For nearly two days I was held captive by this heart-wrenching story. World War II and the Holocaust have always interested me. My grandfathers both served in the military during WWII, and though they never openly discussed their service, I know it impacted their lives. When one of my grandfathers was dying, he would speak as if he were back in the war, about having to get supplies. It was shocking for a young woman to head his mind reliving memories that clearly, as if he was there, not on a couch in the last hours of life.
The Auschwitz Escape is the story of Jean-Luc, a French pastor, and Jacob, a young Jewish man that joins the Resistance. When both are captured and taken to Auschwitz, we catch a glimpse of the horrors that the prisoners endured. We relearn, once again, that evil exists and will kill. We see a part of what the Nazis wanted, the extermination of the Jews, and the cold, calculated methods they used to kill over six million people.
The Auschwitz Escape tells a fictionalization based on real events. There were a few that escaped from Auschwitz. They longed to be free, but they also longed to tell the truth about what was happening to the Jewish people and others that were imprisoned in the legendary Concentration Camp.
The characters got to me. They were flawed, but they posed many questions as I read. Why didn't the Jewish people revolt? Why did some Christians help, often enclosing up in the same concentration camps as the ones they sought to help? Why did many Christians stay quiet to the atrocities they saw? Fear? Why did it take so long for those in power amongst the Allied forces to listen and believe what was happening?
I see many parallels to events happening in our world today. As a Christian, one section jumped off the page. In this section a conversation was being held between Jean-Luc and Jacob.
"Why aren't all the Christians here?"
At that moment, I had to ask myself some tough questions. I hope each reader of The Auschwitz Escape asks themselves the same questions. Am I Christian that would risk a concentration camp or death to save a Jewish man? What about a Muslim? A homosexual? My mean neighbor? The family member that criticizes me for my beliefs or the one that trashed me for homeschooling my children? The person that believes I have less value because we aren't rich or because I believe a Bible that tells them their lifestyle is wrong?
Would I give my freedom or my life for theirs? Do I love Jesus enough to risk even my children?
Christianity has held an mentality of us versus them, and I think it was the same in the world in WWII. Then, the them was the Jewish people. Today, our deeply divided country has named Christians as the "them" after years of Christians having too many "thems" of their own. I don't have easy answers. Christians should be free to believe the precious words of Scripture, but they should also few a desire to live it deeply.
Jean-Luc lived it deeply, and it cost him greatly. If a fictional character isn't inspiring, read about Corrie Ten Boom or Dietrich Bonhoeffer. They lived in the same war, and saw the same atrocities, and held their faith. It cost them greatly, also. What does my faith cost me? What has it cost you?
I venture that many haven't paid a steep price here in America. Most don't pay a price or are even willing to sacrifice? From the half empty churches I've seen, many won't even sacrifice sleep or sporting events to gather together on Sunday mornings with believers and worship as the Scriptures say.
I miss my Lord. I miss being with Him and worshipping and delving into His Word like I used to. Oh, I still attend faithfully and spend time with Him, but my fire is dim compared to a few years ago. I know this. I let hurts and struggles and disappointments cloud my heart. I let my focus go from seeking Him to seeking after what I though He wanted me to do. And now, as I read about a man that ended up in a concentration camp for this same Lord, I know the answer to that question, "Why aren't all the Christians here?"
I know the answer. So does every Christian that has gotten caught up in life's struggles, that lived with fear, that shrunk back when mocked or criticized for his faith, that had more battles inside the church than out. The answer is simple... We were more concerned with ourselves than Christ; our hurts, our trials, our work, our loves, our comfort, our frustrations, our feelings, our dreams, our passions. Us...
The Auschwitz Escape out me in a place where I had to ask myself some tough questions about my faith. I am hoping others do the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment