Scripture: Selected Scriptures
Date: July 29, 2012
Speaker: Jonathan Sarr
On March 1, 1546, Cardinal David Beaton, the Archbishop of St. Andrews, Scotland, executed a gracious and Spirit-filled young Reformer named George Wishart. While there had been other Protestant martyrs before, Wishart’s execution was particularly significant because of what occurred in its wake. But it is also particularly significant because, in His sovereignty, God used the events leading up to and following Wishart’s being burned at the stake to mobilize a man who is considered by many to have been God’s greatest gift to Scotland: a dark-haired, modest-statured preacher who knew no fear of man but who was desperately committed to the Gospel of Christ and the glory of God alone; a man who rejected at every turn the idolatry of the mass and whose teachings and influence quite literally changed a nation in his lifetime. That man was John Knox.
And yet, we have heard the objections before, even said them ourselves:
It’s foolish not to. To fail to study Christian biography is to fail to learn from the victories and failures of those who have gone before us. It is always wiser to learn from example of other people before we’re forced to learn from our own experience, though there is no question that experience is a powerful teacher.
Because we can. Men like Knox and the other Reformers had a much, much shorter list of men to study than we have today. If someone had gone before Knox and had demonstrated spiritual leadership amid circumstances that could transfer to his own, he would have really valued that example. We could spend a lifetime just getting acquainted with the Puritans, and almost none of the Puritans had even been born when Knox was around.
My only point here is that a lot of people have gone before us, and God has proven Himself faithful in their lives. God forbid that we would stop deliberately examining His repeated demonstrations of faithfulness and grace in the lives of saints who have gone before us.
Because it is the reverse side of the coin of Psalm 145:4: One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts (Ps. 145:4). We must study the work of God in the lives of those who have gone before us.
A study of Christian biography confirms the promises of God. Jesus can tell us that the least among us are greatest, but the moment you start to get an idea as to what that looks like practically, you’re studying Christian biography.
Finally, to study the lives of saints gone by is to apply the principles of Scripture: think Psalm 145:4 again. It is our responsibility to know Church history and the works of God in order to be able to declare them to the next generation. The reality is that most of us don’t have enough understanding of Church history to even listen to a message like this one with a discerning ear. I could be giving you the same bill of goods that secular historians give regarding these historical figures and we wouldn’t even know the difference.
Further, the study of Church history is also the reverse side of the coin of Psalm 145:4: One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts (Ps. 145:4). When we study Christian biography, we are placing ourselves in a position to be taught by past generations.
1 Corinthians 10:1-6. I’ve always found this a bit chilling, but Paul argues to the Corinthian believers that the events surrounding Israel’s wandering in the desert were intended to be examples for us. Two generations of God’s people lived so we would learn. There were obviously other reasons that the Exodus happened (e.g. The giving of the Law and the prophesy of the Messiah), but one major reason was so that we would learn not to “desire evil as they did.” And it makes sense as God drives home repeatedly the mandate to declare His mighty acts to our children.
Hebrews 11. I particularly like this example for a couple of reasons.
But in Hebrews 11, what we see is that the writer of the book of Hebrews points to the lives of Old Testament saints to better explain his point. That presupposes that they already have an understanding as to who these characters are! And we know that because he doesn’t explain any of them; he only lists them, much as any teacher would cite an example that was commonly understood.
So those are a few reasons why I believe it is good and necessary to study Christian biography. So in obedience to Scripture, let’s look more at the life of the fiery Scottish reformer, John Knox.
John Knox, as best we can tell, was born sometime between 1505 and 1515 in Haddington, Scotland. He was classically trained and a college dropout (probably more out of disgust than a lack of funds or aptitude) and served professionally as both a lawyer and a priest before settling down as a private tutor to two wealthy Protestant families in 1540.
Not long after, John Knox was converted to Christ, and it was likely related to a study of John 17 (still my favorite chapter in the Bible since before I knew anything about Knox; even more of a favorite now!) and the influence and teaching of George Wishart. Wishart was a bold preacher of the Gospel and against the Catholic Church, and a mentor and hero to John Knox.
In fact, Knox served as Wishart’s bodyguard. Knox often traveled with Wishart in Wishart’s itinerant preaching ministry and Knox commonly marched before Wishart carrying a broadsword. As Wishart was forbidden to preach the Protestant faith in Catholic Scotland at this time, Knox offered personal protection to Wishart.
But given his boldness and his influence and his direct contradiction of the Catholic faith of Mary of Guise, Scotland’s Queen Regent (and mother of Mary, Queen of Scots), Wishart’s days were numbered. In February of 1546 Wishart was betrayed and, sensing that his capture was imminent, he persuaded a reluctant Knox to leave his side, Wishart suggesting that “One is sufficient for sacrifice.”
Sure enough, the officials of Cardinal David Beaton arrested and tried Wishart, putting him through a show trial more akin to a circus than a trial, wishing to make a public example of what happens to those who, like Wishart, teach the Protestant faith.
