An article from hope TODAY 1 to browse. By Jean-Henry Merle D'aubigne

Johannes Luther wanted to make a scholar out of his son. In 1497, when Martin was fourteen, his father sent him to the Franciscan school in Magdeburg. For better or for worse, his mother had to agree, and so Martin prepared to leave home.

Magdeburg was like a new world for Martin. He had to study under numerous hardships because he hardly had enough to live on. It was shameful for him that in his spare time he had to beg for bread with other children who were even poorer than himself.

Johannes and Margaret Luther heard about how hard it was for their son to earn a living in Magdeburg, so after less than a year they sent him to Eisenach, where there was a famous school. In this city they had many relatives. Although Johannes and Margaret had more money than before, they could not keep their son in a place where no one knew him. In addition to Martin, the two had other children. With his work, Johannes Luther earned just a little more than he needed to support his family. He hoped that in Eisenach Martin would be able to find the means of subsistence more easily. But Martin wasn't doing any better in this city either. His relatives there did not take care of him - probably because they were very poor themselves.

Tormented by hunger, the young student was forced, as in Magdeburg, to go singing from house to house with his schoolmates in order to earn a crust of bread. But instead of giving him food, poor and humble Martin was only hurled harsh words in his face. Overcome with grief, he secretly shed many tears and feared for the future.

"The Pious Lady of Shunem"

One day - he had just been turned away from three houses and was about to return to his lodgings and fast - he stopped motionless in Saint George's Square and lost himself in gloomy thoughts in front of the house of a distinguished citizen. Would he have to give up his education for lack of food, return and work with his father in the Mansfeldt mines?

Suddenly a door opens! A woman appears on the threshold. It is Ursula, the wife of Conrad Cotta and daughter of the mayor of Ilefeld. The Eisenach Chronicle calls her "the pious woman from Shunem" in memory of the young widow who so urgently invited the prophet Elisa to stay and eat. This godly woman from Shunem named Ursula had often noticed young Martin in church. She had been impressed by his pleasant voice and his devotion. She had heard the harsh words the poor student had to endure, and when she saw him sadly standing outside her door, she wanted to help him, invited him in and gave him something to appease his hunger.

Conrad endorsed his wife's charitable work. In fact, he enjoyed the boy's company so much that a few days later he took him in completely. From now on his education was assured. He didn't have to return to the Mansfeldt mines and bury his God-given talents. At a time when he did not know what would become of him, God opened the heart and home of a Christian family to him. This experience gave him that trust in God that could not be shaken even by the most difficult trials that were to come his way later.

happy times

Luther experienced a completely different kind of life in the Cotta household than he had known before. His life now went on quietly, free from need and worry. He became more cheerful, joyful and open. All his faculties awakened amid the warm rays of charity, and he began to enjoy life, cheerfulness, and happiness. His prayers became more fervent, his thirst for knowledge greater, and his study quicker.

In addition to literature and science, he now also got to know the fine arts. He learned to play the flute and the lute. He often accompanied his excellent contralto voice with the lute and thus found joy in sad hours. He enjoyed showing his deep gratitude to his adoptive mother with his tunes. He himself loved this art into old age and composed the lyrics and melodies of some of the best German songs. Those were happy times for Luther. He could never think back on her without feeling deeply moved.

»There is nothing more beautiful on earth than the heart of a good woman.«

Many years later, one of Conrad's sons came to Wittenberg to study. At that time, the poor student from Eisenach had already become the best-known professor of his time. Luther gladly received him at his table and under his roof. He wanted to give something back to the son of Conrad for the kindness he had received from his parents. Concerning that godly woman who took care of him when the whole world cast him out, he uttered these wonderful thoughts: “There is nothing more beautiful on earth than the heart of a good woman.”

Never forget

Luther was never ashamed that there were days in his life when, plagued by hunger, he sadly had to beg for his daily bread. Not at all! He spoke gratefully about the great poverty of his youth. He saw them as God's means of making him what he later became, and he thanked God for it. This great man saw in those humble beginnings the reason he later became so famous. He didn't want to forget that the voice that shook the Empire and the world once had to beg for a crust of bread in the streets of a small town.

Source:
Jean-Henri Merle d'Aubigne, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, Vol. 1: History of the Reformation, Book 2: The Youth, Conversion and Early Labors of Luther 1483-1517, pp. 51, 52.

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