The Story of John Tauler - (Children Version)

This is the story of a man named John Tauler, who lived over 700 years ago in a city called Strasbourg. He wasn’t a medical doctor but was called a “doctor” because he knew so much about theology, which is the study of God and religion. His story is about how he learned the true meaning of God’s grace and became a great preacher who helped many people. Let’s break it down into easy-to-read sections so everyone, even kids, can understand.

About these AI Notes:
John Tauler (Christian Biographies Retold for Children) - Santosh Poonen. This is an AI-generated summary based on the message: "John Tauler (Christian Biographies Retold for Children)" by Santosh Poonen, shared on August 24, 2022. 📺 Watch the original message here: YouTube Link. Please note: This is a summary, not a word-for-word transcript. While every effort has been made to capture the key points accurately, there may be mistakes or omissions. For complete understanding and clarification, kindly refer to the original message linked above.

The Story of John Tauler: The Enlightened Doctor

1. Who Was John Tauler?

John Tauler at Dominican College of St. Jacques

John Tauler was born around 1290 in Strasbourg, a city in a region called Alsace. His father, Nicholas Tauler, was a wealthy and important man, like a city leader or governor. When John was about 18, he decided to become a Dominican monk, which is like a priest in the Catholic Church. He went to Paris to study at a special school for monks called the Dominican College of St. Jacques.

John was very smart and loved studying the Bible, but he wasn’t interested in fancy ideas or complicated debates like some other teachers. He was humble, kind, and truly cared about people. Everyone admired him and called him “the Master” because he knew so much and was an amazing preacher. People loved listening to his sermons because he explained things clearly and with a kind heart.

2. The Pope’s Curse on Strasbourg

Strasbourg City when Pope put a curse on it

At that time, the Catholic Church and the Pope had a lot of power over people’s lives. The Pope was upset with the Emperor of Germany, named Lewis, because the Emperor protected a teacher named Marsilius of Padua. Marsilius taught ideas that the Church didn’t like, such as questioning the Church’s authority and saying that Jesus’ sacrifice was enough for salvation. The Church believed people had to do good works to earn their way to heaven, and they called Marsilius’ ideas heresy, which means wrong beliefs.

Because of this disagreement, the Pope put a curse called an “interdict” on Strasbourg. This was like a strict rule that stopped priests from holding church services, and people weren’t allowed to leave or enter the city. It was like a big city-wide curfew, and it made life hard for everyone. Many priests were scared to break the Pope’s rules, but John Tauler was different. Even though he was loyal to the Catholic Church, he cared more about helping the people of Strasbourg. So, he kept preaching and helping them, even when it was risky.

3. John Tauler’s Preaching

John Tauler Preaching to the crowds

John Tauler was an amazing preacher, and huge crowds came to hear him speak. People in Strasbourg were proud to have such a great teacher in their city. He knew the Bible very well and taught in a practical way that everyone could understand. Visitors came from far away just to listen to him.

But there was a problem. John’s sermons were about how to be a better person and live a good life, but they didn’t help people feel God’s grace, which is His love and forgiveness that we don’t earn. His teachings were like good ideas from his studies, but they didn’t change people’s hearts because John himself didn’t fully understand God’s grace yet. He was still following what the Catholic Church taught—that you had to do good works to be saved.

4. Meeting Nicholas of Basel

John Tauler meeting Nicholas Of Basel

In 1340, when John was about 50 years old, a young man named Nicholas of Basel came to hear him preach. Nicholas was from Switzerland and was much younger than John, maybe in his 30s or 40s. He was a true believer who had started small churches in the mountains and knew the true meaning of God’s grace. God had told Nicholas in a dream to go to Strasbourg and listen to John Tauler preach, because God had a special plan for John.

Nicholas listened to five of John’s sermons and noticed something important. He could see that John was kind, smart, and loved people, but his preaching didn’t show the true light of God’s grace. Nicholas believed John was in “darkness” because he didn’t understand that salvation comes from faith in Jesus, not from trying to be good enough.

