Edwin Booth was one of the greatest actors of his day. Coming from a famous acting family, Edwin toured throughout the United States and the major capitals of Europe performing Shakespearean plays. Some theatrical historians consider him the greatest American actor, and the greatest Hamlet, of the 19th century.
But that fame turned against him because of His brother John. The brothers had shared the stages from time to time but they, like many families of their day, disagreed over the Civil War. As the war went on, John increasingly quarreled with Edwin, who declined to make stage appearances in the South and refused to listen to John denunciations of the North and Lincoln. John Wilkes Booth showed his hatred when he went to Ford theater in April of 1865 and assassinated the President.
The assassination forced Edwin Booth to abandon the stage for many months. He disowned his brother, refusing to have John's name spoken in his house. Yet the damage was done. How could he ever make up for the life his brother had taken from the Lincoln family?
It turns out he already had. Shortly before the assassination, Edwin had been standing on a train platform in New Jersey as people began boarding. The train unexpectedly moved forward causing one of the men to lose his balance and begin to fall helplessly between the platform and the moving car. He would have been crushed if not for the quick thinking Booth who grabbed his collar and pulled him to safety. Booth didn’t recognize the man but he knew the famous Edwin Booth. He thanked him for his life. Booth did not know the identity of the man whose life he had saved until sometime later when he received a letter from a friend, who was an officer on the staff of General Ulysses S. Grant. His friend had heard the story from the man, who had since joined the Union Army and was also serving on Grant's staff. In the letter, his friend gave his compliments to Booth for the heroic deed saving the last surviving son of President Abraham Lincoln, Robert Todd Lincoln. The fact that he had saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son was said to have been of some comfort to Edwin Booth following his brother's assassination of the president.
When we think about the great sacrifice that was made on our behalf by Jesus, it seems like there is no way to make up for the cost. Jesus died because of our sin. What could we ever do for him?
In Matthew 25, Jesus says in the final judgment the righteous will be a reward for the things they did for the King. But many like Booth will have no idea that they did something for him. In Matthew 25:37-40 we read,
"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
We can never repay what was done for us, but in serving others we are in essence serving the one that did so much for us. We need to be quick to see the need and serve the need. You may never know the person you are helping but you know you are serving the Lord!
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