Rain poured from the dark skies. Thunder boomed, seeming to rattle the ground. Lightning lit up the sky. It was a kind of summer thunderstorm that you don't want to be out in. But 22 year old Martin Luther didn't have much of a choice. He was returning to university from a trip home and he had to get back to UE (the University of Erfurt, the law school he was attending) right away. The horse he rode snorted and protested loudly. Martin was determined, though. He urged his horse forward. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the ground not too far from Martin. Martin was thrown from his horse. Stricken with fear he cried out, almost delusional, "I will become a monk. I will become a monk." All he wanted was to get away alive. And get away alive he did. And true to his claim he remained. He packed up his law books and headed for the nearest monastery. His dad, who had really wanted him to be a lawyer, was furious. But Martin didn't let that deter him.
Martin was a really good monk, in monkly terms at least. His days were filled with seemingly endless fasting, praying, and confession. But Martin lost sight of God. He lost sight of Who He really was. So Martin's "father," his superior, Johann von Staupitz, sent him to the University of Wittenberg, hoping to help young Martin reclaim his faith. Martin got a couple of Bachelor degrees and eventually a Doctorate. He began to teach at Wittenberg as a theology professor. Martin was a really good professor too. He was accepted onto the senate of the theological faculty at Wittenberg.
Life was going pretty well for Mr. Luther. That is until 1516, when John Tetzel came to town.
John Tetzel was employed by the Pope to sell indulgences so that they could rebuild St. Peter's Basilica, a church in Rome. Indulgences are a funny (in a not really funny way) thing. They're pretty much pieces of paper that you buy to get a loved one, or yourself, into heaven. John Tetzel said that faith alone will not save you. You had to buy an indulgence or do good works or give money to the church to be saved. (Remember, back in those days, the common people didn't have a Bible in their own language so they had to believe whatever the Pope and his monks said.) Well, Martin had been doing some soul-searching and Scripture searching and he came to a startling conclusion: Indulgences were absolutely worthless. Pieces of paper sold for money would not get you into heaven, the only way you could get to heaven is by grace alone, through faith alone, by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Now, Martin had a choice. He could keep this truth to himself and kind of muddle his way through the rest of his life, still following the Pope and John Tetzel and buying indulgences just to keep up appearances. Or he could do something so radical it would shake the world as he knew it to the core. You'll never guess what he chose ....