The year was 1942. A stand against
the Third Reich meant death. But they stood anyway. When they went
out and painted “Freedom!” all over Munich, Germany, they weren’t propagating
epic jokes. When they wrote and re-wrote articles against “national socialism”,
they weren’t trying to be famous. They were simply proclaiming the
beliefs that burned deep in their souls. They were convinced that for
freedom to be preserved in Germany, people would have to be willing to “make a
start”, and to die. They were game for both. Their names were Hans
and Sophie Scholl, a brother and sister from Ulm, Germany. Casting
themselves upon God’s mercy, they made a start, changed the world, died, and
became some of Germany’s greatest war-time heroes. And mine.
The Scholl’s character and commitment to
righteousness, whatever the cost, had been forged from a young age. Their
father had been the first to tell them that the newly-risen Hitler would ruin
Germany, destroy their liberty, terminate religious freedom and enslave the
next generation. He had also told them that he didn’t care if they
rose to become great people in the world. All he wanted was to see them
cling to and fight for truth, even if the whole world was against them.
In June of ’42, at age twenty-three and
while at college in Munich, Hans published and secretly distributed an illegal,
anti-Nazi leaflet. Among other things,
he had written, “Who can imagine the extent of the shame that will engulf us
and our children once the scales fall from our eyes and crimes monstrous beyond
all measure are revealed?...If the Germans, devoid of all individuality, have
already been reduced to a mindless cowardly herd, then, yes, they deserve to go
under.” He was calling his fellow Germans to rise and stand against the
darkness while there was still an opportunity.
Richard
Hanser, in his book A Noble Treason, wrote of Han’s pamphlet, “For the
first time in the history of the Third Reich, opposition to Adolf Hitler and
his regime had broken through to the light of day and become visible, and his
leaflet was only the first.” [1] While most of the country were either ignorant
of the rising evil, indifferent to it, or scared to do something about it, a
young man had struck the first blow. And
the blows kept coming. A second leaflet
followed soon after. In it, Hans made clear that failure to oppose
wickedness was subtle agreement with it. He wrote, “The apathetic
behavior of the Germans gave these low creatures [the Reich] the possibility to
do the things they have done…Everyone wants to exonerate himself from his share
of the blame and then go back to sleep with a good conscience. But it
cannot be done: everyone is guilty! guilty! guilty!” He added, “It
must be the first and highest duty – yes, the sacred duty – of every German to
exterminate these beasts [the Nazis].”
When Hans wrote these words, he knew he could
die. But he valued truth enough to write about it, and he cared about
people enough to share it. He knew that good only came with sacrifice.
“It is high time that Christians made up their minds to do something,” he
wrote.
In an
effort to protect his sister, Hans didn’t tell Sophie what he had done.
She found out anyway, and knowing she could not deter him from taking a
stand, she joined him. Just as
committed, she said: “So many are dying for this regime, it’s only right that
some should die against it!” And, “How
can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to
give himself up individually to a righteous cause?...What does my death matter,
if through [me], thousands of people are wakened and stirred to action?”
Hans had issued the initial blows, and now,
with Sophie and a few committed friends by his side, he worked to get
organized. They called their publishing/resistance group “The White
Rose”, completely dedicated to “call out the truth as clearly and audibly as
possible into the German night.” [2] The third leaflet they published verified
their dedication: “Why do you not rise up, why do you endure this…? It is
not your right but your moral duty to overthrow this system!” The fourth
leaflet added, “We will not be silent.” They knew they were called to
“make a breach in the wall of terror” and risk their lives “against…injustice
that cries to heaven.”
A friend, Willi Graf, tried to gain
financial support for “The White Rose” with some success. Of him it was
written, “He was one of those young people who [has] always found it impossible
to remain indifferent in the face of injustice.” Alex Schmorell, another
friend, got a typewriter and “duplicating machine.” With dogged
determination, the group got to work, printing and copying thousands of papers
which they discreetly delivered to various friends, fellow resisters and mailboxes,
in Munich and beyond. Hanser noted that “subversion as practiced by the
Munich students demanded more than idealism, courage and a sense of outrage.
It also demanded the utmost in patience, endurance, and sheer drudgery.”
[3] But they did it anyway. In November, they published the fifth
leaflet, proclaiming that “the war is approaching its inevitable end…A new war
of liberation has begun!...Support the resistance movement!” Support was
growing. The leaflets were being sent all across Germany now.
Another friend, Hans Hirzel, designed a poster with a swastika that read:
“Whoever wears this sign is an enemy of the people!” Behind a church
organ, he helped Sophie address two thousand leaflets to send to the city of
Ulm. Soon after, Hans, Alex and Willi went out at night to paint graffiti
on the walls and buildings of Munich. In the morning, the city was
covered with slogans like, “Freedom!” and “Down With Hitler!” and crossed-out
swastikas.
