MARTYRDOM MISSED

A Missionary Life:
Rev. J. Wesley Day
China, Malaysia, Indonesia

Side Trip: Martyrdom Missed
Western Maryland College, 1930

Have you faced the possibility of martyrdom? Or to put it closer to home, of suffering for what you believe?

I can think of 2 times in my own life when I have faced such a possibility. The first time was in College, when as YMCA President, I had the job of inviting outside speakers to my college. One was a seminary President, and he made a good impression at the school. Another speaker suggested to me-- whom I invited -- was a colored speaker, Frank Brown.

My grandparents in Maryland had owned one or 2 slaves in the days of slavery -- but I grew up near New York -- where the brightest boy in my 6th grade class was a colored boy named Albert, and when nationals of every race and country were occasional guests in our church and home.

Soon I began to hear rumblings from my friends who heard of the invitation.

My roommate of the year before -- a Southerner -- assured me he would be on hand with rotten tomatoes. I thought privately -- it would be novel -- even glorious -- to carry on for a great principle in the face of rotten eggs and rotten tomatoes hurled by a mob of people like my roommate.

I was sure I was right and I kept my course. Had there been a fanatic group of Northerners, we might have had the Civil War to fight over again.

As it was -- the College was quite Southern in its students, staff and outlook. And I soon found that I was getting isolated. I can see the process more clearly now -- than I did then -- but I could see it then -- friends becoming less friendly. The word relayed to me that the Dean said in conversation he would have nothing to do with a "Y" that turned out such radicals. And a rumor that the President, whose support I had assumed in any such battle for righteousness -- had taken the other side.

We had it out in a "Y" cabinet meeting, when a traveling "Y" secretary was present. In every war there are those who go from one side to the other -- trying to bring the two together. So I knew the opposition was well organized. The charge against me would be attempted dictatorship, pride, acting superior, and so on.

Late that night, in prayer, I decided their criticisms were right, I had not been as humble as I should be, and I had no right, in our democratic organization, to force on them a speaker they didn't want. At the meeting there was the hymn and the prayers, then the business of the day, which turned out to be the criticism.

There was no fight -- I agreed with their personal criticisms, and agreed I had no right to force a man they didn't want as speaker, and offered to resign. But having won their point they were generous enough -- no resignation wanted -- just not to have a [blank blank] for a speaker.

I have wondered sometimes if I did not miss my supreme opportunity to be a martyr then. Some real questions come up -- is martyrdom the goal of this life? is martyrdom something that is still desirable -- should it be planned for -- and sought -- till it's obtained?

It is hard for me think that the first missionaries to the Bataks planned to be killed and eaten as martyrs, and as I re-read the account of Stephen's martyrdom -- I doubted that it was pre-meditated -- on either his part or that of the mob. He was a powerful speaker -- as was Peter -- but when in Peter's case they said, "What must I do to be saved?" in Stephen's case they gnashed their teeth in anger and stoned him to death.

I now understand a little more the difficulties and views of my white friends in the South.

A few years later in China -- with others -- I proposed a scholarship at my Alma Mater for a China student. In one of those beautiful bureaucratic occurrances, one was made available without our knowing it. A couple of years ago one of our Methodiste English School boys from Palembang, a theological student, was granted this scholarship. By then it had grown -- there were 2 students from Korea, 1 from Arabia, 1 from Israel, 1 from the Philippines, 1 from Syria, 1 from Indonesia. The President told me it was their desire to have Asian students know as friends people from all over the world.

When we came home from Red China in 1951, a letter was waiting inviting me to speak in Southern Virginia.

I had a grand weekend -- and carried a car trunk load of Planters peanuts back to New Jersey. The pastor was the same man, who 20 years before had spken for the opposition. His church has sent some special gifts here to our work.

The peacemaker of our group is a successful pastor and now a District Superintendant.

Maybe changes sometimes occur without the price of martyrdom. There's always a price for change.

The big Batak church remembers the first missionaries. The martyrdom of Stepehn was followed by sufferings of other Christians and the spread of the Gospel.

God uses the undiplomatic rashness of honest people -- as well as the psychologically trained diplomat -- to advance his kingdom.

Later our family faced other opportunities for martyrdom.

In West China, some were educators, some in hospitals, some in purely religious work. I was in purely religious work.

We expected the Communists to persecute religious institutions first, then schools, then hospitals.

In our family we decided if we must suffer, let it be for our religion -- nothing else.

The Communists came in and made trouble first for the hospitals, then the schools, and last of all for churches. To our surprise they were not looking for religious meeetings -- so we were relatively untouched until we left.

--J. Wesley Day, July 12, 1959. From a sermon on the martyrdom of Stephen, English Protestant Church, Sungei Gerong, Sumatra, Indonesia