Scriptural Solutions: The Gift of Freedom (Weidner) Program No SPEAKER: JOHN BRADSHAW

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1 It Is Written Script: 1369 The Gift of Freedom (Weidner) Page 1 Scriptural Solutions: The Gift of Freedom (Weidner) Program No SPEAKER: JOHN BRADSHAW JB: In 1994, the movie "Schindler's List" won seven Academy Awards, including the Oscar for Best Picture. It told the story of a Czech German businessman named Oskar Schindler, who employed Jews in his factories so he could shield them from the horrors of the Holocaust. It's said that, in total, Oskar Schindler saved the lives of 1200 Jews who would almost have certainly perished without his direct intervention. Millions died in the Holocaust, victims of the madness of Adolph Hitler's final solution. Europe was paralyzed by Hitler's megalomania, but there were some who dared to stand against Hitler and risk everything to give others the gift of freedom. Here in Switzerland, during World War II, one unlikely hero was personally responsible for saving more than 800 Jews from the Nazis as well as hundreds of others, including Allied servicemen. And it was faith in God that drove this unlikely hero to risk his life; to suffer torture and unspeakable abuse; to be imprisoned; to live in constant danger. Faith in God led this man to give all he had so that others might be saved and not perish. Today, in Cologne, France, a village of 3,000 people just outside Geneva, Switzerland, there's a monument recognizing the heroism of this man of faith. A simple monument paying tribute to an extraordinary life. John Weidner was Dutch. He was raised largely in France because his father taught at this Christian college. And as Hitler's noose began to tighten around the collective Jewish neck, he became aware of the desperate situation facing many Dutch Jews. His upbringing gave him a strong respect for liberty--religious and personal. Seeing Jews being herded into detention camps affected him profoundly. The simple thing would have been to look the other way as Nazi aggression increased in the late 1930s. That's what the majority did. After all, what could one person possibly do in the face of the overwhelming force and power of the Nazi regime? Especially when resistance often meant persecution, imprisonment, torture, or death. But doing nothing isn't the simple thing, when your heart glows with love for God and compassion for others. John Weidner couldn't just do nothing, even when choosing to do something to help was tantamount to signing his own death warrant. This is not just another story about another brave man who resisted Hitler's machine of war. Now, even if it was, it would still be one of the most remarkable stories that you'll ever hear. But this is a story that has implications for us today, because it's an account of someone who demonstrated true self-sacrificing love, even as Jesus did when He was on the Earth. And this is a story that shows us that faith in God leads a believer to actions, and not just words.

2 It Is Written Script: 1369 The Gift of Freedom (Weidner) Page 2 Time's a funny thing, isn't it? World War II in Europe was one of the most horrific times in all of history. Yet today, you'd never know--at least, not by appearances. Geneva, Switzerland, is a beautiful, affluent city. Across the border in France, life is a quiet, goabout-your-business sort of affair. But if we could go back in time not many decades, things would be completely different. Not peace, but fear; and jeopardy in the place of safety. These very streets, these fields and these hills were the scenes of incredible drama. In fact, it was these hills which provided an escape route for many people fleeing Nazi persecution. In 1939, there were 300,000 Jews living in France. By 1940, thousands more Jews were fleeing to France from Belgium and Holland. France was a haven, but in June of 1940, when the French army gave way, France was divided into two sections. Northern France was occupied by Germany, while the south of France, a so-called free zone, was administered by a French government that cooperated with the Nazis. Many Jews in southern France were housed in camps, which before long made them easy targets for the Nazis. As long as they were in camps in France, the Gestapo could take Jews from the camps for any reason at all, and those people would usually never be heard from again. By 1941, Jewish refugees were pouring out of Belgium and Holland and into France, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to get out of France. If they could get to Switzerland or Spain or England, then they would be safe. Now, initially John Weidner began working with Dutch diplomats. But as diplomatic solutions to this crisis became increasingly impossible to achieve, it became obvious that an underground resistance movement was needed. A key factor in helping so many escape was this mountain range, the Saleve. Beyond is Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe. Because Weidner went to school at the bottom of this mountain range, he knew it intimately. His knowledge of the trails and the cliffs and the hiding places of this rugged landscape made it an excellent escape route. Ahead of time, God had prepared John Weidner so that at the right time God could use him in incredible ways. I'll tell you more in just a moment. EVERY WORD JB: During the Christmas season there's a lot of rushing in a lot of lives, and a lot of plans being made and a lot of gifts being given and a lot of food being consumed. And very often, something gets lost. Stillness. Jesus and His parents were in a quiet place when Jesus was born. The shepherds were assembled on the silent hillsides; the wise men traveled, but not along busy freeways, and they didn't get stuck in traffic even once. But get this: when Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. That's Matthew 2:3. That first Christmas, the only one who was uptight was Herod, and those he caused to be agitated. If it's really about peace and goodwill and family and Jesus, try to enjoy the peace of Jesus this Christmas. Merry Christmas. I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. Let's live today by every word.

