Blood of Martyrs
New
Testament Persecution: The Stage is Set
As seen in the cross of Christ, God
uses the example of suffering again and again through His Son, the martyrs, and
various persecutions of His children to show and point to the Way and to strengthen the body of his church.
Since both Jesus and his followers were
of the Jewish faith, “Jewish religious authorities considered the new group
(Christianity) to be their responsibility, and the Roman authorities generally
agreed.”[1] Because of this situation, the persecution of
Christians from the time of Jesus’ death to the fire in Rome in 64 A.D. came
primarily from the Jewish population.[2] It was in a sense their problem and priority
to crush this heretical blasphemous sect so that the Jews could continue to
live in relative peace. Fortunately for
Christianity, persecution was a badge of honor and a necessary obstacle to
overcome. As George Whitefield remarks, those “that live godly in Christ Jesus,
must expect to suffer and encounter with it in all its forms.”[3] Jesus, our Lord and savior, fully God and
fully human, hung on the cross in total isolation and despair; how could
Christians not expect to endure the same suffering and persecution he did? In fact, they did anticipate the reality of
pain and thus overcame its manifest intent.
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| Stephen being stoned, Acts 7:54-60 |
Throughout the New Testament Jesus
specifically tells his disciples that they will suffer greatly for him, “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me,
they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). The constant reminder that in order
to follow Jesus they must suffer allowed them to rejoice and stand steadfast
despite the horrid treatment they often received. Persecution actually validated their identity
as Christians so that when it occurred, they could celebrate in knowing that they
were worthy of the cause. Jesus sets this standard by saying, “Blessed are you
when others revile you and persecute
you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your
reward in heaven…” (Matthew 5:11-12). Adamantly, Jesus arranged the stage for
his church to succeed no matter what. It
is difficult to understand how a person rejoices in such great agony if it were
not for the fact that most of the apostles experienced divine intervention in
easing the pain. Assuredly it is true in
the case of Steven who had the calmness to say a prayer as he was being stoned
to death and in other cases that will be discussed later (Acts 7:54-60).
Jesus was not the
sole preacher of inspiration though, for years after he ascended into heaven
Paul said, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be
persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). These words were said because of the teachings of
Jesus, but also because of the personal experience of pain Paul dealt with; these
words then flowed through the minds of his disciples constantly. Like all good students, Jesus’ disciples
taught and preached the message of love and salvation without hesitation, a
practice that would continue to the present day.
Consequently,
it is because of the teachings and acts of Jesus and the apostles that future
adherents of the faith could walk victoriously through whatever torments came
their way. The scene was set for the gospel
message to succeed despite every attempt made to quell and silence it. Long has
the Gospel outlived its pallbearers.
Strength
Despite Weakness: The Faith Gains Momentum
Unlike
their predecessors, second century persecution was
instigated primarily from the pagan populace living under Roman rule, thus
Christian apologetics and writing formulated out of the necessity to refute
these claims that brought forth such brutal treatment and cruelty and to further
the Christian message through well thought arguments. It was through these
motivations that early Christians began to write letters and works defending
the faith as well as attacking others in their heresies. From the instigation of the persecutions,
doctrinal clarity became more focused and faith was strengthened and unified.
The main push for the persecutions was
fear and jealousy. The pagans believed
their gods would grow angry at the Christians promotion of this unknown,
unnamed, and secret god; therefore, the execution of Christians “was regarded as a necessary vindication
of the gods and indeed, a form of human sacrifice to them.” [4] Unbeknownst to them, these tortures and
brutality would act as great marks of conviction and bolster a deepening faith
in many.
It is important to note that the
persecutions that dotted the first few centuries were not as frequent as we are
led to believe. Although the literature
pertaining to these early outbreaks of persecution is great, the reality is
that they were sporadic and not empire-wide.
This does not mean that the empire did not partake in the outcomes;
rather, they were agents acting out of the concern for their pagan citizens and
thus sentenced the Christians accordingly, albeit unfairly.
Think
About It
Today when
you hear of atrocities against Christians what does your heart say? Are you scared? Relieved you aren’t tested like
that, ashamed? Perhaps your faith is strengthened, knowing that there are
people out there that truly believe to their core, to the point of torture and
death that, as Paul said, “Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life
or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21).
Would you give your life for the namesake of the one whom gave his?
[1] Fergson, Everett, Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, 2nd
ed, (New York, NY: Garland Publishing, Inc, 1997), 895.
[2] Ibid, 895.
[3] Whitefield, George, Selected
Sermons of George Whitefield, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems,
Inc., 1999).
[4] Schiff, Philip, History of The Christian Church, (Grand
Rapids, MI: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989), 9.
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