Growing Reputation and Bold Preaching
From 1403 to 1409, Hus’ reputation as a reformer grew. Every day, he preached a message either from his pulpit or the university classroom; exposing the error of the church’s practices of prohibiting lay people from reading the Bible, selling indulgences to gain “salvation,” and insisting that Jesus’ life was sacrificed again in every celebration of Communion.
Forbidden to Preach
Believe it or not, in the Middle Ages, many parish priests had never even read the Bible. Instead, they stood in their pulpits preaching “fables and fanciful stories.” Determined to preach only the truth, Hus taught directly from the Czech Bible and trained his university students to do the same. “Preach the Bible,” he would exhort them, “not some entertainment or fables or plundering lies.”
In 1410, alarmed by the spread of Wycliffe’s messages throughout Europe, Pope John XXIII (not the modern pope by the same name) issued a papal order banning all of Wycliffe’s books and teachings and forbidding the free preaching of God’s Word by men like Hus and his students. The city of Prague, from the wealthiest leaders to the poorest shopkeepers, was in turmoil. The country of Bohemia was full of Wycliffe and Hus supporters. With Christian support rallied around him, Hus ignored the ban and preached on salvation in Christ with an even greater boldness. He renounced the excesses of the Catholic clergy and their sins of sexual immorality and greed, and he encouraged the people to love God with their whole heart. Hus insisted on preaching in the Czech language, instead of holding mass in Latin, so that even the least educated could understand the gospel message. The Bethlehem Church, which had become the center of the Czech reform movement, was filled to capacity and beyond in every service.
Excommunicated but Still Preaching
Soon after the ban, the pope declared war on a prince in Italy; and, because wars are costly, the pope needed to raise some quick funds, so he started selling more indulgences—church assurances of eternal salvation. Hus and his followers began to protest and threatened a rebellion.
To be continued…
Date: 17th August 2024
Martyr: John Hus
Location: Not specified
Source: God’s Generals – The Martyrs
Author: Roberts Liardon
Suffering Saturday 104
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