Choices

Chapter Two in our Lenten study book is a very provocative look at the difficulty of knowing absolutely the difference between right and wrong. Sometimes there might be a gray area of action that defies definition.

Two examples of this come from my experience as a teacher. In the mid-1970s, my tenth graders and I watched a short film titled “Joseph Schultz”. It was a reenactment of a true World War II incident. At the end of the film, a photo of the real Joseph Schultz is shown. It was taken by Nazi soldiers.

Joseph is a young German soldier who participates fully in the taking of a Polish village. He and his fellow fighters have no problem using their machine guns and throwing grenades at an unseen enemy. The next scene depicts those same young soldiers resting after their labors. They lounged by a river with uniform jackets unbuttoned – laughing and talking and smoking their cigarettes.

We see Joseph in the last scene as part of a firing squad lined up to kill a group of terrified, unarmed peasant farmers. The captives are blindfolded. They stand in a circle around a huge haystack – clutching one another’s hands. Joseph Schultz refuses to shoot unarmed, helpless “enemies”. He is told to shoot them or join them. With dramatic, deliberate movements, he tears off his uniform jacket and throws it and his gun to the ground. He strides across the field, stands between two peasants and grabs their outstretched hands. The order is given to fire, and all but Joseph fall. The second order is for all squad members to fire on Joseph Schultz, which they do.

My assignment to the stunned sophomores was to write an essay stating whether Joseph was a hero or a traitor and why. Interestingly, the brighter students considered him a hero. The less able gave reasons why he was a traitor. The essays were graded on structure (it was an English class), not on opinion. It was a revelation to see who considered obeying orders to be essential.

There are numerous examples of disobeying laws (both in history and literature) that point to the higher calling of love and compassion. Another such example of such choices comes from my time leading eighth graders through Huckleberry Finn in the mid-1980s. History tells us that in the 19th century American South, the law (and many of the churches) required turning in a runaway slave. After many days of companionship, adventures, and having his life saved by the former slave Jim, Huck Finn has the opportunity (the obligation?) to report the existence of Jim. Huck knows that disregarding the law could bring severe penalties to him – both from the government and from the church. After much thought, he refuses to betray Jim. His words, “All right, then, I’ll go to hell!” are truly profound and mark the climax of the story.

Choices can be awesome and terrifying. May God help us to make the right ones!

-Janet Johnson