What could a man do to deserve such a brutal death?
In October 1536, an Englishman was executed in Belgium. He was tied to a stake, strangled, and then his body was burned.
You might assume he had committed a particularly heinous crime. Murder? Treason? Something worse?
The man was William Tyndale.
His crime was translating the Bible into English.
Today that may sound almost unbelievable. Most of us own several Bibles. We can read them freely, carry them on our phones, and hear a sermon from the Bible in our own language preached every week.
But in Tyndale’s day the Bible in England was available only in Latin, a language ordinary people could not understand. Tyndale believed that had to change.
He was so convinced of the importance of God’s word that he was willing to take great risks, bear significant cost, and ultimately give his life for it.
So he devoted himself to translating the Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew into clear English. Because this work was illegal, Tyndale fled England and worked from exile. His New Testament was printed on the continent and smuggled back into England hidden in bales of cloth. For the first time, ordinary men and women could read God’s word for themselves.
Eventually Tyndale was betrayed, arrested, and imprisoned. After more than a year in prison he was executed at the age of 42, still convinced of the importance of God’s word. As he died, he prayed:
“Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”
Not long after, English Bibles began to be printed and distributed widely.
Five hundred years later we are still beneficiaries of his work. The Bible that sits on our shelves is the same living word of God that Tyndale believed was worth suffering and dying for.
And the reason is simple: God speaks through his word.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword,it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart..”
(Hebrews 4:12)
When we open the Scriptures, we are not simply reading an ancient book. We are hearing the voice of the living God.
So read it. Sit under it. Share it. Let it shape you and lead you to Christ again and again.
Grace & peace,
Andrew
P.S. Here is a great documentary on Tyndale. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRAbG_u-nKo