One Man. One Life.

I have been reading the letters of Franz Jagerstatter, a poor, uneducated Austrian farmer who was conscripted into the Nazi army shortly after Austria was annexed by Germany in 1938. He went to basic training, leaving his young wife Franzi and three little daughters behind. But as a follower of Jesus Christ, Franz became increasingly uncomfortable with what at that time was even the official position of the church – “fulfill your duty to the state – no matter what – God will not hold you responsible for their sins or errors”. An extra, added pressure from the church was the “high calling” of being a responsible father and husband. Franz was torn – you should see the pictures of his three darlings that Franzi sent him while he was in prison!! Of course, he didn’t want to see them left fatherless – and he loved his wife very much and you can tell from his letters to her that he hated every moment away from her.

But the more Franz found out about the true purposes of the Third Reich, and the more he read the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus, the more he realized that to go along with Hitler in any way, in any sense, was to deny His Master. So, after a leave, Franz was commanded to report for duty in February of 1943. The tide of the war had turned against Germany – and the official policy toward deserters or those refusing to serve – due to morale issues – also turned severe. At the most inopportune time, Franz, because of his love for Jesus, went to the official reporting office at Enns, and quietly refused to serve.

He was immediately imprisoned – and 5 months later, he was beheaded by the Nazis. Of course, the official report was that he was executed for his refusal to serve in the German army. What is clear, however, is that Franz Jagerstatter was martyred by the forces of darkness because of his passionate love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The day before his execution, in his next to last letter to his wife Franzi, he writes: “How our final hours will be, we do not know. Nor do we know what struggles we must still pass through. That I have great trust in God’s compassion, that my dear Savior will not abandon me in the final hours – who has not abandoned me up until now – this you can believe with me.” He goes on to say, “The chief thing [for me] is only that the Lord not be ashamed of me…”.

One of his biographers says, “Franz Jagerstatter was a solitary witness. He died with no expectation that his sacrifice would make any difference to anyone.” And yet, as God’s sovereign will would have it, an American sociologist, Gordon Zahn, in the course of his research on the topic of German Catholics and Hitler’s Wars, “found a reference to an Austrian peasant who had paid with his life for refusing any part” in Hitler’s evil. He subsequently wrote FJ’s biography – “In Solitary Witness: The Life and Death of Franz Jagerstatter” – and to make a long story short – a Jesuit named Thomas Roberts – an Archbishop – took Franz’s story to the Second Vatican Council – and the rest, as they say, is history. Based largely on Jagerstatter’s example, the Roman Catholic Church decreed at the conclusion of the council, ostensibly changed their position on the responsibility of believers toward the state – calling sincere followers of Jesus to stand tall and firm against any crimes of state that condemn the innocent and defenseless!! This was a complete reversal of the stance the church had taken for centuries!!

One man. One life. He stood tall for Jesus Christ. I have found myself asking God to help me be more like Franz Jagerstatter. I have found myself – each morning in prayer – asking the Father to help me “follow the example of Franz Jagerstatter, even as He followed Jesus Christ.” I can’t wait to meet my brother Franz in eternity. One thing I know – when I approach to give him an embrace – I will have to make my way through and around the hugs and kisses of four women – Franz’s wife, and his three little girls.