But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Hebrews 2:9-11
In 1415, Henry V’s English army was battered, outnumbered, and almost out of food when they faced the French forces at Agincourt. The dramatic English victory against what seemed to be impossible odds was one of the most important battles in the Hundred Years’ War and cemented Henry V’s place as a legendary English king. Almost two hundred years later, William Shakespeare wrote a play depicting those events, which included a speech on the eve of the pivotal battle. In the play, Henry says:
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
The gap between common people and nobles in ancient times was vast, but their willingness to fight would earn them a new status in Henry’s eyes.
The gap between us and God is far greater, and it is bridged not by anything we do or avoid doing, but by the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Through His free gift we, who are hopelessly lost in sin and darkness, become children of God, and Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren.