3 It Is Written Script: 1369 The Gift of Freedom (Weidner) Page 3 RETURN TO PROGRAM The view from up here is breathtaking. I'm not so sure how much notice escapees took of their view when they were fleeing for their lives from the Nazis. But standing here today, it's easy to drink in as much of the scenery as you'd like to. Up here, we're in France. This was a dangerous place to be if you were a Jew during World War II, because you were in Nazi territory. Switzerland, freedom for Jewish refugees, is just down there, only a mile or so away. There's Lake Geneva, with the beautiful, historic city of Geneva right there. In John Weidner's day, Geneva was the home of the League of Nations. Replaced in 1946 by the United Nations. Today, Geneva is the home of the World Health Organization, a number of U.N. agencies, the International Red Cross, the World Trade Organization, as well as banks and watchmakers and a lot of very wealthy people. John Weidner spent years living here when his father taught at the college at the foot of the Saleve. So he knew this area like the back of his hand. He personally accompanied individuals or groups of people, young and old, fleeing for their lives across these mountains. He was often chased by Nazi soldiers. Many times he was shot at. Frequently he'd have to hide among the rocks up here to save his life. Weidner's mission wasn't for the faint of heart. It was incredibly dangerous, and it wasn't only his own life that was in danger. Weidner and others founded an organization called Dutch Paris, named because a lot of their work involved getting Jews out of the Netherlands, through Paris and on to safety. There were about 300 people involved. Some hid Jews in their homes or in their businesses or on their farms. Other people forged documents. Some provided food, some money, some influence. Church officials were involved. Government officials. People who knew which parts of the border were electrified, and which were not. People living down near the border helped immensely. But out on the front lines was John Weidner. He founded, coordinated and worked in an organization that saved hundreds and hundreds of lives. Weidner ran a textile business in Lyon in France, which was the home of the Resistance movement. He had run a business in Paris, but he lost it to the Nazis. So he started another business. The reason he felt like he needed to run a business was because having a business would provide a legitimate opportunity for him to travel in a time when people couldn't move about freely. But operating his business in Lyon, the home of the Resistance, became too dangerous for him, so he abandoned the business and walked away from it. He came to Ancy, also in France, about 25 miles away from Geneva. And he opened another textile business here, just across the street from beautiful Lake Ancy. This would provide him with a couple of things he desperately needed. Like his other businesses, it would provide Weidner with money, which he could use to save lives. This time, having a business this close to the border would give him a good reason to be close to the border. And that's where he needed to be, if he was going to save people's lives. It was a different world then. During the war, the border between France and Switzerland was fortified and guarded and defended. There was barbed wire and dogs and fences and soldiers with guns. A person had to have travel papers everywhere they went. If you

