What in your life would you be willing to give everything for? For some, they are willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice for it. This is much like how Franz from, “A Hidden Life”, was willing to give his life up in order to lead as an example. From a biblical context, a husband has an obligation to lead his wife and the rest of his family. So when Franz is faced with a situation where he could either lead his family down a path of evil and keep his own life, or have a chance at saving his family but giving up his life, he decides to do exactly what Christ did. By comparing Christ’s relationship with the church and Franz’s relationship with his wife, we might be able to better understand why he did what he did.
Towards the end of the film (2:27), Franz’s wife, Fani, comes to visit him along wife one of the priests from the village. While they are there, the lawyer see’s it as an opportunity to try and convince Franz to say the oath that would contradict his beliefs. He thinks that by seeing his wife, it might make him change his mind and possibly save his life. The priest who accompanied Fani also tries to get Franz to change his mind by saying. “Change your stand… I beg you to.” Of all the people who are there, there is only one person who stands by Franz, and that’s his wife. She arguably has the most reason to want Franz to change his mind, yet she doesn’t. She says, “I love you…Whatever you do…Whatever comes, I am with you.” This has similarities to Ephesians 5:24, “Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” Fani lives out this verse by following and supporting her husband even when everyone else doesn’t.
Christ was also put in a somewhat similar situation as Franz was. He knew that God intended for him to die on the cross, despite Christs wants. Christ says, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”(Mathew 26:39) Christ didn’t want to die on the cross, but he knew that he was a sacrifice that had to be made and was also a living example for the church. This is the same way Franz didn’t want lose his life, but it was the only of leading his wife and family by setting an example. How would he lead his family if he had simply given up and let evil win? Sure he might have been alive, but what example does that set? What lesson is he passing on to his children if he gives in to evil and ends up dying in battle vs dying for what he believes in.
Franz arguably made the correct choice by facing certain death instead of giving evil another foot hold. According to the constructs of a biblical marriage, it might have also been the correct choice. Fani sticks with and supports her husband through thick and thin. And Franz leads as an example to his wife and family, even if that means giving up his own life. Just as Christ did for the church.
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