Followers of Jesus demonstrate courage. On the High Street near Balliol College at the University of Oxford, I saw granite stones in the shape of a cross commemorating the martyrdom of Latimer and Ridley. These two pastors were burned at the stake on October 16, 1555 during the Marian persecution in England. Thomas Cranmer met a similar fate the next year. If they would have recanted their beliefs, they might have lived. But they refused.
Beaten and threatened, the apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name of Jesus. If they would have just stayed quiet, the persecution might have stopped. But they could not. Defying the authorities, they obeyed the highest authority, Jesus. For his sake, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
The courageous legacy of earlier generations of believers remains as our inheritance today. When Latimer and Ridley were being burned at the stake, Hugh Latimer reportedly told his friend, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England as shall never be put out.” It is so much easier to light a candle than to be the candle.
Our convictions are of no consequence until we convert them into action. Someday, we or our descendants may very well face the decision to deny Jesus or be persecuted. Jesus said, “If anyone wants to come after me, let them deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
