Two Moravian Boys:
Sold themselves into Slavery
In the early 18th century, word reached a small Moravian community in Europe of a distant island in the West Indies. It was a place of despair, where a British slave owner, an avowed atheist, held between two and three thousand African slaves. He had made it clear that no preacher or clergyman would ever be welcome on his island. “If one is shipwrecked,” he declared, “he’ll be kept in a separate house until he leaves—but he will never speak to us about God. I’m through with all that nonsense.”
Two young Moravian men, barely twenty years old, took this news as a call to action. The thought of thousands of souls living and dying without ever hearing of Christ was unbearable. After prayerful consideration, they made a radical decision: they would become slaves themselves in order to bring the message of Jesus to the enslaved Africans.
They approached the slave owner and offered to sell themselves into lifelong servitude. The planter paid for them as he would for any other slave, and the two young men used the meager sum to buy passage to the island—because even then, the owner refused to transport them himself.
On the day of their departure, the pier in Hamburg (Germany) was crowded with tearful family and friends. They wept, knowing these boys would likely never return. This was not a temporary mission—it was a lifetime vow. As the ship drifted into the North Sea and the distance widened, one of the young men, with his arm linked to his companion’s, raised his voice across the growing gap between ship and shore. His final cry rang out over the water:
“May the Lamb that was slain
receive the reward of His suffering.”
That cry became more than a farewell—it became a rallying cry for generations of Moravian missionaries. Their sacrifice embodied a simple, powerful truth: that the love of Christ compels believers to go to any length so that others might know Him.
![Stop Sending [uneducated, unordained] Missionaries ...](https://d2u1z1lopyfwlx.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/90a7cc48-f873-5946-9900-c7aac59a7a36/d1d3938e-c060-561f-b224-1e83e6d54654.jpg)
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The Moravian missionaries, notably John Leonard Dober and David Nitschmann, were deeply motivated by their love for Jesus Christ and a strong desire to reach the enslaved people of the West Indies with the gospel146.
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Their motto, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering,” encapsulated their dedication and willingness to sacrifice for their mission15.
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They prepared by acquiring practical skills that would enable them to support themselves and relate to those they hoped to reach. Dober was a potter, and Nitschmann was a carpenter, skills they intended to use for self-support and as a means to connect with the enslaved population14.
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Many Moravian missionaries trained in various trades—such as carpentry, basket making, and pottery—so they could work alongside the people they served and preach while working4.
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The missionaries traveled simply, carrying only basic belongings and little money (about thirty shillings), and wore plain clothes, reflecting their readiness to live frugally and adapt to challenging conditions3.
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They had no organizational support or detailed instructions, relying instead on their faith and the guidance to “do all in the Spirit of Jesus Christ”3.
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The Moravian boys were prepared to sell themselves into slavery if that was the only way to reach the enslaved with the gospel, although in practice, white slavery was not permitted in the West Indies123567.
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Their willingness to become slaves or work alongside slaves as laborers demonstrated their commitment to breaking down social and racial barriers for the sake of their mission2346.
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The Moravian community at Herrnhut supported them through prayer and shared sacrifice, living simply so that more missionaries could be sent45.
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They received encouragement from Count Zinzendorf and, after overcoming initial opposition, support from the Danish court, which enabled them to secure passage to the Caribbean2.
In summary, the Moravian boys prepared for their journey through spiritual dedication, practical training, willingness to sacrifice, and communal support, embodying a radical commitment to their mission among the enslaved in the Caribbean1234567.
Citations:
- https://nickcady.org/2017/07/21/they-sold-themselves-into-slavery/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravian_slaves
- https://www.ccel.org/ccel/hutton/moravian.v.vi.html
- https://www.radicalreformation.com/the-heartbeat-of-the-remnant/282-missions/54-the-radical-example-of-moravian-missions
- http://www.ephrataministries.org/remnant-2012-01-Moravian-mission-machine.a5w
- https://lexloiz.wordpress.com/tag/moravians-sold-into-slavery/
- https://jdgreear.com/his-sacrifice-motivates-our-service/
- https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/uploaded/50b77f252bcb77.86432153.pdf
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