Up until about AD 66, Rome had given Judaism
legal status as a religion – free to practice their religion, as well as being freed
from having to worship the Roman gods and Caesars.
Apart from God’s predetermined plan of
salvation, the Romans crucified Christ – not because they had grown weary of
him, but because of the Jews’ hatred of him, and their insistence that the
Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate, grant their demand that he be executed.
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth,
a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God
did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know — this Jesus, delivered
up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and
killed by the hands of lawless men. Acts 2:22-23
As a matter of fact, some Romans: centurions,
a criminal, jailer, and proconsul had great respect for Jesus, several becoming
Christians. Matthew 8:5-13; 27:54; Luke 23:39-43; Acts 10-11; 13:4-12; 16:27-34.
Then, in AD 66, it all changed. Tensions were
aroused and wars began between Rome and the Jews.
What caused this?
The Jews, fed up with harsh Roman taxation and
the impoverishment of some of the population, but possibly also tired of waiting
for a Messiah to overthrow their pagan rulers, finally took matters into their
own hands and rebelled.
By AD 70, after five years of warring, Jerusalem
and its sacred temple lay in ruins. Of
course, God had already planned that Jerusalem would fall. Daniel 9 and 12, Matthew
24; Mark 13; Luke 21.
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in
the Scriptures:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected has
become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous
in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God
will be taken away from you and given to a people
producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls
on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will
crush him.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees
heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. Matthew 21:42-45
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said
to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill
you.” 32And he said to them, “Go and tell that
fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures
today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish
my course. 33Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day
following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’
34O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who
are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen
gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35Behold, your
house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Luke 13:31-35
Clearly, their time and God’s patience had run
out!
Now to Rome and
Christianity. While the early church was pestered by Jews, and although Christianity did
not have the legal status Judaism had, the Romans were initially fairly
tolerant of the peace-loving Christians. They also kindly assisted Paul, as a
Christian with Roman citizenship, Acts 22:25-29, afforfding him opportunity to defend
himself against false Jewish accusations, and even to put his case before
Caesar in Rome. Read this in all of Acts 21 – 28. Here are a couple of
examples:
When the seven days were almost completed, the
Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid
hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is
teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place.
Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy
place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the
city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 Then all
the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and
dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. 31 And as they
were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all
Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran
down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped
beating Paul. 33 Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to
be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. 34 Some
in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn
the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the
barracks. 35 And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the
soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, 36 for the mob of the people
followed, crying out, “Away with him!” 37 As Paul was about to be brought into
the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he
said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently
stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the
wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of
no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” Acts
21:27-39
“I am standing before
Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong,
as you yourself know very well. If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed
anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if
there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I
appeal to Caesar.” Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council,
answered, “To Caesar
you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.” Acts 25:10-12.
For God’s perspective on all this, see Acts 1:8;
22:10,18,21; 23:11; 27:23-25.
Paul is in prison “two full years,” always
allowed to teach. Acts 28:30. This may imply he won his trial at Nero’s
tribunal (if indeed it actually happened), and was released - so thorough was
Luke’s well-researched defence in the book of Acts, which may well have been passed on via
Theophilus to legal experts at the trial. Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-3; 2 Timothy
4:11-13.
Because Roman citizens were not normally imprisoned,
Paul’s imprisonment in Rome was a sort of “house arrest” for his own protection
from the Jews while awaiting his trial before Caesar.
As he had expected all along, Philippians 1:19-26;
2:19-24; Philemon 1:22; Hebrews 13:18-19, Paul was probably released from jail,
only to be captured again within a couple of years, and finally, according to
tradition, executed along with Peter.
In
AD 96, well after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, and near the end of
the rule of Emperor Domitian, Rome began a severe persecution of Christians. With
Christ as their Lord, faithful Christians would overcome, as predicted in
Revelation. See 1:3; 2:10; 6:9-11; 13:1-10;
17:9-18; 20:1-6
What caused this change in attitude toward
Christians?
Rome had grown tired of tolerating people who
refused to worship its gods, and which kept itself largely separated from their
kind of life. Rome wanted all its people to invoke their gods and confess
Caesar as lord. Revelation 13:11-18.
In the end, it is always important to keep in
mind that God has intended for His people to share in the
sufferings of His Son – suffering for doing
right. See Matthew 10:16-42; Acts 14:21-22; Hebrews 2:6-
18; 4:14-16; 11:1-12:28; James 1:2-4,12 and
the following:
“If the world hates you, know that it has
hated me before it hated you. 19If you were of the world, the world would love
you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of
the world, therefore the world hates you. 20Remember the word that I said to
you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they
will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. John 15:18-20
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ
Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to
please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes
according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the
first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you
understanding in everything.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead,
the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering,
bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore
I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the
salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is
trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live
with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains
faithful—for he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:3-13
You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct,
my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my
persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at
Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and
being deceived. 2
Timothy 3:10-12
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great
a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings
so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the
right hand of the throne of God.
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such
hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In
your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding
your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as
sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline
of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you have to
endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does
not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have
participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this,
we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we
not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they
disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us
for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline
seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen
your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame
may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with
everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See
to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of
bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16
that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright
for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit
the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he
sought it with tears. Hebrews 12:1-17
For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of
God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20For what credit is it if,
when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and
suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21For
to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you
an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22He committed no sin,
neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23When he was reviled, he did not revile
in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting
himself to him who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the
tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you
have been healed. 25For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to
the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:19-25
He suffered. We will
suffer. glory awaits. That’s the way god wants it.
David Carr
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