“Love your enemies” may be the hardest thing Jesus ever said. His words aren’t difficult to understand but challenging to put into practice.
Martin Niemöller’s (1892-1984) story bears witness to God’s power to transform a life. Martin commanded a German U-boat in WWI and became a Lutheran pastor. He voted for the Nazi party, believing Hitler to be a strong leader who could unify and restore Germany. Hitler promised to protect churches but when he began interfering, Martin and others resisted. They formed the Confessing Church to oppose Hitler’s attempts to Nazify the Protestant church. He spoke out in sermons, was arrested in 1937 and spent seven years in concentration camps.
Martin survived the ordeal and visited Dachau after the war. He wanted to show his wife the cell where he had lived for four years. As they passed by the crematoria, they read the sign memorializing the deaths of a quarter of a million Jews. The sign indicated the crematoria began operation in 1933. The camp’s first prisoners were Nazi’s avowed enemies–Jews and the political Left. Niemöller realized in that moment he could have done more in his early years to oppose Hitler. It led to his famous confession, “First, they came for the socialists, but I did not speak out–because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out–because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out–because I was not a Jew. Then, they came for me–and there was no one left to speak for me.” It’s the last thing visitors read before exiting the DC Holocaust Museum.
Martin prayed regularly for his captors. Fellow prisoners asked why he prayed for enemy Nazis. He responded, “Do you know anyone who needs your prayers more than your enemies?” The prisoners asked, “But what if you hate the people you’re praying for?” “Tell that to the Lord,” he said, “He won’t be surprised.” He illustrated with a simple prayer: