John Wycliffe: Biblical Teachings, Not Human

England and Wales c. 1400AD

Background Check:

In the early years of the church, education of children was based on the Scriptures and prayer.  As the church became more accustomed to the Greek way of thinking, they adapted the Greek “university” form of education.  This involved studying brilliant men called philosophers and studying their books.  The Scriptures were secondary to what men taught about the Scriptures and the ideas and thoughts of men.  No one understood the Scriptures for what they said by themselves. The teachers at the universities wore expensive robes and everyone spoke Latin, not the language of the people.  Colleges and universities taught priests and lawyers their trade, but these trades were only for the wealthy and highly educated.

His Story:

John Wycliffe was a professor at Oxford University.  Wycliffe was a serious student of the Bible, and he felt that the church and the university should follow what the Bible said, especially the teachings of Jesus.  When Jesus said that the word of God had not come to the educated and important, Wycliffe listened and began to wear peasant’s clothing instead of the usual rich robes.  And when Jesus said that his followers were “little ones” or unimportant people, Wycliffe listened and he decided to teach the Bible to people who didn’t know Latin or were wealthy.  And he also decided that he would begin a translation of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into English—which had never been done before.

     From these teachings, some of the people Wycliffe taught felt that they should preach the gospel and also speak against the injustices of the English government.  These preachers were called Lombards.  They stirred the people up, and some of the peasants decided to revolt against the English government.  This rebellion caused a small civil war in England, but it was stopped by the English soldiers and the peasants were put back in their place. 

     Wycliffe, however, continued to teach the Bible for what it said, not what other teachers thought it should say.  He wrote a book about the Lord’s supper, opposing the idea that the bread and wine transformed into literal flesh and blood.  He also opposed many other views of his day, on the basis of the authority of Jesus and the Bible alone.

WWJD

Jesus took his own word very seriously.  He made it clear that if people didn’t obey his word, that they could not be pleasing to God.  And he also said that His words would never fail—they would certainly be kept forever.  Jesus also wanted people to interpret God’s word through his teaching.  This is what John Wycliffe was about.  Jesus was pleased at how Wycliffe was serious about Jesus’ word and he was willing to sacrifice himself to teach it and do it. 

The Final Word (of men)

     Some people claimed that the war was all Wycliffe’s fault—even though he spoke against it when it came up.  The rulers in England listened to those who hated Wycliffe and his teaching and they arranged for him to be dismissed from his teaching in Oxford.  By the end of his life, he was forced to stop teaching and leave Oxford.  His reputation was destroyed and no one would learn from him.  He died a few years after in a small town outside of Oxford.  After he died, his teachings were banned in England and in all of Europe, his books were burned and his body was dug up and burned.  All because he was more interested in following what the Bible said than following the traditions of men.

A Word From Our Sponsor

The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed.  The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?" And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'  "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."  He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. "For Moses said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER'; and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH'; but you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),' you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother;  thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that."  Mark 7:1-14

Heaven and earth may pass away, but my word will never pass away.  Matthew 24:35

Helpful Hint: Giving Up This Life for the Next

Let’s face it, the lives of most of these Faithful were miserable.  They were beaten, imprisoned, rejected, wanderers without a home, enslaved, threatened and many of them were killed.  Being a Faithful one isn’t necessarily a fun job, nor does it have many extra benefits.  And none of them would gain a good rate on life insurance.  But these faithful weren’t looking for benefits on earth or the rewards of this age.  Rather, they looked to God for everything and knew that their real reward would be in the age to come—the kingdom of God.  Peter Waldo gave up all he had so that he would gain treasure in heaven.  Martin Luther wasn’t looking for assurance from men of his salvation, but from God.  Jim Elliot was looking for God’s life, not his own.  They all knew that to gain one’s own life in God’s kingdom, the life in this age had to be given up.  And they were all willing to do that for Jesus.

Francis of Assisi: Giving Oneself for the Poor

Background Check:

The Roman Church was very concerned about the "heretical" Waldensian movement, begun by Peter Waldo.  In Southern Europe, the Waldensians were becoming an alternative to the Roman Church and were becoming more and more directly opposed to that church.  At first, the Roman Church sent armies out to physically destroy the Waldensians, but that only made the movement stronger.  So they appointed a man named Dominicus to train people to practice “evangelism” to the Waldensians.  And they were also looking for someone else to lead an alternative movement for those who wished to live in voluntary poverty.

His Story:

Francis was the son of a wealthy businessman in who sold cloth in Assisi, Italy.  As a youth, he would sing and dance and go to parties as often as he could.  He was taken to war as a soldier and held prisoner for a year.  During that time, he had a powerful experience with God and determined to follow Jesus. 