In February, after the German defeat at
Stalingrad, professor Kurt Huber, a friend of the Scholl’s, wrote the sixth
leaflet proclaiming: “The eyes of Germany are upon us! The nation looks
to us to break the National Socialist terror in 1943...The dead of Stalingrad
call to us!” The White Rose continued to hit the nail on the
head. Another friend, Christel Probst
wrote the seventh leaflet. As father of
two children, he wrote about the Germany he wanted for the next generation.
Meanwhile, Hans and Sophie were distributing the sixth leaflet at Munich University.
It was February 18, 1943. They
were seen tossing the anti-nazi leaflets from a gallery into the empty student
hall below. Within minutes, they were arrested.
During the first day of interrogation, they admitted
nothing. But when overwhelming evidence
was amassed against them, they took the blame for everything, trying to protect
the others. Nevertheless, Willi Graf was arrested. Sophie managed
to send him a cigarette with “Freedom!” written on it. Christel Probst was
arrested, too.
On
February 21st, charges against Hans, Sophie and Christel were officially
written up. The next day, they were carried from the prison to face the
judge. Sophie’s cell-mate saw that she had left something behind.
It was the judge’s indictment, face down, with one word scribbled on the
back: “Freedom.” In the courtroom,
Sophie told the judge, “Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we
wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just don’t dare to express
themselves like we did.” During the
trial, their father appeared. He was
forced from the room while he declared, “One day there will be another kind of
justice! They will go down in history!”
Three of them were condemned to death.
That
evening, just before five, on February 22, Christel said, “Well, in a few
minutes we shall be seeing each other again. In eternity.”
At 5
o’clock, Sophie (21) was beheaded in an unmarked shed.
Christel
(23) was next. En route to the building, he said, “I did not know
dying could be so easy.”
Hans
(23) was last. When he reached the door, he yelled, “Long live freedom!”
Then he went in and was killed.
On
July 13, 1943 Alex Schmorell (24) and Kurt Huber (49) were executed.
Willi
Graf (25) was killed in October, after saying, “I retract nothing…”
A
friend said, “Remember, it was not in vain.”
--
Stories like this are not very common because most of us
are unwilling to be a part of them. It’s
too hard, too costly and too difficult, we say.
We moan about the spiritual state of our nation and groan about the
plummeting policies of our government.
We also applaud others who stand, and meanwhile sit on our couches and shut
our mouths. We read about “The White
Rose” and say, “that is inspiring”, while not being inspired to action ourselves. This cannot be if we are Christian. And this must change if we live in the fear
of God. We cannot stay ignorant of
rising evil. We cannot be indifferent in
the face of it. And we cannot be afraid
to do something about it. If we are, we
need to examine our hearts and see if we are really in the faith.
It’s time to make a start.
It’s time to realize that our churches are bowing to
worldly expectations and government stipulations, that the institution of
marriage is being destroyed in our nation, that orphans and fatherless abound,
that our families are broken. It’s time
to realize that 58 million babies have been killed through abortion in the
American holocaust. It’s time to realize
that Christians are being persecuted, jailed, and killed for their faith all
over the world. It’s time to realize
that billions of people in the world
are so submerged in darkness that they haven’t even seen a Christian in their lifetime, much less heard the Gospel.
Help
and hope are not found in a government, or a movement, or a person. They are found in Jesus Christ who calls each
of us to turn from our sin, to find the solutions in His word, and then to spend
ourselves for Him in spreading the help and hope to the world. He calls each of us to stand, to make a
start, to take up our Cross and to follow in His footsteps.
As we kick off the New Year, let’s be willing to ask: “Lord,
where and how do you want me to spend myself this year? Where do you want me to start?” Let’s fall on our knees and repent of
forgetfulness, of indifference, of busyness, of selfishness, of fear. Let’s acknowledge the Lordship and the
worthiness of our Father. Let’s take
every opportunity to lay our lives down for our families, for our churches, for
the people we meet around town. Let us share
the Gospel – true good news cannot be locked up for long. Let’s find the people in our communities who
need mercy and friendship and stand in the gap for the poor and
defenseless. Let us forgive the wrongs we’ve
held to, and close up the wounds we’ve nursed, then use the pointless books and
movies for target practice. Let’s throw
out the counterfeit pearls of the world and cut off the weights that hold us
back. Let us bury ourselves in the Word
and run for the prize.
The
graves in Munich, Germany of the young people who cared enough to “do
something” can testify that it is better to burn out than rust out.
Happy New Year.
[1] Hanser, Richard. A Noble
Treason. pg. 160
[2] Huber, Kurt.
[3] Hanser, Richard. A Noble
Treason. pg. 211
[4] 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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