As we mentioned earlier, Wishart was burned at the stake in front of St. Andrews’ Castle. The Cardinal observed the execution with a smug satisfaction from his bedchamber window, but at the end of May - but three months later - his murdered body dangled from that same window in a demonstration of defiance on the part of a group sympathetic to Wishart and the Protestant faith.
So a bunch of Protestants occupied the castle for a year and a half.
Now keep in mind that Scotland was Catholic at the time, and under the rule of French regent Mary of Guise. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots who was a small child at this time. So tensions were escalating in St. Andrews with this troublesome bunch occupying the castle in defiance of the Queen Regent.
Meanwhile, John Knox was serving professionally as the private tutor to a couple of families who were very active in the Reformation cause, so we suspect he was saved around 1543. But during this time Knox private tutoring sessions were generating some interest, to the point where they were fairly well-attended by people wanting to listen in on his lessons.
So as a Protestant Bible teacher and the former bodyguard of the late George Wishart, the streets of St. Andrews weren’t a very safe place for Knox. Knox was compelled to move into the barracks at St. Andrews Castle where he would be safer.
As such, he was quickly gaining popularity as a Bible teacher although he had not as yet received a call to the ministry.
After his call to ministry, Knox continued to preach in St. Andrews until the castilians were forced to surrender to the French-backed forces of Mary Stuart in August of 1547. Knox was sentenced to be an oarsman as a galley slave along with a number of other Scottish Protestants.
His release was arranged by Edward VI, Protestant son of Henry VIII, whereupon Knox returned to Britain, this time to England, where he ministered in the Anglican Church as a sort of personal chaplain to Edward. But Edward didn’t live very long, and 1553 when Edward VI died, Knox fled to the Continent. This was because Edward was succeeded by his infamous Catholic sister, Bloody Mary Tudor. (Technically he was succeeded by the godly and young Jane Grey, but she was only queen for nine days, so Knox didn’t have any advocates among the English or Scottish royals).
It was during this time that he befriended and sat under the tutelage of John Calvin. He also was able to pastor two congregations for a time in Frankfurt and Geneva. Not until 1558 did he try to return to Scotland, but he was delayed in doing so.
So, while delayed he took opportunity to speak out against the idolatrous behaviors of Mary of Guise and Mary Tudor, the Catholic monarchs of Scotland and England, respectively. So he wrote and published The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women.
Again that was 1558. You know what else happened in 1558? In November Bloody Mary died at the ripe old age of 42 years old. So when her cousin Elizabeth I came to the throne, Protestant though she was, Elizabeth did not take kindly to Knox’s First Blast. Knox was prevented then from being able to return to Scotland until the following year (1559) and then things really took off.
Mary of Guise died in July of 1560 and by August the Scottish Parliament declared Scotland to be Protestant. Mary Queen of Scots came to the throne and had the mass administered to her privately at her palace, though it was illegal.
Five times Knox appeared before Mary personally, all at her request. Though she was the queen, Knox always spoke the truth to her, however bluntly, which exasperated the queen. She could not make a martyr of John Knox or the Protestant cause would have advanced at an even greater rate than it did. Neither could she manipulate or charm him, as was her custom with so many others, because he did not fear men.
The result was that these private meetings between Knox and the queen regularly ended with her crying angry, bitter tears and him walking out of the palace with a clear conscience. She had been essentially reduced to impotence and Knox was free to focus on his ministry for the last ten years of his life or so, although he retained no shortage of Catholic enemies.
Under Knox’s influence and leadership the Scots Confession was drafted by five John’s (Knox being only one), in 1560. It proved to be a helpful resource when the Westminster Confession was drafted some 86 years later. And when that happened the Scottish Presbyterian Church was the most reformed in the world at the time.
John Knox can teach us much if we will but study and listen. The following principles represent things that Knox was like Christ, things that he had learned and that he is still teaching us.
It really is remarkable the courage that Knox drew from his fear of God over men. He was very aware of his own shortcomings and that fed his dependence on God. The result was a tremendous courage amid adversity.
Don’t miss this: Knox’s power came from his dependence on God. He was so dependent on God that he gained tremendous power. He spoke with boldness because he feared God. He was courageous because he feared the consequence of disobedience to God. He could not stand by and watch the injustices and idolatry committed by the Catholic Church. And - as we read just moments ago - though it could cost him his life, he boldly combated Catholicism.
In the words of biographer Doug Bond, “Knox’s life teaches that the most timid saint becomes a formidable giant when strengthened by the almighty power of God in Christ alone” (xxii).
There are times when we speak the truth in hate, or we do so as jerks. When that happens, we heap sin on sin and ought to seek forgiveness. But we live in a time when an apology is expected for every offense, regardless of whether a person ought to be offended or not.
In other words, if you say something to me and I’m offended, you owe me an apology, period. If I don’t like the message you deliver - whether or not it’s the truth - I can always say I don’t appreciate your tone.
Well, it wasn’t always like this. There once was a time when people had the fortitude to speak and hear the truth, even if it happened to be uncomfortable. But your choices are to be familiar with history and biography or to take my word for it, because the notion is pretty foreign to our thinking today.
