“I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon the Cross…” and suddenly I realised that Auschwitz-Birkenau was not primarily a crime against humanity – though it is – rather it is primarily a sin against God Himself. And at that moment, I saw a picture. A picture that would change my perception of Auschwitz-Birkenau forever.
I saw the infamous gates of Birkenau (the gates, tower and barracks to the left and right) “moving” forward, ever forward towards the Cross of Jesus. They got so close that they “merged” into the Cross, disappearing into it until all I could see was the Cross. Immediately, I heard the words from Isaiah 25, 8; “death is swallowed up in victory.”
At that moment I understood that Jesus truly takes away all the sin that Auschwitz represents. In fact, He already knew before it happened that the sin would leave its mark on the Jewish people, the people of Europe and the land of Poland. He also had a plan of redemption from before time began. That plan was Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, who would swallow up death in victory on the Cross.
There is probably no greater symbol of death and destruction than the Holocaust and yet, Jesus has the victory over it. This process of transformation has begun people are being healed and restored even now, even while they visit the camps. This, however, is just a taster of what is to come…of the day when Auschwitz will no longer be known as a place of death, but as a place of life!
God is doing a new thing. He is making ALL things new. He’s doing it daily. DAILY…steadily and surely bringing death to life… shifting the focus off the Holocaust and Auschwitz-Birkenau and onto the Cross the place where victory is accomplished!
He just asks us to “behold,” to notice, to look and see how the transformation happens. When God sees the transformation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, He sees the renewal of the whole village of Brzezinka, its land and its people.
His aim? The redemption and restoration of ALL things.
Auschwitz-Birkenau will one day be known for restoration, healing, blessing and life. So, when I look at those gates, I no longer look death in the face. I see the redemption and the restoration, the life that God is bringing.
So be it!
Ref: Isaiah 25, 8/Isaiah 43, 19/Rev 21, 5.