4 It Is Written Script: 1369 The Gift of Freedom (Weidner) Page 4 didn't have them, you could be arrested and imprisoned. There was no such thing as real freedom. You'd never know, would you, what went on here, on these peaceful, idyllic streets years ago. If only these streets could speak. John often took refugees to stay at his store here, in Ancy. If there were too many of them for him to safely keep, some would stay a couple of blocks away in the back room of a gift shop run by a Swiss woman committed to helping the Resistance. She was eventually executed by the Nazis. Fear and mistrust were everywhere. It was impossible to know who was a spy or an informant. In order to save lives, John had to contend with police officials and border guards and soldiers. In fact, once he got into Geneva by dropping from a bridge into the coal car of a train. Things were going great until soldiers stopped the train, looking for fugitives. What would John do? Well, the driver of the train was sympathetic to the Resistance, so he hid John Weidner in a closet inside the locomotive. Soldiers searched the locomotive and they came to within inches of where John was. That's how dangerous it could be. As a matter of fact, it even got worse. A young lady who was part of the Dutch Paris group one day dropped a notebook. She had made the terrible mistake of writing down names of people who were involved in Dutch Paris in that notebook. That was a serious no-no. The notebook was noticed; it was grabbed by the Gestapo, who wanted to know what the names meant. They arrested the young lady and demanded that she tell them who these people were, where they lived, and what they did. Of course, she flatly refused. They took her away to a jell cell, where they threatened to torture her and they threatened to bother her family. At the same time, they promised her that if she cooperated, her father, who was in prison, would be released from prison. She still would not cooperate. So they took her to a room where they forced her to watch prisoners being tortured. It was all just too much for the young lady. She cracked. She wanted to safeguard herself and her family, so she named names, she gave addresses, she divulged details. Well, her father was released from prison, but he was rearrested the next day and put back into prison. One hundred fifty members of Dutch Paris were arrested. Forty of them were executed. So what moves a person to do what John Weidner did? Before he died in 1994 he said, "I didn't have a choice." Clearly he wasn't motivated by personal gain. Even though there was a lot of money to be made in getting people across the border to safety, John Weidner did everything he did as a labor of love. He was never paid; he never took money from anybody he saved. He did it all because God's love had gripped his heart. And when God's love grips a person's heart, it leads that person to say, what can I do to demonstrate the love of God? What can I do to make a difference? That's what moved Jesus, when He came into this world to make a difference for you and me. That was John Weidner's experience. I'll have more in just a moment.

5 It Is Written Script: 1369 The Gift of Freedom (Weidner) Page 5 OFFER JB: There's a special gift I'd like to offer you today. It's this study called "The Second Coming of Jesus," and you can get it right now by calling 1 (800) or writing to us at It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN When you call or write, we'll send you this study to your address in North America. It's beautifully illustrated, simple to follow, yet it's an in-depth study on a very important Bible subject. I would like you to have this, and we'll send it to your address in North America, completely free of charge. So, call now, 1 (800) That's 1 (800) If the line is busy, please do call again. And let me say, It Is Written is supported by people like you. We would not be on the air if it were not for the generosity of people who support the mission of It Is Written. To contribute, you can call the number on your screen, you can write to the address, or you can visit us online at Your prayers and your financial support are deeply appreciated. Again, call us, 1 (800) , or write to us. It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN RETURN TO PROGRAM JB: Probably the best known verse in the entire Bible is John 3:16. It says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." The next verse, John 3:17, is not quite so well known but it's equally as powerful. It says, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." See, everything God did in the plan of salvation, everything God does in the plan of salvation, all God did in sending Jesus into this world, He was doing in order to save humanity. To lift up and save a people who didn't deserve to be saved. John Weidner was someone who gave. No, he didn't lose his life doing what he did, but he came awfully close. There were times he was shot at while swimming across a river to safety. One time, in Lyon, he and an accomplice were actually arrested and sentenced to be executed, but just minutes before the execution was scheduled to be carried out, he managed somehow to escape out a prison window. He and his accomplice dropped three floors onto the cobblestone streets below and escaped to safety. The Los Angeles Times reported after Weidner's death in 1994 that Weidner had been interrogated in Lyon by the notorious war criminal Klaus Barbie. The Butcher of Lyon. It has been estimated that somewhere between 11,000 and 25,000 people were executed, tortured or sent to concentration camps directly by Barbie himself. But somehow Weidner managed to escape Barbie's interrogations. He escaped only to come back into the fray and put his life on the line again and again and again. The Gestapo really wanted John Weidner--so much so that they offered a reward of 5 million francs for his capture. Now, in 1945 that was about $50, Just think of what it would be worth today. They wanted Weidner. They didn't get him, but they came close. And they knew how to play dirty. The Anti-defamation League honored Weidner posthumously in The press release of that event had this to say: "Weidner was high on the Gestapo's most-wanted list. In an attempt to get Weidner to turn himself in, the Gestapo arrested his sister, Gabrielle, in

