Mission to Nuremberg

I have been reading 'Mission to Nuremberg' by Tim Townsend.  It is well-written, but I feel he goes on too many tangents and might have been better to write a shorter account.

At the Nuremberg Trials, twenty-two of the most notorious Nazis were tried for war crimes.  Two chaplains were assigned to minister to them, including the American Lutheran, Henry Gerecke.

I want to focus on Gereche's ministry to Hermann Goring, who was one of the leading architects of the Nazi's evil regime.   Goring was the Nazi prisoner that Gerecke dreaded meeting the most.  Goring had been responsible for the Nazi party's security apparatus, and had created the first concentration camps for Hitler's political opponents.  He later oversaw the Luftwaffe (German air force) and was Hitler's number two.

Jesus teaches that God sends the sun and the rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous,  The psalms teach that God is good to all he has made.  God blessed Goring with human love through his devoted wife, Emmy, and their young daughter, Edda.  Another blessing God gives all people is that he retrains our evil.  Despite such a cruel heart towards so many people, Goring was an animal lover, and even had tame lions at his home.

In the prison, Gerecke found Goring to be a natural listener who related to him with friendliness and charm.  Goring was a nominal Christian, with no personal relationship with Jesus.  At the Christmas carol service in the make-shift chapel, Goring sung 'Silent Night' louder than all the others. 

Gerecke described Goring's wife, Emmy, as a woman of 'considerable grace and charm.'  Her first visit occurred after she had been apart from her husband for seventeen months.  She wanted to kiss him, but rules would not permit. 

Edda Goring was eight years old when she visited her father for the last time at Nuremberg.  She recalls standing on a chair to get a better view of him through the screen, and seeing him surrounded by white-helmeted guards.  Emmy had urged her daughter to talk with the chaplain, and Gerecke asked her if she said her prayers.  She told him that she prayed every night.  When he asked what she prayed about, she replied, 'I kneel by my bed and look up to heaven and ask God to open daddy's heart and let Jesus in.'

Yet Goring's heart was closed to Jesus.

Goring was found guilty of war crimes and he was sentenced to death by hanging.

At Emmy's last visit, she told Goring that she would like to die with him, if it were not for their daughter.  After the visit Goring told Gerecke that it didn't matter what happened to him now, for he died when he left her for the last time.

Gerecke was not allowed reveal the timings of the prison's executions.  On the night of Goring's planned hanging he visited his cell with the desire to lead him to Christ.  Gerecke had written a devotional for Goring to read.  Goring promised to read it letter, but the chaplain was desperate.  He tried to steer the conversation towards faith.

Goring was annoyed that he was being hung, he felt that it would be more dignified for a senior commander to face the firing squad.  That's what he wanted to talk about.  Again, Gerecke tried to get the conversation onto faith.  But Goring ridiculed the creation accounts of the Old Testament, made fun of the idea of the Bible being divinely inspired and he would not accept the necessity of Jesus' death on the cross.

Gerecke protested, 'this Jesus is my saviour who suffered, bled and died that I may go to heaven one day.  He paid for my sins.'  Goring rubbished the idea of life after death or that God would care about the lives of individuals.  

Then, Goring asked Gerecke to serve him the Lord's Supper.  Gerecke could not with a clear conscience do this.  'This is the way it is: Only those who believe that Jesus is really their saviour, who believe him who instituted the supper, should be permitted to attend the Lord's Supper.  The others are not fit.'

Goring protested that no German pastor had refused him the Lord's Supper.  But Gerecke stood his ground.  Then he tried his last card: 'Herr Goring, your little girl says she wants to met you in heaven.'  

'Yes,' replied Goring.  'She believes in your saviour.  But I don't, I'll just take my chances, my own way.'

Feeling defeated, Gerecke left.

Later that evening commotion broke out when a guard realised that Goring was dying.  He has swallowed a cyanide that someone had smuggled to him.  Gerecke rushed to his cell and whispered in the dying man's ears, 'the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.'

Goring had written a number of suicide notes.  In one, to Gerecke, he claimed that he had prayed to God, and that he felt it was right to take his life rather than die by hanging ('for political reasons').  It is really unclear whether Goring had really turned to the Jesus of the Bible/ 

So, what do we learn from the story of Goring and Gerecke?

1.  We learn about God's common grace.  Common grace is the undeserved kindness to all people, even towards an evil man like Goring.  Goring was blessed with intelligence, charm and a family who loved him.  None of us deserve anything from God, but every good gift comes from above.

2.  We also learn of the God who seeks and saves those who are lost.  God sent that wonderful chaplain, Henry Gerecke, to those prisoners.  God extend them the offer of his forgiveness and life beyond the grave.  The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  The same grace Goring needed is the grace each of us need.  We remember that Christ Jesus came into the world to save not the self-righteous but those who know their sin.  He will never turn away anyone who comes sincerely to him.

Let's pray:

' Lord Jesus, I acknowledge your many good gifts to me.  I acknowledge the gift of your Son who died for the guilt of all who would put their trust in Him.  I thanks you that you transform our present and offer us the sure hope of eternal life.'  Amen.