Christian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, theologian, anti-Nazi dissident, and key founding member of the Confessing Church. Ultimately, Bonhoeffer was arrested for his involvement in helping Jews flee the country. Still, he continued to teach with the help of guards who smuggled out his writing, until he was transferred to a concentration camp. When his association with other Abwehr agents was discovered, Bonhoeffer was sentenced to death. He was hanged in April 1945, just one month before Germany surrendered.
Bonhoeffer wrote, “The Church is the Church only when it exists for others . . . not dominating but helping and serving. It must tell men of every calling what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others.”
We sometimes are faced with making choices that could put our life on the line. Dietrich Bonhoeffer stood against Hitler’s persecution of the Jews and they took revenge and sentenced him to death.
John the Baptist was imprisoned for his beliefs
John’s message didn’t go down well with the Pharisees, Levites and King Herod. John was incarcerated by Herod the Tetrarch for telling him that it wasn’t lawful to marry his brother’s wife. Matthew 14: 3-5
The historian Josephus wrote about John the Baptist in the Antiquities of the Jews (Book 18, Chapter 5, 2) “Josephus refers to the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist . . “
John in his prison cell like anyone today in prison would be wondering what was going on in the outside world. Waiting for news from those who came to visit about things he cared about most.
Matthew 11: 1-15
We read in Matthew 11:2 when John heard in prison the deeds of the Christ, he sent word to Jesus by his disciples, “Are you the one or should we look for another.”
The news that his disciples brought back would confirm to John that Jesus was the Christ. Jesus spoke of the miracles and healing that he had performed, and the poor had the good news preached to them and blessed were those who took no offence at him. Matthew 14: 1-5.
John being filled with the Holy Spirit would have been able to cope comforted by the Holy Spirit.
People imprisoned today for their faith in Christ rely on God to uphold them and the prayer and practical help of Christians.
In July 2017, Naser was arrested with three Azerbaijani Christians during a secret police raid on a church meeting. He was convicted of assembling in an “illegal gathering” that “threatens the security of Iran”. The others were also convicted then released and sentenced in absentia, after returning to their country.
‘Barnabas Aid’ Charity helps those who suffer imprisonment for their faith in Jesus.
The way Jesus spoke about John reflected his admiration for John the Baptist.
John the Baptist was his cousin, but their parent’s lives were so different, Jesus’ adopted father Joseph was a carpenter, John grew up in priest’s family, Zachariah his father served at the temple in Jerusalem and they lived in the hill country of Judea.
John’s early life was summarised in several sentences: the hand of the Lord was with him Luke 1:66. 80, He grew and became strong in spirit . . he was in the wilderness until his appearance publicly to Israel; he will be great before the Lord . . and . .filled with the Holy Spirit. He lived a remote life in the wilderness of Judea, he wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather girdle and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey, (carob bean) Matthew 3: 4.
When he started his baptism ministry in the river Jordan, people flocked to hear his message, “Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” and “The voice crying in the wilderness; Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” and many were baptised Isaiah 40: 3. Matthew 3: 2. 17: 10-13.
John’s message pointed to the appearance of the Christ (Greek) Hebrew (Messiah)
He was asked whether he was the Christ, Elijah or the prophet?’ He replied that he wasn’t the Christ. John 1: 19-23.
Jesus came to John to be baptised, we read that John would have prevented him, but Jesus insisted to fulfil all righteousness meaning: Jesus fulfilling the law by complying with the message from the messenger. Jesus recognised John as the prophet that Malachi wrote about, the for-runner to the appearance of the Christ. “Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me . . . . who can stand when he appears?” Malachi 3: 1,2.
He also identified him as being Elijah “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” Malachi 4: 5, 6. Luke 1: 17. Matthew 17:10-13.
Paul mentioned John the Baptist’s ministry in Acts 13: 24, 25 “Before his coming John preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.”
Jesus said the disciples would gather were others had sown.
God had prepared the way before Jesus’ disciples went out, many had turned to God through John’s baptism of repentance. So when these people heard the kingdom message “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” they were ready to respond received healing and salvation under law. Zacchaeus the tax collector repented and gave back four-fold under law. Jesus said that salvation had come to his house.
John 4:38. Luke 19: 1-10.
God prepares the way today under grace, repentance is still part of that process. A person coming to faith will be convicted of the need to get right with God. The love of God brings healing and forgiveness. Surrendering our will to serve the Lord we learn to distinguish living under God’s law as a set of rules and living those laws coming from the heart. Our newly transformed nature will want to comply with how God feels about sin.
God loves the sinner but hates sin.
Remembrance Day is where we reflect on how conflicts begin, the first world war started with taking revenge after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie were assassinated. The Austria-Hungry threatened war on Serbia, other countries sided with one or the other. Nations declared war on each other. All through taking revenge millions of people lost their lives at a young age.
Herodias prompted by her mother, Herod’s wife took revenge on John by having him beheaded. Matthew 14: 8
Jesus said love your enemies, even if they persecute you. Jesus is our example when he reached out to the Samaritans through the Samaritan women at Jacob’s well and when the Samaritan village refused him and his disciples hospitality, his disciples suggested that he should send the fire of God upon them in revenge, but Jesus rebuked their suggestion. John 4: 7-42. Luke 9:51-56.
Trials and tribulation come to us, but it’s how we react in those situations. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, ‘The Cost of Discipleship,’ a study on the Sermon on the Mount, in which he not only attacked “cheap grace” as a cover for ethical laxity, but also preached “costly grace.”
“When a man takes guilt upon himself in responsibility, he imputes his guilt to himself and no one else. He answers for it… Before other men he is justified by dire necessity; before himself he is acquitted by his conscience, but before God he hopes only for grace”.
On 4 April 1945, the diaries of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr, were discovered, and in a rage upon reading them, Hitler ordered that the Abwehr conspirators be destroyed. Bonhoeffer was led away just as he concluded his final Sunday service and asked an English prisoner, Payne Best, to remember him to Bishop George Bell of Chichester if he should ever reach his home: “This is the end—for me the beginning of life.”