The Oskar Schindler Enigma

Oskar Schindler fascinates me, not so much for what he did but because what he did raises a question that goes to a fundamental tenant of Christianity.  There are Christians who would say that Schindler is lost, that is, condemned to burn in hell forever, because he never confessed the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal saviour. But paradoxically he demonstrates a heart like that of God.

To quote the Jewish Virtual Library, Schindler 'was born Catholic, but from an early age he inhabited a world of sin. His exploits with women are the stuff of barroom legend.' A gambler, he squandered the family fortune. Married to Emile, he was never short a mistress or two. A member of the Nazi party, when the Germans marched into Poland he followed, becoming involved in the black market and the underworld. He made friends with the local high ranking Gestapo, winning them over with women and illicit grog.  With their help he acquired a factory and staffed it with cheap Jewish labour. Hardly a model citizen.

 As Schindler was exposed to the actions of the Nazis in Poland his attitude changed. He became determined to do whatever he could to defeat the system. His factory became a sanctuary for Jews. They were well treated and well fed. Schindler manipulated his network with the Nazis to the advantage of his Jews. He made defective bullets for the German war effort. Thomas Keneally, quoted in the Jewish Virtual Library, says, “He negotiated the salvation of his 1,300 Jews by operating right at the heart of the system using all the tools of the devil - bribery, black marketeering and lies”. He is now honoured by the Jews as a 'Righteous Gentile.'

The Holocaust was not the first time the Jews had faced genocide. Purim celebrates Jewish salvation from their enemies at the time of the Medo-Persian Empire and the bravery of a young Jewish woman, Esther. Her story, recorded in the Old Testament book that bears her name, goes something like this.

Xerxes the Great obviously liked a party. In the third year of his reign he put on a celebration for the high ranking people of his kingdom that went for 180 days. This gave him the opportunity to show everyone how rich and magnificent he was. After this he put on another do for all the people living in the Citadel of Susa - his capital. Again, this was an opulent display lasting seven days and every man could drink as much as he liked. The women had their own function, hosted by the Queen Vashti.

Now Vashti was a very attractive woman and on the last day an intoxicated Xerxes sent for the Queen so that all the men could perv on her beauty. Vashti however must have been an early feminist for she refused to be paraded before a courtyard full of drunken men. Her refusal could not be tolerated for it set a bad example. If she got away with this then every woman in the kingdom might feel empowered to disobey her husband. An example had to be made of Vashti and she was immediately deposed.

So the search for a new queen commenced. Beautiful young virgins were brought from all over the kingdom to begin a 12 month course of beauty treatments after which one would be chosen as queen. One of these was a Jewish girl, Esther, who had been adopted by her cousin Mordecai following the death of her parents. Mordecai and Esther were residents of Susa.

Following Mordecai's advice Esther hid her Jewish identity. This could only mean one thing - she was not true to the Jewish religion for, apart from anything else, their rules about diet set them apart. Then there was the matter of their Sabbath observance and other feast days, monotheism and other practices.

When the time came to select the Queen each of the virgins was presented in turn to the king. After spending the night with him they would take their place among his concubines and they would not spend another night with the king unless 'he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name'. When Esther's turn came she pleased Xerxes so much that he immediately had her crowned queen. On her cousin's advice she continued to hide her true identity.

Mordecai had a job in the palace. One day a nasty piece of work, Haman, was promoted to the highest position in the kingdom next to the king. Mordecai refused to give Haman the respect due his position and this enraged him. When he discovered Mordecai was a Jew he conspired to have the king issue an edict that all Jews would be killed about a year later. According to the rules of the Medes and Persians, once a royal edict had been proclaimed it could not be repealed. The Jews were doomed.

Having contributed to the predicament his people were in Mordecai sought to enlist Esther's help to lobby the king on their behalf. She was reluctant, for to approach the king without being summoned was to risk death. Only if the king extended the gold scepter in such a circumstance would the individual be spared. Thirty days had passed since Esther had been summoned - after all, Xerxes had more than his fair share of the most beautiful women in the empire to keep him happy.

However, Mordecai presented a rather persuasive argument - you are a Jew and if you think you will be spared from this edict, think again. To cut the story short, Esther approached the king, he extended the gold scepter, and the rest is history. In an ironic twist Haman was hanged on a gallows he had built for Mordecai and the king issued another edict granting the Jews the right not only to defend themselves, but to 'kill, slaughter and annihilate' anyone who tried to kill them and to take the property of their enemies.

Two heroes who came to the rescue of the Jews, one recent the other well over 2,000 years ago. Both celebrated. Both individuals who to all intents and purposes were not living up to anything like the ideal presented in the Bible.

There is a significant difference. By approaching the king without being summoned Esther risked death. She could have reasoned that her true identity might not have been discovered and gambled on that. Or she could have reasoned that to wait till she was summoned gave her longer to live and that while ever life continued there was some hope that circumstances could change. Hers was an act of courage, but she had all to gain and possibly nothing lose.

Schindler, on the other hand, had nothing to gain and everything to lose. He could have traded on, exploited his Jewish labour, and secreted away the wealth he may have accumulated. Exposure meant one thing - death.

Every ANZAC day at services all over Australia the words of Jesus are read out: 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends' (John 15:13). This is the highest ideal of Christianity - and, I suspect - of human kind. It is this ideal that was exemplified by Oskar Schindler - the heavy drinking, adulterous, gambler and black marketeer. On this point he demonstrated a heart after that of Jesus Christ. And if, on this point alone he is judged, surely he will walk the streets of gold.

The Bible is full of heroes who, by the standards of 'good Christians', do not measure up. But who are we to judge - to present our neatly packed theology of salvation, determining the criteria on which people are saved. Aren't we better off leaving that to God who reads our hearts and understands our situations, opportunities and motives? Who knows who we might meet in the earth made new.