I have been thinking about how Julia would react in a time like this. So, I wanted to write something about Julia’s hypothetical thoughts on the pandemic. I do this with a bit of trepidation, because it’s guesswork, and others who know her may disagree with the representation. But I wanted to try to apply her wisdom to this time.

I had also read Martin Luther’s article from the 1500s about whether a Christian should run from the plague or stay to help the sick. So, I thought it would be interesting to have Julia hypothetically interview Martin Luther in heaven. 

This is not a theological statement about heaven or what happens there. I simply thought this format could be an interesting and informative way of exploring both Luther’s and Julia’s thoughts on pandemics. Julia also loved laughter, especially to lighten the mood in serious times, which is something we can all use more of right now.

So, here is Julia interviewing Martin Luther.

Julia: Hello, Mr. Luther.

Luther: Please, you can call me Martin.

Julia: Okay Martin. So, what do you think of the coronavirus and how does it compare to the plague during your time? I mean, the world has changed a bit since you were living in castles and riding horses. 

Luther: I actually didn’t live in a ca…

J: I understand, but please, I have infinitely amazing things to do, can we get back to the question?

L: Good point. I think it’s very different because technology has changed a great deal. In our time, we had very primitive medical treatments for infectious diseases. Heck, we didn’t even know what an infectious disease was, really.

J: You say heck?

L: I suppose I do. But anyway, we essentially had to fully trust that God would help us in the midst of something like a pandemic because otherwise we had no recourse against the vicious pestilence.

J: Wow, I do love the way you talk. But that must have been very scary. You wrote an article, more of a letter to a friend, during the plague of your time. I want to ask you about some of the ideas in it.

L: I hope I can remember. It has been 500 years or so.

J: Good thing we have immortal memories! First, do you think people have a responsibility to do all they can to follow disease mitigation protocols, such as social distancing?

L: Yes, I definitely do. When I wrote that letter that you speak of I spoke against those who were rash and reckless and who did not do everything they could to counteract death and the plague. I actually spoke about social distancing before it was cool. I said these reckless people “do not avoid places and persons infected by the plague, but lightheartedly make sport of it and wish to prove how independent they are. This is not trusting God but tempting him.” I said that it is shameful for a person to go out in public, without thinking about how they may infect themselves and then, as a result, infect many others. I said that a person like that is “responsible before God for his neighbours’ death and is a murderer many times over.” 

J: Oh my lanta! That’s pretty harsh!

L: What’s a “lanta”?

J: Who knows.

L: Ok. Anyway, yes, I’m aware it’s harsh but those of us in authority have a responsibility to help influence people to mitigate death.

J: True that, brotha.

L: What?

J: It means I agree. So, if we’re not supposed to be around others, how can we help in a time of pandemic if we are not frontline workers?

L: Well, in our time there were no hospitals staffed with many nurses and doctors so in a sense we were all frontline workers. You had to take care of your neighbour or family member if they were sick. And as Jesus says, His whole gospel message comes down to loving God and loving your neighbour. So, Christians can never leave anyone uncared for if they are in a position to provide that care, even if this means putting oneself at risk. Jesus set the example for self-sacrificial love and we must do our best to follow it.

J: I see what you mean. But today, when we have a health care system, what does it mean to not run away from a plague?

L: I could try to answer that but you could probably answer it better since, you know, you lived after the 16th century.

J: I suppose you’re right! I think that we do need to be there for our neighbours. The question is, who is our neighbour? Jesus says that our neighbour is anyone in need, even and especially our worst enemy. So, I think that this means we need to help wherever we can, even if it means getting our hands dirty or risking our own well-being. 

Now, this gets tricky if, for instance, you have someone in your household who is of greater risk. Then, you can’t go out and volunteer at a food bank, for instance, because you need to weigh the risk to your family member when you think about how to help. So maybe this means volunteering to do contact tracing for the government, for instance, so that you can do it in the safety of your own home.

L: Yes, and even though I encouraged Christians to help the sick, I also encourage them to not judge anyone who does not put themselves at risk to help, because of the cases that you’re talking about, and also because psychologically, some are unable to do much.

J: So, would you say your first obligation is to your family and then to your neighbours?

L: As you correctly say, Jesus says that your neighbour is anyone who is in need, therefore, it is a question of who is in the most need and whether you are in a position to help them. Of course, most parents have children that are dependent on them and therefore must first care for them. But if you have a family member who is not dependent on you, is not of great risk, or can have other people take care of them, then you should help another person outside of your family if they lack other support.

J: Now, there is something you write at the end of your article that I can’t let you get away with.

L: Uh oh.

J: You say, and I quote, “It must be noted that those who are so uncouth and wicked as to despise God’s word while they are in good health should be left unattended when they are sick unless they demonstrate their remorse and repentance with great earnestness, tears, and lamentation.”

Doesn’t this contradict what you were saying about loving our neighbours? Jesus says we need to love our enemies, even carrying an occupying soldier’s gear an extra mile. Jesus died for everyone, whether they “despise God’s word” or not (John 3:16).

L: I agree. There is nothing like dying to make you rethink parts of your life. I agree I was overly strict and dogmatic at times, and that made me unloving and un-Christlike. I saw my role as “cleansing the Church”, which was needed because it had become corrupt. But at times I was just as “uncouth” as those I was accusing of being such.

J: It happens to the best of us. Praise God for the forgiveness we all have in Jesus!

L: Amen.

J: Thanks for your time, Marty!

L: No need to thank me for my time, I have infinite amounts of it.

J: By the way, do you think “infinite” can be an “amount”?

L: Oh, look at that, it’s infinity o’clock, I better be going.

Source: Whether One My Flee From a Deadly Plague – Martin Luther

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