Michael Sattler's Trial and Suffering

For those of you not familiar with the movie The Radicals or with Michael Sattler (see my previous post, Michael Sattler's Inspiring Words), I would like you to have a look at the charges he faced and the responses he gave. At the end I will give you a description of his sentence, and that of his wife. Point by point, I will list the charge read against him then his response. Keep this in mind, though; after the charges were read he was allowed the opportunity to respond with a statement. Before saying a thing he conferred with his brothers and sisters in Christ for a little while. He would not take this fight alone; he used his brothers and sisters to help him. The text, though not in this precise order, is from Martyrs Mirror.

First, that he and his adherents have acted contrary to the mandate of the Emperor.

First, That we have acted contrary to the imperial mandate, we do not admit; for the same says that the Lutheran doctrine and delusion is not to be adhered to, but only the Gospel and Word of God. This we have kept; for I am not aware that we have acted contrary to the Gospel and the Word of God; I appeal to the words of Christ.

Secondly, he has taught, held and believed that the body and blood of Christ are not present in the sacrament.

Secondly, That the real body of Christ the Lord is not present in the sacrament, we admit; for the Scripture says: Christ ascended into heaven and, sitteth on the right hand of His heavenly Father whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead; from which it follows, that if He is in heaven, and not in the breads He may not be eaten bodily.

Thirdly, he has taught and believed that infant baptism does not conduce to salvation.

Thirdly, As to baptism we say: Infant baptism is of no avail to salvation; for it is written, that we live by faith alone. Again: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Peter likewise says: The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Fourthly, they have rejected the sacrament of extreme unction.

Fourthly, We have not rejected the oil; for it is a creature of God, and what God has made is good and not to be refused; but that the pope, the bishops, monks and priests can make it better, we do not believe; for the pope never made anything good. That of which the epistle of James speaks is not the pope's oil.

Fifthly, they have despised and condemned the mother of God and the saints.

Fifthly, We have not condemned the mother of God and the saints; for the mother of Christ is to be blessed among all women; for to her was accorded the favor of giving birth to the Saviour of the whole world. But that she is a mediatress and advocatess, of this the Scriptures know nothing; for she must with us await the judgment. Paul said to Timothy: Christ is our Mediator and Advocate with God. As regards the saints; we say that we who live and believe are the saints; which I prove by the epistles of Paul to the Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians; and in other places where he always writes: To the beloved saints. Hence we that believe are the saints; but those who have died in faith we regard as the blessed.

Sixthly, he has declared that men are not to swear before the authorities.

Sixthly, We hold, that we are not to swear before the authorities: For the Lord says: Swear not; but let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay.

Seventhly, he has commenced a new and unheard of custom in regard to the Lord's Supper, placing the bread and wine on a plate, and eating and drinking the same.

To this charge he gave no direct response. He either left that as being answered under his reponse to the second charge, or there was nothing to really argue about. I know what I believe on this subject, being a former member of the Roman Catholic Church.

Eighthly, he has left the order, and married a wife.

Seventhly, When God called me to testify of His Word, and I had read Paul, and also considered the unchristian and perilous state in which I was; beholding the pomp, pride, usury, and great whoredom of the monks and priests, I went and took unto me a wife, according to the command of God; for Paul well prophesies concerning this to Timothy: In the latter time it shall come to pass that men shall forbid to marry, and command to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving.

Ninthly, he has said that if the Turks should invade the country, no resistance ought to be offered them; and if it were right to wage war, he would rather take the field against the Christians than against the Turks; and it is certainly a great matter, to set the greatest enemies of our holy faith against us.

Eighthly, If the Turks should come, we ought not to resist them; for it is written: Thou shalt not kill. We must not defend ourselves against the Turks and others of our persecutors, but are to beseech God with earnest prayer to repel and resist them. But that I said, that if warring were right, I would rather take the field against the so-called Christians, who persecute, apprehend and kill pious Christians, than against the Turks,was for this reason: The Turk is a true Turk, knows nothing of the Christian faith; and is a Turk after the flesh; but you, who would be Christians, and who make your boast of Christ, persecute the pious witnesses of Christ, and are Turks after the spirit.

But he was not done. He decided to leave them with this:

In conclusion: Ye ministers of God, I admonish you to consider the end for which God has appointed you, to punish the evil, and to defend and protect the pious. Whereas, then, we have not acted contrary to God and the Gospel, you will find that neither I nor my brethren and sisters have offended in word or deed against any authority. Therefore, ye ministers of God, if ye have not heard or read the Word of God, send for the most learned, and for the sacred books of the Bible, of whatsoever language they may be, and let them confer with us in the Word of God; and if they prove to us with the Holy Scriptures, that we err and are in the wrong, we will gladly desist and recant and also willingly suffer the sentence and punishment for that of which we have been accused, but if no error is proven to us, I hope to God, that you will be converted, and receive instruction.

A majority of the point made by the persecutor (and the executioner) was to give an example to the community of what will happen to heretics and dissenters. Ironically, the point of the martyr was to be an example as well. Rarely did a martyr suffer a quick death. The case of Michael Sattler was no exception. (Please understand, I do not mean to post this merely for shock value or sensationalism; this is the truth of the world then, and it is much the same today around the world where Christians are being tortured and killed.)

They gave Michael to the executioner who first cut out his tongue. The executioner then placed him on a wagon where two pieces of his body were torn off with red hot tongs. They wheeled him outside of the city gates to the place of his execution and then repeated the torture with the tongs five more times (so seven times total he was pinched with the red hot tongs). After that, they lifted him up, placed a bag of gun powder on him (that's the mercy they showed him, as the gun powder would swiften his death), and lowered him into the fire. Despite the gun powder, he undoubtedly suffered quite a bit in the flames. And as for his wife, Margaretha (an awesome woman of God and great wife of Michael), she held fast to the faith of her husband. Three days after Michael's martyrdom by fire, Margaretha was drowned.

Such a story gives me strength. It reminds me that I cannot live this Christian life alone or by my own power. It also reminds me that I could never give my life so fearlessly unless Christ, by the Holy Spirit, gives me the strength to do so. Indeed, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake" (Phi. i.29).