“Let Me Take His Place” – Maximilian Kolbe, Germany, 1941
“The siren sounded and the prisoners of Maximilian Kolbe’s bunker were led out into the summer morning. From the activities of the German guards it was obvious that something was wrong. Maximilian looked at the guard towers and watched the officers standing stiffly as he and the other prisoners were gathered before them.
The commandant of the prison camp stepped forward. ‘There has been an escape. As you know, for this ten of you will die. Let that be a lesson to the rest of you—your freedom will cost the lives of ten other men.’
Ten men were selected from among the ranks and brought to the front. Maximilian watched as Sergeant Francis Gajoniczek was marched forward. ‘No, no, you can’t! I don’t want to die.’
At this, Maximilian stepped forward. ‘Sir, I am a priest. Let me take his place. I am old. He has a wife and child.’
The officer looked at him for an instant, then at the young man. He could certainly use the young man more for the daily labors that were required of the prisoners. ‘All right. You, back in line. Old man, you go with the others.’
The ten men were taken to a cell, where they were left to starve. All the while, Maximilian comforted the others with prayers, songs, and stories of Christ’s sacrifices for all of them. At the end of two weeks only four of them were still alive and only Maximilian was fully coherent. These four were then executed with an injection of carbolic acid.”[1]
Review
What does the call to discipleship, following Jesus, mean to us in our modern/postmodern culture? What was Jesus saying to us today? Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship is, in large part, an exposition of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. First, let’s take a look at what Jesus said:
Matthew 5
1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
The Fulfillment of the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Murder
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. 25 Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”
Divorce
31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.”
Oaths
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
An Eye for an Eye
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Bonhoeffer writing leaves no room for doubt where his convictions lie—it is by faith alone that we are saved but that faith is never alone. Discipleship is the same today as it was during Jesus’ earthly ministry: Be obedient in faith to follow Jesus’ example and his commands. Bonhoeffer writes, “Only those who obey can believe, and only those who believe can obey.” (p. 70) Bonhoeffer address these timeless questions in his dichotomy between "cheap grace" and "costly grace." "Cheap grace," Bonhoeffer writes, "is the grace we bestow on ourselves...grace without discipleship....Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again...It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life." (pp. 44-45) The title of the book, “The Cost of Discipleship," is in itself a compelling statement of the demands of sacrifice and ethical consistency that may, in fact, cost someone their earthly life as it did Bonhoeffer’s.
Bonhoeffer’s focus on grace contrasts worthless, cheap grace (to just believe) with the costly grace by which we are saved, if we continue in obedience to Christ. Bonhoeffer brings us to the foot of the Cross of Christ and shows us that the Sermon on the Mount is a command not an ideal. He “counted” the cost of discipleship and found Grace a Costly Truth. Cheap Grace, as cited above, is grace bestowed on ourselves, preaching forgiveness without requiring repentance, eliminating self denial and the death of self life. Bonhoeffer goes on to write, “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting to-day for costly grace. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices.” (p. 43) He creatively illustrates how the church, along with the gospel, has been diluted by this distorted teaching about grace as he writes, “We…have gathered like eagles round the carcass of cheap grace, and there we have drunk of the poison which has killed the life of following Christ.” (p. 53) Bonhoeffer chastised German Christians during the Nazi occupation, but he may as well be admonishing the Church in our modern/postmodern culture as well that we have watered down the gospel into a “feel-good” message that makes no costly demands and fails to distinguish between natural and Christian existence. Furthermore, if the Church refuses to face the grim and painful reality of sin, it will have no credibility when it talks of forgiveness. The Cost of Discipleship drives home the crucial point that grace is not a license to sin! Paul writes in his letter to the Romans:
Romans 6:1-4
1 “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Instead, grace is the power of God to transform sinful humanity into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
The July 20 Plot (aka “Operation Valkyrie”)
It is important to note, without going into substantial historical detail, that Bonhoeffer practiced what he preached. Therefore, a bit of context might be helpful in understanding what “The Cost of Discipleship” looked like for Bonhoeffer.
Bonhoeffer was a minister in Germany during the Nazi occupation of the country. In 1944, an assassination plan was developed by some high-ranking Nazi officers. In short, the plan was to assassinate Hitler and overthrow the Third Reich. When asked to participate in the effort, Bonhoeffer was at first horrified at the idea of murder. However, he realized that as a Christian he could not stand by and watch the annihilation of the Jews. The “July 20 Plot,” also known as “Operation Valkyrie,” was the culmination of years of meticulous planning.
However, before the assassination plans were implemented, money used to help Jews escape to Switzerland was traced to Bonhoeffer. He was summarily arrested and sent to jail. His life was spared because he had a relative in the German high command. Finally, on July 20th, the assassination plot was put into action. Everything worked exactly as planned until the very last moment. Shortly before the bomb was set to go off, someone unknowingly moved it away from where Hitler was sitting. Three officers were killed when the bomb went off but Hitler survived the attack. The German high command immediately began to track down members of the resistance who had been involved in the plot. The investigation eventually led to Bonhoeffer as one of several conspirators.
Hitler personally ordered Bonhoeffer’s execution. On the morning of April 8, 1945, Bonhoeffer was led naked into the execution yard while the prison guards mocked him. At the foot of the scaffold, Bonhoeffer paused to kneel and pray. He then got up and climbed the steps to the gallows. Using a meat hook, Bonhoeffer was slowly hoisted using a noose around his neck formed from piano wire. Asphyxiation is thought to have taken around thirty minutes.
It would seem that Bonhoeffer was imminently qualified to speak of “The Cost of Discipleship” as years before he had written about the necessity for Christians to embrace death: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow him, or it may be a death like Luther’s, who had to leave the monastery and go out in to the world. But it is the same death every time – death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at his call.” (pp. 89-90)
Bonhoeffer’s involvement in Operation Valkyrie introduces a difficult dichotomy between Jesus’ call not to resist evil and to pray for those who persecute us on the one hand and standing by as human beings (Jews in this case) are being systematically exterminated. “The Cost of Discipleship” is not always clear or simple. However, part of the “Cost” is the internal battle with trying to clearly discern God’s will in all cases and then acting properly thereon. How would you judge Bonhoeffer’s actions? What would you have done? What was easier (cheap)? What was more difficult (costly)?
[1] dc Talk and Voice of the Martyrs, Jesus Freaks, Vol. II, (Minneapolis, MN, Bethany House Publishers, 2002), p. 161.
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