Hebrews 10:34 (NIV)
You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully
accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you
yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
Who do we know who would be happy to accept the
"confiscation" of his "property"? How would we react if
that happened to us? Wouldn't we complain bitterly? Wouldn't we go out and hire
the best lawyer on the continent? After all, what we are talking about here are
our precious belongings, the things we have worked hard to accumulate over the
years.
Sadly, though, once we pass from this earthly existence,
many of these precious belongings aren't considered that precious any longer,
and many end up in a yard sale or in the junk yard.
Why are we so fixated on these then?
Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was just 27 years old when
many churches in Germany embraced the rise of Nazism and created the Deutsche
Christen group ("German Christians"), which would become the voice of
Nazi ideology. Non-Aryans, a term that refers to those who are non-Jewish
Caucasians, especially of Nordic descent, were banned from the pulpit, and Jews
were no longer allowed in Christian churches, even if they had been baptized. Many
advocated to even remove the Old Testament from the Bible!
What would we do if that happened in our day and age?
Would we stand up for the truth? Or would we shake our heads in silence?
Dietrich could not stand the hypocrisy and he decided to
do something about it. He firmly believed that if non-Aryans were banned from
the ministry, then all ministers should resign in solidarity. His beliefs were
received with a deaf ear, and so in May 1934, the anti-Nazi Confessing church,
a church that was to remain free of Nazi influence, was established. A year
later an underground seminary was established for Non-Aryans to obtain their
theology degree. Jews, as well as other Non-Aryans, deserved to be treated like
anyone else!
On April 5, 1943, 3 months after Dietrich had become
engaged to Maria von Wedemeyer, he was arrested and taken to the Tegel prison.
His property was confiscated, and he gladly gave it up, as he too knew that he
"had better and lasting possessions".
On April 9, 1945, one month before Germany would
surrender to the Allies, Dietrich was hanged at Flossenburg. His last words
reverberated in the minds of the soldiers attending his execution: "This
is the end - for me the beginning of life."
Dietrich didn't put his possessions on a golden pedestal,
nor did he consider his life as all-important. He knew where he was heading and
that was the most important thing of all.
In his book "The Cost of Discipleship", first
published in 1937, Dietrich clearly indicated that the only purpose for earthly
belongings was to be used. The goal was not to be accumulated. This reminds us
of the manna provisions in the wilderness. Manna kept overnight went bad.
Accumulated possessions become a barrier between God and ourselves, as our
trust is not secured on the Eternal one, but in our earthly treasures.
Dietrich's conclusion was this: Amassing distracts us from God!
This should make us think: Do we truly find solace in our
possessions, or do they more often than not become an irritation at times?
Dear Lord, we pray that our focus would be on the things
of You and not on how many things we can collect or own. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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