persevere until He comes.
Everything around Onoda told him to give up. That message was even dropped from the sky in the form of leaflets. The world will tell us, as well, to give up. The difference, of course, is that the messages to Onoda were the truth. When the world tells us to give up, it really is propaganda!
If I had been Onoda, I could not have held on for almost thirty years. I am sure that the majority of you would say the same. But with the weapons our Lord has given us and the strength He provides, we can persevere in what He has commanded us to do.