5. Nicholas Challenges John

Nicholas met with John Tauler under the pretense of confession

Nicholas wanted to help John understand God’s grace, so he came up with a plan. He asked John to meet with him privately, saying he wanted to confess his sins, which was a common practice in the Catholic Church. For 12 weeks, Nicholas met with John, talking to him and trying to understand him better.

Then, Nicholas asked John to preach a special sermon about how to live the best spiritual life possible in a world full of sin. John was excited and preached a powerful sermon with 24 main points about how to be holy, humble, and loving. It was a great sermon, and most people thought it was perfect. But Nicholas noticed two big problems:

John didn’t talk about human sinfulness. He didn’t explain that people are sinful and can’t reach God’s perfect standard on their own.
John didn’t teach about faith in Jesus. He didn’t say that trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice is the only way to be accepted by God.

Nicholas giving notes to John Tauler from His Sermon

Nicholas was so smart that he wrote down John’s entire sermon from memory! He showed it to John, who was amazed by Nicholas’ intelligence. John even asked Nicholas to stay in Strasbourg and write down more of his sermons. But Nicholas had a bolder plan.

6. Nicholas Speaks the Truth

Nicholas telling the Hard Truth to John Tauler

Nicholas bravely told John the truth about his preaching. He said, “Dr. Tauler, you’re a great teacher, but you’re not living the life you preach about. Your sermons don’t bring God’s grace because your heart is focused on yourself and the people, not on God.” Nicholas explained that John’s heart was like a dirty cup. Even though John was teaching God’s truth, it wasn’t pure because his heart was full of pride and self-love.

Nicholas called John a “Pharisee,” not because he was a hypocrite like the Pharisees in the Bible, but because his heart was focused on himself instead of God’s glory. This was a big wake-up call for John. At first, he was hurt, but he didn’t get angry. Instead, he listened carefully and asked Nicholas to keep meeting with him and speaking honestly.

7. John’s Eyes Are Opened

John Tauler receiving the correction from Young Nicholas

As Nicholas kept talking to John, something amazing happened. John realized that Nicholas was right—he had been preaching for his own glory, not God’s. He hugged Nicholas and said, “Dear son, you’ve shown me my true self. I’ve been hiding my love for myself, and I didn’t even know it. God must have shown you this because no one else could know my heart like this.”

Nicholas kept teaching John, explaining that his sermons weren’t giving life to people because they came from his own efforts, not from God’s Spirit. He told John that to truly know God, he had to stop loving himself and start loving God with all his heart.

8. John’s Struggle to Change

Nicholas gave John a simple “ABC lesson” to help him learn God’s ways, but it was hard for John. He was used to being a great teacher who could do everything on his own. For six weeks, John tried hard to follow Nicholas’ advice, but he felt miserable and like he was failing. He couldn’t change himself, no matter how hard he tried.

Nicholas knew this would happen. He wanted John to see that he couldn’t reach God by his own efforts. Finally, Nicholas told John to do something very difficult: stop preaching and doing any Christian work. Nicholas said John needed to focus only on seeking God, even if it meant losing his friends, his audience, and his reputation.

9. Two Hard Years

People got upset when John Tauler quit preaching

John obeyed Nicholas and stopped preaching for two years. This was a big sacrifice because preaching was his life, and the people of Strasbourg loved him. But they got angry when he stopped. They called him a “madman” and turned against him. John had to sell his precious books to survive because he had no money. He even got sick from hunger and not taking care of himself.

Nicholas encouraged John to keep seeking God and not give up. John was in a dark and lonely time, but God was watching and waiting to show him His grace.

10. John’s Big Change

John Tauler's conversion

Around the time the Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of St. Paul’s Conversion, John had a life-changing moment. He became very sick and could only lie in bed. He felt so sinful and unworthy that he begged God for mercy, saying, “I’m not worthy to live on this earth.”

