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In
1527, the Wittenberg area was hit with the Bubonic Plague, a terrible disease
quickly fatal to so many. It was not uncommon for a community to lose its
one-third to one-half of its inhabitants to a terrible death. Martin Luther’s
friend, Rev. Dr. John Hess, wrote Luther, asking his advice for such times.
Luther’s response shows an interesting perspective:
“I
shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the
air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my
presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance
inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my
negligence. If God should wish to take me, He will surely find me, and I have
done what He has expected of me, and so I am not responsible for either my own
death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not
avoid such place or person but will go freely as stated above. See this is such
a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not
tempt God.”
Luther maintained that there was an
obligation to help those who contracted the plague, but so long as they were
being helped, it was a matter of conscience if one should remain to aide in the
task. He argued that it would be better for hospitals with trained staff to
care for the sick, and each Christian should offer generous contributions to
help those hospitals. Yet if trained staff were not to be found, “we must
give hospital care and be nurses for one another in any extremity.”
Luther also said that if a person was
overcome by the horror of disease and caring for those who had it, he should
realize that “Satan himself was filling their minds to drive them to
anxiety, fear, and worst of all, to forget and lose Christ, our light and
life.” Thus, Luther and his
wife opened their home to help the infected. While numerous people fled the
city, Luther and Katie stayed to treat the infected day in and day out, not
knowing if they or their family would also contract the disease.
Though the plague only lasted in
Wittenberg from August until November of 1527, the events had a lasting impact on
Luther and Katie as they saw friends, neighbors, and relatives die. Yet they
helped those who had nowhere else to turn. And this, only five years after Martin
Luther had been excommunicated by Rome. Less than two years after the plague
ended, they lost their 8 month-old daughter Elisabeth to an ordinary disease.
Whether we are a Christian or not, each
one of us faces the reality of natural disasters and political unrest. We live
in a broken and sin-ridden world and regularly experience of sin’s consequences.
We cannot escape it, even though we build entire industries to counteract the
disasters that each day may bring. We have infrastructures set up because we
know the potential for the unexpected calamity to strike. We formulate backup
plans and “safety nets” all because we are finite beings who know no other life
than one of weakness and failure. And despite knowing these, people rarely
contemplate their significance.
The fact is, calamity and disaster are
our “normal” even though they were never intended to be. We’d rather ignore thinking
of such things, because we always believe we have more time and a better way, both
of which give a false sense of security. We avoid contemplating the sobriety of
death because seriously thinking about it forces us to deal with the question
of what comes next!
Far too often, thoughts on eternal
matters come only when they are thrust upon us, such as we have in the current
Covid19 virus. We modern people are reactionary creatures, trusting our
government or cleverness to save us. Then when a real threat comes, we panic.
Few of us have the resolve to stand strong when the storms of life come. Those
who stand without Christ are swept away in the floodwaters of doubt, blame and
speculation because the foundation they built upon is shifting sand (See Matthew
7:24-27). Sadly, we prepare only for the immediate temporal matters, but not
the weightier matters of eternity.
Regardless
of what some will say, no amount of stockpiled provisions will save us when
impending doom comes. No amount of financial security, no “peace of mind” the
investment broker sells us, nor dreams of a sunny beach retirement will be a
comfort when we clutch our chest as our heart gives out. No hope of this earth
will console us when death is at our door, as it invariably will be one day.
Only the
fool lives without realizing these things. He neglects the very means by which
peace and eternity with God can be known, by faith in Jesus Himself. Through
His Word, God makes wise the simple and causes them to live in the safety of
faith in Christ. “Whoever listens to me will live in safety and
be at ease, without fear of harm.” says
Proverbs 1:33. The
fool may spurn wisdom until the day disaster overwhelms him, but Romans 10:11
tells us. “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
A
statement from Martin Luther might help us deal with all this. “We need to
hear the gospel every day, because we forget it every day.” Far too often,
the distractions and troubles of life try to extinguish the flame of our faith
and drive us into a frenzy, rather than be at rest in Christ. Not only does the
Gospel remind us that God has forgiven us, it says He will also raise us up on
the last day. And, yes, there will actually be a last day! We will only endure
hardship, suffering, disease, and political turmoil for so long. Some day our
Lord Jesus will return to claim His believers and usher them into a new life of
unparalleled peace. Until that day, let us never forget that He is the Son of God
who remains in front of His people, leading the battle-charge against all the
great adversaries of life.
Just days
ago, a weary spiritual warrior left earth to be with His Lord Jesus. Five years
ago, Darrell had been told he’d only live six months, yet he was blessed
tenfold, always trying his best to serve God and his churches until he was
physically no longer able. A week or two ago, he and I spoke at length on the
phone, reminiscing and laughing about early days of our friendship decades ago.
It was God’s gift to each of us.
Even as we
face our own death, we can be reminded that Christ has defeated death itself,
and secured our redemption through His resurrection. And the Bible says His
resurrection assures us of our own resurrection. “For if we have been united with Him in a death
like His, we will certainly
also be united with Him in a resurrection like His.” (Romans 6:5) The fact of our faith in Jesus is this: Because of His genuine death
and glorious resurrection, you and
I can rest confidently in the fact that God will raise us up with Christ and
bring us into eternal rest.
No promise
that God has made will not be fulfilled. Every single one of them will come to
pass, and we will be in His glorious presence by faith in Jesus. Recently I’ve
heard repeated the old axiom, “This too
shall pass.” I just want to add that this nasty disease and its affect on
the worlds’ economies and societies need not frighten us as much as we let it.
Let’s rather stand firm in our faith that Jesus one day will have a better
place for us all.
(Copyright 2020 © Rev.
Robert L. Tasler, Casa Grande, AZ, and Castle Rock, CO)