When I first read Rosalind Marshall’s biography on Knox, this was what impressed me above all. People who are bold - even brazen - in their communication with others occasionally (if not often!) stick their feet in their mouths. But Knox seemed to know the truth, speak the truth in love with boldness, and prepare for and own the consequences. Generally speaking, Knox didn’t apologize because he didn’t need to.
But don’t get me wrong; He offended many people, just never needlessly.
We’ve already mentioned Mary, Queen of Scots.
As we mentioned before, five times he appeared before her personally before Queen of Scots at her behest, and each time he kept his conscience clear and frustrated Mary, who was not used to being told off by her subjects.
We’ve also mentioned Queen Elizabeth I:
To review, he wrote The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women. It was inspired by the idolatries of Mary of Guise and Bloody Mary Tudor. If it were written three years later it would have been inspired too by Mary, Queen of Scots.
He published it in 1558…at the same time as Protestant Elizabeth took the throne. She didn’t like it very much. He was in exile on the Continent when he wrote it, and was relieved to find out that Elizabeth was now on the throne and that Bloody Mary was dead…but Elizabeth - Bloody Mary’s cousin - didn’t exactly appreciate Knox’s discretion.
So when I first read about Knox, what impressed me most was that he never needed to apologize, because he was not sorry if people were offended by the truth! And he spoke the truth as a slave to his conscience.
And this did not change with his audience. Even when he was in communication with the very (offended) Queen of England, he still would not sheepishly take back his words, though he did clarify that he did not exactly have her in mind when he wrote The First Blast.
Again a clarification is in order: Jesus is clear the greatness in the world’s eyes differs dramatically from greatness in the kingdom of heaven. John Knox was faithful to Scripture and his conscience and his international influence exploded as a result, and we enjoy many fruits of his labors today.
Scotland’s greatest Reformer was perfectly content being a private tutor in St. Andrews. As we learned earlier, he resisted the call to vocational ministry, but I don’t think it was from fear as much as from an awareness of what it would cost.
He took to the pulpit because it had to be done. The people of Scotland needed to hear the truth and souls were at stake while the idolatry of the mass was propagated by the queens and church officials.
He led in the writing of the Scots Confession because it needed to happen. The Protestant Church in Scotland needed a reformed confession that appropriately and biblically articulated the faith of the people.
We didn’t talk about this, but he took a stance (pun intended) against kneeling during the Lord’s Supper, a practice instructed in the Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer.
And the list goes on. Knox’s greatness resulted from his faithfulness.
We ignore our own heritage as Americans.
Many of us have been taught or assume that the English Puritans had the greatest impact on the American settlement, independence and ultimately the establishment of our government. Well, the Reformation in Scotland has had a much greater impact on the founding of our nation that the reformation in England and here’s why:
In England, the Puritans and Reformers were concerned with the kings’ and queens’ trampling on the rights of the English people as free men. They believed in large measure that the church was under the - or ought to be under - the state. Most of the Puritans were in the Church of England, the Anglican Church. And who was the head of the Anglican Church? The King.
The Colonists didn’t come up with the idea of the separation of Church and state because they were mad at the James’s or the George’s. It was a point of emphasis of the Scottish Reformation 200 years before the drafting of our Declaration of Independence, particularly when the state was idolatrous.
So while the English Puritans and Reformers were concerned with the kings’ and queens’ trampling on the rights of the English people as free men, in Scotland, the Protestant nobles and barons were concerned with the kings’ and queens’ overstepping their bounds and trampling on the crown rights of King Jesus. And where did this come from?
In part, it came from John Knox’s study of the Bible. Knox’s study of the Old Testament (and his Presbyterian leanings) led him to conclude that it is the responsibility of political leaders to maintain the law of God and to lead spiritually among the people. And when they fail to do so, it is the responsibility of the people to - through the proper channels - resist that authority. And I don’t have time to talk about what those proper channels look like, but rest assured: Knox did not endorse willy-nilly rebellion. What it actually looked like was what is commonly-referred to as the American Revolution.
There are lots of other things that happen if we ignore John Knox and the lives of saints from past generations.
But when it comes to John Knox, we fail to glorify God for His demonstrated faithfulness and kindness to us all by allowing Knox to live and continue living as he did.
On Monday night November 24, 1572, at about 11:00pm, with his faithful servant and friend Ballantyne at his bedside, John Knox breathed his last.
Two days later was a funeral service at St. Giles’ Church, Edinburgh, and his body was laid to rest in the church yard.
In a fate that would no doubt please such an unassuming man who wished to direct glory and attention to Christ, his grave was subsequently buried beneath a blanket of asphalt, namely, parking stall number 23, if you ever get a chance to visit.
But I close with a reminder of the words of the Earl of Morton as he gave Knox’s eulogy: “Here lies a man who neither feared nor flattered any flesh.” May the life of John Knox and other faithful men who have gone before us inspire us to do the same.