Then, John heard a voice in his heart saying, “Trust in God and be at peace. Jesus can heal not only your body but also your soul.” This message changed everything. John felt a new strength inside him and saw God’s truth clearly for the first time. He had finally received God’s grace through faith, not through his own efforts.

When Nicholas saw John, he could tell right away that John had changed. He said, “Your soul has been touched by God! The Holy Spirit has made you alive, and now your preaching will come from God, not from yourself.”

11. John Preaches Again

Image generated by meta.ai from prompt Imagine Roman Catholic monk weeping

John Tauler unable to preach

Nicholas gave John money to buy back his books and told him it was time to start preaching again. John announced a church meeting, and the people were excited to hear him after two years. But when John stood up to preach, he couldn’t speak—he just cried. The crowd was disappointed and left, thinking he was even crazier than before.

But John had truly changed. He didn’t care about his reputation anymore. He wanted to share the truth about God’s grace with everyone. Soon, he started preaching again, and his sermons were different. They were full of God’s Spirit and touched people’s hearts.

12. A Powerful Sermon

John Tauler's powerful sermon to nuns and others

One day, John preached to a group of nuns and others outside a convent. He used a Bible verse from Matthew 25: “Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” He spoke about how Jesus is like a bridegroom who loves His people, but many of them were full of sin and self-interest. He explained that Jesus gave Himself to make us pure and holy.

The sermon was so powerful that the Holy Spirit touched the hearts of the listeners. About 40 people stayed in their seats, too moved to leave. They felt God speaking to them through John’s words.

13. John’s Ministry During Hard Times

Strasbourg in the time of Pandemic

John’s new preaching came just in time. Soon after, Strasbourg faced terrible disasters: a pandemic, earthquakes, and the Black Death plague, which killed thousands of people. John preached the good news of God’s grace to both the living and the dying, helping many people find faith in Jesus before they passed away.

For six years, John shared this message of hope. His sermons were written down, and people read them for hundreds of years, finding inspiration and light in his words.

14. John’s Teachings

Here are two special parts of John’s sermons that show how deeply he understood God’s truth after his change:

Workers in God’s Vineyard: John said that people who truly love God are like workers in His vineyard. They don’t care about pleasure or selfish things. Their hearts are focused only on God, and they give all their gifts back to Him. They’re like a river that flows out to help others but always returns to its source—God.
A Pure Heart: John taught that a pure heart is the most precious thing to God. It’s like a clean room where the Holy Spirit can live. A pure heart loves only God and is satisfied with Him alone. It’s a place where God can pour His love, wisdom, and peace.

15. John’s Friends and Legacy

John Tauler worked with two other priests, Thomas of Strasbourg and Ludolph of Saxony. They were called the “Friends of God” because they fearlessly taught the truth, even when it went against the Catholic Church. They told people not to follow the Pope’s interdict but to help the sick and dying by pointing them to Jesus’ sacrifice.

Because of their bold teachings, all three were eventually removed from their positions in the Church. After six years of preaching in Strasbourg, John had to leave and went to Cologne, France. There, he preached freely for about 10 more years. When he was 70, he got very sick and returned to Strasbourg, where his sister, a nun, took care of him.

16. John’s Final Days

Before John died, Nicholas visited him, and they agreed that Nicholas would write John’s story without using his name. They called John “the Master” and Nicholas “the man” so that God would get all the glory. Soon after, John passed away, and the people of Strasbourg were very sad.

martin Luther

Years later, a famous reformer named Martin Luther read John’s sermons and loved them. He said they were better than anything he learned in school and were full of the true gospel. John Tauler was remembered as “the doctor who was enlightened by the grace of God.”

This story shows how John Tauler went from being a great preacher who relied on his own knowledge to a humble man who trusted in God’s grace. His life teaches us that true faith comes from God’s Spirit, not from our own efforts, and that God can change anyone’s heart to shine His light.