Sermon Illustrations

I came across a true story that happened during the Holocaust of the Second World War.

Solomon Rosenberg, his wife and their 2 sons were arrested, together with his mother and father for the crime of being Jews. They were placed in a Nazi concentration camp.

It was a labour camp, and the rules were simple.

"As long as you can do your work, you will be permitted to live.

When you become too weak to do your work, then you will be exterminated."

Rosenberg watched his mother and father being marched off to their deaths as they became too weka to work.

He knew that the next would be his youngest son, David - because David had always been a frail child.

Every evening, Rosenberg came back into the barracks after his hours of hard labour and searched the faces for his family.

When he found them they would huddle together, embrace one another and thank God for another day of life.

One day Rosenberg came back and didn’t see those familiar faces.

He finally found his oldest son, Joshua, in a corner, huddled, weeping and praying.

He said, "Josh, tell me it’s not true."

Joshua turned and said, "It is true, Dad. Today David was not strong enough to do his work. So they came for him."

"But where is your mother?" asked Mr. Rosenberg.

"Oh Dad," he said, "When they came for David, he was afraid and he cried.

So Mum said, `There is nothing to be afraid of, David,’ and she took his hand and went with him."

Related Sermon Illustrations

Related Sermons