A Letter From Prison

A Letter From Prison

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to face imminent martyrdom?

ON June 26, 1570, Anabaptist Joost Verkindert wrote the following letter to his brother and sister-in-law from an Antwerp prison before he was burned at the stake for his faith:

Grace, joy and peace from God the heavenly Father, and our dear Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and the consolation of the Holy Ghost, who is the comforter of them that are in any tribulation and sorrow. To Him be praise, honor, glory, dominion, power and majesty forever and ever. Amen. This I wish you for a friendly and cordial greeting, my very dear and beloved brother with your dear wife.

Know further, that I am still tolerably well, according to the flesh, and as regards the spirit, I hope through God’s great and unspeakable grace to finish this great and severe conflict with the help of the Most High—from whom we must expect help and comfort—to the praise of His holy name. . . . I also received a salutation from you together with the things that were sent to us, which much exhorted us, and was a great consolation in our tribulation, so that we rejoiced, and praised and thanked God, that there are still such good-hearted brethren, who remember us poor, weak prisoners.

O dear brethren and sisters, always remember us in your prayers, that the Lord may strengthen us, so that we may put off our flesh with joy here upon earth; for it is sometimes much afraid of the gag and of being burnt alive, which is nevertheless very soon over. But when I think of the fire that shall burn and last forever, I thank the Lord, that He has made me worthy to confess His holy name among this evil and perverse generation. . . .

Further, my dear brother, I commend to you my wife, whom I love from the heart; desiring and requesting of you that you will exercise Christian care over her, the more so because she desires to remain a widow; for the holy Scripture commands us to visit the widows and orphans in their affliction. James 1:27. Hence, be diligent to aid her in everything wherein she may need your counsel, in order to gain a livelihood for herself and my children; so that she may not become despondent.

O my dear brethren, this I exhort you with tears, for if the Lord had not taken me from them, I could have provided for them myself according to my weakness; but now the Lord has ordered it otherwise with me, since He knows best what we need, and what is for our best. Hence, I will also leave them for the Lord’s sake; for, dear brother, my wife has been with me, and we ate together a parting meal, and thus took final adieu from each other. Think for yourself, how bitter a parting it was, for I know that she also loves me from the heart. . . .

Remember me, my dear brother and sister; I hope to wait for you under the altar, where all tears shall be wiped away from our eyes. Herewith I will commend you to the crucified Christ Jesus; may He strengthen our hearts and minds, and direct them into all that is acceptable before Him. Herewith I bid you adieu. Adieu, my beloved brother and sister.

Joost Verkindert

Reflection

We can be deeply touched by the stories of martyrs like Joost Verkindert yet still find their experiences somewhat irrelevant to our lives. But did you know that there were more martyrs in the twentieth century than in any other? We always think that martyrdom is something that happens to other people, but what if it isn’t? What if it happens to us? The Scriptures that brought comfort to martyrs long ago are written for our comfort as well.

Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.

Psalm 23:4