Downloads
Videos
What would you be willing to lose for something you believe?
For 21 men working far from home in Libya in 2015, that question stopped being hypothetical. The short animated film above, The 21, tells their story. It's told by the people who loved them, and it turns what their killers meant as propaganda into a story of faithful witness, forgiveness and hope. This lesson asks what it costs to follow Jesus, and why anyone would pay it.
A note before you watch: the film is animated in the style of Coptic icons, but it does show the men's deaths in a stylised way. Some viewers find it disturbing. If you need to stop or step away, that's completely okay.
What you'll learn
- Who the 21 were, what happened to them, and why their story matters to Christians
- How Bible passages about suffering, witness and loving enemies connect with their story
- How the families' forgiveness reflects Jesus' teaching, and how Christians can stand with the persecuted church today
Who were the 21?
- Who they were. 21 construction workers in Sirte, Libya. Twenty were Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians, 13 of them from one village, El-Aour (al-Our) in Minya. The 21st, Matthew Ayariga, was from Ghana (Barnabas Aid).
- Capture. They were taken in two ISIS raids in December 2014 and January 2015. Gunmen went door to door, separating Christians from Muslim workers (Barnabas Aid).
- Death. They were killed on a Libyan beach in February 2015, and ISIS released a video days later. Many of the men were seen praying "Lord Jesus Christ" in Arabic.
- Matthew Ayariga. Asked if he rejected Christ, he pointed to the men beside him and said, "Their God is my God."
- Afterwards. The Coptic Church declared them martyrs within days. Their remains were returned home and, by 2020, all 21 rested together in the Church of the Martyrs in El-Aour (Christian Post). In May 2023 the Catholic Church also recognised them as martyrs (CNA).
It's important to say plainly: ISIS was a terrorist group, and it does not speak for Muslims in general. And the heroes of this story didn't hate their killers. They prayed for them.
About the film
The 21 was made by MORE Productions (founder Mark Rodgers, director Tod Polson) with more than 70 artists, in a neo-Coptic icon style, with music by the Ayoub Sisters. It was shortlisted for Best Animated Short at the 97th Academy Awards. The makers built it from interviews with the men's families, friends and clergy, to replace the ISIS propaganda video with the story of the men's spiritual victory (Coptic Solidarity).
ISIS filmed the killings to spread fear. The film turns that around and asks: who really won on that beach?
"Their God is my God"
Matthew Ayariga wasn't Egyptian and wasn't Coptic. His words echo Ruth, a foreigner who chose to belong to God's people:
"But Ruth replied: ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.’" (Ruth 1:16)
What might have led Matthew to say that? It says a lot about how the other twenty lived, and how they faced death, that he wanted their God as his own.
The men refused to deny Jesus even when it would have saved their lives. Jesus said:
"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven." (Matthew 10:32)
Forgiveness
The most surprising part of the story came afterwards. Beshir Kamel lost two brothers, Bishoy (25) and Samuel (23). He thanked ISIS for not editing out their confession of Christ, and said his mother would invite the killer into her home and ask God to open his eyes (EPM). He also said, "We don't forgive the act… But we do forgive the killers" (The Tablet).
Is that realistic? Where could that kind of forgiveness come from? Christians would point straight to Jesus, who said:
"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)
Jesus prayed for forgiveness for those crucifying him (Luke 23:34), and Stephen, the first Christian martyr, did the same (Acts 7:59–60). Notice Beshir's careful words: forgiving the killers is not the same as saying what they did was okay, or that justice doesn't matter. Forgiveness refuses revenge and hatred; it doesn't pretend evil is good.
The story in Scripture
| Passage | Theme | Where it shows in the story |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew 5:10–12 | Blessed are the persecuted | The men's steadiness under threat |
| Matthew 10:28, 32–33 | Don't fear those who kill the body; acknowledge Jesus | Refusing to deny Christ when it would have saved them |
| Ruth 1:16 | "Your God will be my God" | Matthew Ayariga's words |
| Matthew 5:43–45 | Love your enemies, pray for persecutors | Beshir's prayer and his mother's offer to welcome the killer |
| Luke 23:34; Acts 7:59–60 | Jesus and Stephen forgive their killers | The families' forgiveness |
| Revelation 12:11 | Victory through the Lamb and the word of testimony | The beach as a victory, not a defeat |
Two things to be clear about. Martyrs don't go looking for death; they simply refuse to deny Jesus when death comes. And persecution isn't only history: Christians face it in many countries today.
Key words
- Martyr: from the Greek martys, meaning "witness". Someone killed because of their faith.
- Coptic Orthodox: the ancient Christian church of Egypt, one of the oldest churches in the world.
- Icon: a traditional religious painting, used especially in Orthodox churches. The 21 are honoured with icons.
- Testimony: telling what you know to be true, especially about Jesus.
- Forgiveness: choosing not to take revenge or hold a wrong against someone, without pretending the wrong was okay.
How this points to Jesus
This lesson's key verse describes believers who overcome evil not by fighting back, but by holding on to Jesus:
"They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death." (Revelation 12:11)
The 21 conquered "by the blood of the Lamb": they trusted that Jesus had died for them and risen again, so death was not the end. Their faithfulness and their families' forgiveness both point back to him.
Think about it
The film presents the beach as a victory, not a defeat. How can that be?Show answer
ISIS wanted to spread fear and make the men deny Jesus, but they stayed faithful to the end. Christians believe that because Jesus rose, death couldn't take what mattered most from them.
Does forgiving someone mean what they did was okay?Show answer
No. Beshir said they forgave the killers but not the act. Forgiveness means giving up revenge and hatred, not pretending evil is good or that justice doesn't matter.
Most of us will never face this choice. What does being a faithful witness look like for a Year 9 student?Show answer
It might mean not hiding your faith when it's awkward, treating people kindly online, or forgiving someone who hurt you. Faithfulness in small things is the same faithfulness the 21 showed.
Take it further
Choose one of these to think about privately this week: What part of the story will stay with you, and why? Who in your life is hard to forgive, and what would Matthew 5:44 look like there? Where is it hard for you to say "Jesus is my Lord" out loud? You could also write a letter of encouragement to persecuted Christians through a ministry such as Open Doors Australia, Voice of the Martyrs or Barnabas Aid.
A prayer you can pray if you want to:
Lord Jesus, thank you for the faith of the 21 and for the families who chose forgiveness. Strengthen Christians who suffer for your name today. Comfort the families in El-Aour. As you taught us, we also pray for those who persecute your people: open their eyes. Make us faithful witnesses in small things, at school and at home. Amen.
Your viewing sheet helps you jot down what you notice in the film and connect it to the Bible.
Sources: Barnabas Aid: Ten years since the murder of Christians in Libya; Barnabas Aid: Remains of the last of the 21 claimed; Christian Post: Last of 21 laid to rest; Catholic News Agency; Coptic Solidarity; EPM; The Tablet.