As he was praying in a broken-down chapel outside of Assisi, Francis heard the voice of God say, “Rebuild my temple, which is broken down.” After hearing this word, Francis took all the money he had to buy stones and mortar to rebuild the little chapel.  When he found that he did not have enough resources, he began to take his fathers cloth and sell it without his father knowing, in order to get what he needed to rebuild the temple.  When his father found out about this, he was furious. 

He took his son to court, and accused him of theft.  Standing before the church magistrate, Francis told him of his dedication to Christ and what God told him in the temple.  His father accused him again of being a lazy, incompetent son.  Francis looked at the witnesses in the court and said, “I am no longer the son of Bernardone, but instead I entrust myself wholly to God.  I renounce everything that my earthly father ever gave me and I believe my heavenly father will provide.”  With that, Francis stripped all of his clothes off and left them in a pile on the floor of the court, standing completely naked.  The bishop quickly covered him and allowed him to stay in the little chapel he had been rebuilding.

     Francis would regularly stop by a church and read the words of Jesus.  At one point he read that Jesus did not have a place to lay his head.  So he determined that Jesus was a beggar, asking for his daily bread, so Francis did the same.  But what he received he never kept only for himself.  Rather, in obedience to Jesus, he would share with the poor whatever he had.  He always determined to give to those who had less than he did. When some men gathered around him to follow him, he told them to sell all they had and to give to the poor, to be humble and poor like Jesus was.

Francis would always give everything he had to those who were needy.  He preached the gospel to those who could not hear it.  Because he believed that the animals were our brothers in creation, Francis would preach to birds and wolves, encouraging them to praise God.  If he received a coat, if he saw a beggar who did not have one, he gave it away.

WWJD
It is not enough for the Faithful to obey God and serve Jesus alone.  Rather, they led others to serve Him as well.  The Faithful inspired many to dedicate themselves to Jesus, to be like the Faithful.  This is how we often know about the Faithful—not by their works or their speech, but because of those who sought to be like them.  Paul started churches.  Anthony began a movement of monks.  Peter Waldo began the Waldensian movement.  Francis began the Franciscans.  As we will see, Michael Sattler began the Anabaptists.  Ignatius began the Jesuits.  And George Fox began the Quakers.  And on and on.  It is not enough to have a personal relationship with God.  We need to lead others to do the same.  And if we inspire others to follow Jesus because of our lives, then we will be called one of the Faithful as well.

Jesus loved Francis and spoke to him often.  Francis was able to do some miracles because of his sacrifices.  Jesus loved Francis because Francis loved Jesus so much and took him at his word.  However, Francis also misunderstood much of what Jesus said.  He was not a scholar, but a simple believer.  And for that, even though he made many mistakes, Jesus blessed Francis.

The Final Word (of men)

Francis became the most beloved Christian of his day.  He refused to judge others, and so he was seen as a living saint, while not demanding that everyone live his life.  Eventually his order, the Franciscans, wandered from pure poverty, and Francis resigned from leadership of the order.  By the time he died, he had received from the Lord the stigmata, marks on his hands and feet, indicating unity with Jesus’ suffering.

     Stories of Francis in the 12- and 1300s became as common as comic books today.  Everyone knew about Francis’ super-human spirituality.  Many Franciscan monks rejected the order Francis started and began their own, based on Francis’ words and life.  They were called the Spirituali and they were condemned as heretics by the orthodox church for condemning that church as wealthy and arrogant.  The Spirituali eventually were all killed off.  But the Franciscan order developed into three orders, which still exist today.

A Word From Our Sponsor:

Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.  Luke 12:33

Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.  Luke 14:31-33

Helpful Hint: Inspiring Others to Follow Jesus

It is not enough for the Faithful to obey God and serve Jesus alone.  Rather, they led others to serve Him as well.  The Faithful inspired many to dedicate themselves to Jesus, to be like the Faithful.  This is how we often know about the Faithful—not by their works or their speech, but because of those who sought to be like them.  Paul started churches.  Anthony began a movement of monks.  Peter Waldo began the Waldensian movement.  Francis began the Franciscans.  As we will see, Michael Sattler began the Anabaptists.  Ignatius began the Jesuits.  And George Fox began the Quakers.  And on and on.  It is not enough to have a personal relationship with God.  We need to lead others to do the same.  And if we inspire others to follow Jesus because of our lives, then we will be called one of the Faithful as well.

Check it Out:

What Would Francis Do? A blog about Francis of Assisi