6 It Is Written Script: 1369 The Gift of Freedom (Weidner) Page 6 February of 1944, while she was attending church in Paris. In one of the more agonizing decisions of his life, Weidner was forced to choose between continuing his rescue work or surrendering himself in exchange for Gabrielle's freedom. He chose to continue his work. Gabrielle Weidner died in the Ravensbruck concentration camp in February of Can you imagine? Some people have given a lot, haven't they? Interesting. After World War II, Weidner went to the Netherlands and he visited that young lady. The one whose carelessness cost the lives of all those Dutch Paris members. He visited her in her home, and he forgave her. Now, if you think Weidner went through a lot--and he did--don't make the mistake of forgetting about those who paid the highest price. One census says that when World War II began there were 139,717 Jews living in the Netherlands, more than half of them in Amsterdam. By the time World War II was over, only 35,000 of them were still alive. Millions perished in the Holocaust. Weidner lived during World War II for one purpose, and that was to save others. People he didn't know. People who weren't the same religion as he was. People who were the targets of a brutal regime. Now, he had the opportunity to flee. To escape to England. And England would have meant safety. But Weidner didn't go. Instead, he chose to remain on the continent, because going to England would have meant that many people who would have been saved, would not have been saved. Weidner couldn't face that thought. He just had to do what he had to do. He was honored by France, Great Britain, Belgium, The Netherlands, and the American Jewish Congress. The nation of Israel recognized Weidner as a righteous Gentile. A tree with his name attached to it was planted on the Hill of Remembrance, along the Avenue of the Righteous, in Yad Vashem--Israel's official memorial to the victim's of the Holocaust. He moved to the United States in the 1950s. He married, he settled in California, and he ran a successful business. He said this in a speech honoring Holocaust victims: "During my father's lifetime, he taught me, my family, his parishioners, and the community that the most important quality in a human being was to love, respect, and treat our fellow man as we wished to be loved, respected, and treated. I was a witness to the barbaric treatment of the Jews by the Nazis. I personally observed the killing of an infant who was torn out of the arms of his mother," he said. "I was determined to heed the teachings and example of my father, and I did everything that I could to save as many lives as possible." He saved a future Nobel Prize winner; he saved future government officials; he met General Eisenhower; he met the queen of The Netherlands. But through it all, John Weidner remained simply a man who was dedicated to serving and saving. The truth is, he lived for others. And isn't that what Christmas is about? The Christmas story tells us about God sending Jesus into the world to save others. At Christmastime, typically we ask "What are you going to get for Christmas?" when perhaps the question we should be asking is, "What are you going to give?" This Christmas, my family and I are thankful for freedom. We're thankful for John Weidner, and the forgotten heroes like him. Freedom

7 It Is Written Script: 1369 The Gift of Freedom (Weidner) Page 7 and love for others ran through their veins. We're thankful that Jesus came to this earth as a baby in manager, and that He's coming back soon, as a conquering King. What a day that will be! We say with John, who wrote the book of Revelation, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." PRAYER Father in heaven, this Christmas we've been reminded about someone who lived to give. We are grateful for people like John Weidner. We're most grateful for Jesus, who lived entirely to give and to give the greatest of all gifts, everlasting life. Don't let us be so distracted at Christmastime that we fail to remember the true meaning of why Jesus came to this earth. We thank You today. We love You and want to love You more. And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. It Is Written PO Box 6, Chattanooga, TN USA Tel: Fax: