One
may never know the impact of their life on others.An example of this is an Anabaptist man from
Holland named Sicke Freerks Synder who was martyred in 1531 for his faith. A young Catholic priest who knew Sicke was appalled
that such a good man would be killed for a different faith. This priest, who had struggled with alcohol
abuse, began to read and study the Bible.In that study the priest, Menno Simons realized that he too, like Sicke
Freerks, must make Christ central to his life.
Eventually
Menno chose to give up the priesthood and join the Anabaptists. He was re-baptized by Obbe Philips in 1536,
and by 1537 he had assumed some spiritual leadership as a pastor and teacher.In accepting this call, Menno knew that he
was putting not only himself, but also his wife and children, at risk of
persecution and death.In accepting this
call; first to follow Christ, and then to lead the church, Menno became a
fugitive for the rest of his life.
The
authorities considered Anabaptism to be dangerous to not only the spiritual
welfare of their realm, but also the social and political structure of
Europe. Anabaptists, like Menno, taught
that the decision to follow Christ and the Church should not be connected in
any way to the political systems, and that it was open to all adults who would
answer Christ’s call to discipleship, rather than be dictated by the
politically appointed preachers, or a distant pope.Menno helped the Anabaptists return to this
core teaching after an element of Anabaptists had physically taken over the
city of Münster.
Menno’s
hard work of calling the church back to this basic view was recognized by the
authorities.He was considered so
dangerous, that not only was a bounty offered for his arrest, but it was illegal
to give he, or his family, shelter and aid.If someone was caught aiding him in any form the punishment was
death! Despite this kind of pressure,
Menno lived to be an elderly man and died of natural causes.
His
recognized leadership also led to the authorities to name the Anabaptists,
“mennonists,” and then later, Mennonites. The Anabaptists themselves preferred to be called Taufer (baptizers) in German, and Doopsgezinde (Baptists) in Dutch. Even today we do not consider Menno Simons to be a founder or prophet,
but recognize that he had a huge influence on our story.He was a gifted speaker, a prolific writer, and
had the ability to unite the small and widely scattered groups that made up the
Anabaptists movement in Holland and Germany. His writings are still in use in our circles today.
We must also
consider the life of Sicke Freerks Snyder who died for his faith.In his death he was instrumental in forcing
Menno to examine his own life. He could
not know as he suffered and died that God was using his witness and testimony
to change a young, alcoholic priest who would profoundly shape even our lives
today. In the same way, none of us know
how our lives will influence the future generations. So we must live and die with the same
commitment to discipleship and following Christ as Sicke and Menno lived and
died nearly five hundred years ago.