Four Men Who Finished Well

Recently, I listened to Charles Stanley share a memorable analogy about the ocean. He said a giant storm can send winds swirling, rain falling and waves crashing. Yet, down deep beneath the water, where "the storm held no sway," that same ocean is quiet and calm.

Stanley has written: "That’s what Christ’s peace is like. It’s not an absence of conflict or trouble but a deep calmness in the midst of life’s circumstances." (http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/a-word-from-dr-stanley/choose-peace)

Shortly after hearing him speak, I saw a stunning reminder of that kind of peace. 

Some of you may have heard of eight prisoners executed in Indonesia for drug charges. Two Australians, a Brazilian, four Nigerians and an Indonesian were bound to posts and shot through the heart.

There was a lot of controversy surrounding their deaths. No deaths had been linked to their drug charges and some of the prisoners had already spent years trying to make amends for their smuggling crimes. Some people found the death penalty harsh, an extreme punishment for crimes where no deaths occurred. However, in the midst of the sadness and the calls for justice, there was a beauty.

The Australians became Christians in prison.

The faith of at least four men grew in the midst of their imprisonment and we could see glimpses of God's goodness as they finished their race well.

One, Myuran Sukumaran, became a teacher of various subjects to the prisoners, including English, computer, graphic design and philosophy. He also painted works of art, mentored for the past four years by acclaimed artist Ben Quilty--who became his friend.

The second Australian, Andrew Chan, studied theology for six years, became a pastor, baptized other inmates and led English church services in prison.

In an interview, Chan spoke of his conversion experience, shortly after receiving his death sentence from the Indonesian government. He had been considering the issues of God, heaven, and hell. He had been reading the Bible and praying. After the sentence, he said he held a conversation with God.

"I said, 'God, I asked you to set me free, not kill me.' God spoke to me and said, 'Andrew, I have set you free from the inside out, I have given you life!' From that moment on I haven’t stopped worshipping Him. I had never sung before, never led worship, until Jesus set me free." 

Before his death,  Chan wrote a touching letter to his young nephew. "It's been a long journey, Kai, I did bad things when I was younger which landed me in prison. . . . I learnt a lot while I was in prison,  what was important and what life is about. I wish I could have taught you about Jesus, about how he blessed me in many amazing ways. . . . I love you, your name is tattooed on my heart. . . . Please listen to your Mum and Dad, they are very good parents. They love you unconditionally.…I love you Kai, keep looking to Jesus, trust in his ways and learn from my mistakes. . . I love you always, Your Uncle, Andrew."

Quilty said of Chan and Sukumaran that he believed they would provide comfort to the others facing execution “until the last second."  He said that Chan would certainly "calm and console" them and Sukumaran would translate the executioner's words for them.

“You may take their freedom and their lives, you may rob their fellow inmates of the support and love that both men have offered for so long ... but you will never kill the memory of them,” Mr Quilty wrote. “I know that before the sound of your guns, the island will hear the comforting whisper of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan."

A third inmate, Nigerian Okwudili Ayotanze became known as the "Death Row Gospel Singer." He used his time in prison to write more than 70 songs, performing and recording gospel music while incarcerated.  An Irish Catholic priest, Rev. Charles Burrows, who counseled Ayotanze while he awaited execution, told reporters, "He has turned his life around in jail."

A friend of Ayotanze said he never stopped helping other prisoners. "He would make sure everyone would come out of their cells and attend Mass. He was a good person. I will really feel the loss."

Here is a video of him singing his song, "God, You Know (All My Ways)."

Sydney Morning Herald writer, Jewel Topsfield, told the public that Pastor Tuhu Santoso led a prison church Mass on the island shortly before the execution and that another condemned Nigerian, Raheem Agbaje Salami, described how Jesus had saved him. Chan played the guitar and read a verse from the Bible stating everything that happened was God's will. Not a single feather would fall off a sparrow, without God permitting it.  Chan and Sukumaran told Pastor Tuhu they still believed in miracles.  But, they added that if they were executed, it was part of God's plan.

I don't know what the remaining four men were thinking as they were led to their deaths in the middle of the night. I do know that on the back of Sukumaran's final painting, Sylvester Nwolise wrote: “Am covered with the blood of Jesus Christ.” 

And, there was something else. Reportedly, while some of the men's relatives were grieving and reciting the Lord's prayer outside the prison, the eight condemned men hugged each other, said farewell, refused blindfolds and stared into the eyes of their captors while they sang together, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. . . " and "Bless the Lord O My Soul."

That second song, by Matt Redman, says in part,

". . .You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger, Your name is great, and Your heart is kind. For all Your goodness I will keep on singing. . . Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find. . . . Bless the Lord, O my soul. . . .Worship His holy name. . . Sing like never before. . .And on that day when my strength is failing--The end draws near and my time has come--Still my soul will sing Your praise unending. . .  Ten thousand years and then forevermore. . . .Bless the Lord, O my soul. . . .Worship His holy name. . . Sing like never before, O my soul . . .  Jesus, I will worship Your holy name."

Topsfield wrote: 

"In the still night air of Nusakambangan island, condemned prisoners sang Amazing Grace just after midnight. They also sang Bless the Lord O My Soul before their song was cut off by the crack of gunfire.

". . . . Pastor Karina de Vega said the voices of all eight members of the group cut through the air.
'They were praising their God,' Pastor de Vega said. 'It was breathtaking. This was the first time I witnessed someone so excited to meet their God.'

"Pastor de Vega said it was the most beautiful experience she had ever had.

"'They bonded together,' she said. 'Brotherhood. They sang one song after another. Praising God. They sang a few songs together, like in a choir.

"'The non-Christian (she doesn't name him), I believe, also sang from his heart. It was such an experience.'"

Even though they went into prison with reputations as drug smugglers, several of these men left this world as role models and inspirations.  Because they finished well. Our stories aren't over till they are over. While there is life, there is hope. God is so good at redemption and restoration.