Franz Jagerstatter, , Farmer

August 9. Franz Jagerstatter. Jagerstatter started out like your average wild kid. As a teenager, he fathered a child out of wedlock, led a motorcycle gang, and got arrested for street fighting.

But when he met the woman he soon married, she introduced him to , prayed with him, helped him grow in faith.

And soon Jagerstatter stood all-in for Jesus Christ, which put him at odds with the Nazis. On this date in 1943, Jagerstatter was executed by guillotine.

Sometimes it’s better to lose your head than to lose your integrity.

In 1938, German troops marched into Austria, took over, and it legally became part of the Third Reich. They held a vote to determine whether Austria would adopt the Nazi leadership, and more than 99% of the population approved. The church—having seen what happened to clergy who disagreed with the Germans—took the position that it was the duty of all Austrians to obey legitimate authorities. And the entire village of Radegund voted in favor of the Nazis, except one man.

Franz Jagerstatter believed that Christianity and were completely incompatible. Oil and water. Good and evil. The thought of believing in your country taking the place of believing in God was absurd. In about five years, he was drafted, and he refused to enter the war and fight for Hitler.

Franz swore it was impossible to be a good Catholic and a true Nazi. His bishop—who believed as Franz did but did not want to face the consequences—confronted Franz, said that it was not his place to decide whether the war was righteous or unrighteous, said it was Franz’s duty to serve.

Franz wrote to the bishop: “If the Church stays silent in the face of what is happening, what difference would it make if no church were ever opened again?” But if Franz remained silent and turned his back on God, that would make a huge difference. All the difference for eternity. The day of consequence was approaching. First, Franz offered to serve as a medic and to care for fallen soldiers, but that offer was denied. So Franz refused to take the oath to Hitler and declared himself a conscientious objector. His line in the sand had been drawn, and he would not cross it.

German military authorities immediately arrested Franz and imprisoned him in the same prison that was holding Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

While awaiting trial, Franz learned that one year earlier Franz Reinisch, an Austrian priest, had been a conscientious objector on the same grounds and was summarily executed. Franz was deeply touched, and it was clear that he could “change nothing in world affairs, but he wished to be at least a sign that not everyone would let themselves be carried away with the tide.”

Eight months later, he was found guilty of undermining military morale. And he was executed by guillotine.

This has been happening to the from the beginning. In Acts 5:25–29, we see this account, a person coming in to religious leaders of the Jews.

“Then someone came and said, ‘Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.’ At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

“The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,’ he said. ‘Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.’

“Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings!’” (NIV).

Are there times when you are challenged to stand for God in the face of evil? Sometimes it’s better to lose your head than to lose your integrity.

Katholische Kirche in Oberosterreich. “Franz Jagerstatter 1907— 1943—Martyr—Short Biography.” Accessed July 13, 2020. https://www.dioezese-linz.at/site/jaegerstaetter/english/biography/article/ 22528.html. Cope, Dorian. “The Death of Franz Jagerstatter.” Accessed June 13, 2020. http://www.onthisdeity.com/9th- august- 1943-the-death-of-franz-jagerstatter/. Denver Catholic. “Solitary but not alone: Meet the martyr/dad Franz Jagerstatter.” Posted March 28, 2016. https://denvercatholic.org/franz-jagerstatter-solitary-but-not-alone/. Zahn, Gordon C. “The Peasant Who Defied Hitler.” Commonweal. Posted June 18, 2004. https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/peasant-who-defied-hitler.

Story read by: Peter R Warren, https://www.peterwarrenministries.com/ Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter Audio Production: Carpenter Story written by: Thomas Mitchell, http://www.walkwithgod.org/ Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/ Project Manager: Blake Mattocks Copyright © 2020, 365 Christian Men, LLC. All rights reserved.

“Neither prison nor chains nor sentence of death can rob a man of the Faith and his own free will.” ~Franz Jägerstätter.