Understanding John Allen Chau's Martyrdom & What It Means To Us

Christian missionary John Allen Chau is believed to have been killed by the members of the North Sentinelese tribe on November 16th when he attempted to establish contact with them. His long-term vision was to translate the Bible into their language. Although the media informs us that Mr. Chau is no more, his mother, who is also a Christian, believes that her son is still alive.1

A section of the Christian community voiced their disapproval. Without much information about John Allen Chau being available immediately after his death, one cannot fault the legitimate common-sense-based questions that suspect the wisdom of such an endeavor.

Questions such as, 'How could he evangelize a hostile tribe (that's been perennially secluded from the world) without knowing their language?' or 'Was he adequately prepared for such a dangerous mission?' were asked.

John Allen Chau's martyrdom was compared to that of Jim Elliot and his five friends, who were speared to death in the year 1956 by another isolated tribal group – Waorani.2

Was John Allen Chau crazy to undertake such a dangerous life-threatening missionary endeavor? What does his martyrdom mean to us, Christians?

These were the last words of John Allen Chau:3

Bryan and Mary and Mom and Dad,

You guys might think I am crazy in all this but I think it's worth it to declare Jesus to these people.

Please do not be angry at them or at god if I get killed-rather please live you lives in obedience to whether He has called you too and I'll see you again when you pass through the veil.

This is not a pointless thing-The eternal lives of this [Sentinelese] tribe is at hand and I can't wait to see them around the throne of God worshipping in their own language as Revelation 7:9-10 states.

I love you all and I pray none of you love anything in this world more than Jesus Christ.

SOLI DEO GLORIA (Glory to god)

John Allen Chau loved the Lord Jesus more than anything else. His last words reveal this fact with great clarity.

It's one thing to love the Lord Jesus, but it's totally another thing (so radical) to love the Lord Jesus more than anything else – our family, our life, included. If we are totally convinced about Christ's calling in our life, we would be willing to let go of anything and anyone.

He was not brainwashed by certain radical elements within Christianity. Rather, he loved the Lord Jesus so much so that he was willing to lay down his life for HIS sake (cf. John 13:37,38, 15:13-15).

Oswald Chambers explains the notion of laying down our lives for the Lord Jesus, "If I am a friend of Jesus, I must deliberately and carefully lay down my life for Him. It is a difficult thing to do, and thank God that it is. Salvation is easy for us, because it cost God so much. But the exhibiting of salvation in my life is difficult. God saves a person, fills him with the Holy Spirit, and then says, in effect, "Now you work it out in your life, and be faithful to Me, even though the nature of everything around you is to cause you to be unfaithful." And Jesus says to us, "...I have called you friends...." Remain faithful to your Friend, and remember that His honor is at stake in your bodily life."4

John Allen Chau loved the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 18-20) and the Sentinelese tribe. His love for the Great Commission motivated his love for the Sentinelese tribe. He loved them so much so that he dedicated a good portion of his life preparing to take the gospel to them. Here's an excerpt from two articles in Christianity Today. These articles present pertinent background information about Chau's preparation: