Last time we briefly thought on the difference between
Christianity, which is not a governmental religious law but a belief system,
and Judaism or Islam which are both religious governments and laws.
Christianity can exist under any government, while Judaism or Islam are
governing structures that dictate religious laws and practice to the nations.
Jesus broke the mold that was created for Israel, being a nation under specific
laws, social, moral, and religious, in favor of all people in all nations
practicing Christianity without their governments dictating Christianity as a
national practice. The first century Jews were angry that they lost
governmental control of Israel and that the Romans were ruling over them. The
Jews expected a Messiah to come and give them back rule over Israel, but when
Jesus didn’t do that at that time they declared him to be a false Messiah.
Therefore they protested and persecuted the first century Christians after
Jesus’ crucifixion. The interesting thing that we will see is that the Romans
were not aggressively hunting Christians at that time, the Jews were. Christianity
was not to be a secular governmental system and Christians are not to behave
like it is. However, there is the issue of unfair persecution toward Christians
regardless of the government or the church age. How should we view this and what are our
guidelines for behavior?
Something that we should reiterate once again is that not
everything we think is unfair persecution is truly unfair persecution. Take for
example a home bible study that grows so large that there is no place for the
neighbors to park. Neighboring residents would likely object to 100 members of
a quilting club meeting every Sunday the same as a Bible study. That is not truly
persecution. That is adjustment over inconsiderate behavior. Jesus did
something rather unusual regarding John the Baptist’s persecution. If we
remember the story, John spoke up regarding Herod Antipas and Herodias and was
thrown into jail, and then later beheaded. John did not suffer persecution over
baptism or calling people to repent, he publicly chastised Herod Antipas as an
adulterer. That was against Jewish Law and if the Jews had been in control of
Israel it would have been a punishable offence. That landed John in jail and
later Herodias asked for his head. But Jesus did something weird when John was
arrested. Jesus left.
Matt 4:12-16 When Jesus got word that John had been
arrested, he returned to Galilee. 13 He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to
the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali
hills. 14 This move completed Isaiah's sermon:
15 Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, road to the sea, over
Jordan, Galilee, crossroads for the nations.
16 People sitting out their lives in the dark saw a huge
light; Sitting in that dark, dark country of death, they watched the sun come
up. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in
Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Jesus came from Galilee south to Jordan to the river to be
baptized, then went into the desert and was tempted by the devil. He then hears
about John’s arrest and leaves to go back north. Why didn’t Jesus save John, protest
his arrest, or at least go visit him in prison? Here is Jesus’ advice to the
disciples a little while later.
Matt 5:25-26 "Or say you're out on the street and an
old enemy accosts you. Don't lose a minute. Make the first move; make things
right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his
track record, you're likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. 26 If that
happens, you won't get out without a stiff fine. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary
Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Instead of fighting with an old enemy, Jesus is suggesting
to concede to an enemy and make things right so that the matter will settle
quickly. Jesus is proposing that we should not have a “fair” and “unfair”
mindset but take actions to bring peace. Jesus, as we know, paid his taxes and
told people to pay their taxes too. In those days the Jews felt it was an
affront to pay taxes to the Romans as this was really the Jew’s land. But Jesus
was asking people to abide by their governments rules, not fight them.
Matt 22:15-22 That's when the Pharisees plotted a way to
trap him into saying something damaging. 16 They sent their disciples, with a
few of Herod's followers mixed in, to ask, "Teacher, we know you have
integrity, teach the way of God accurately, are indifferent to popular opinion,
and don't pander to your students. 17 So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay
taxes to Caesar or not?"
18 Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, "Why
are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? 19 Do you
have a coin? Let me see it." They handed him a silver piece.
20 "This engraving — who does it look like? And whose
name is on it?"
21 They said, "Caesar."
"Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is
his."
22 The Pharisees were speechless. They went off shaking
their heads. (from THE MESSAGE: The
Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Interestingly, the very thing they tried to use to entrap
Jesus they used again later to accuse him. The funny thing is the Jews were the
ones who fought against paying taxes to Caesar, not Jesus.
Luke 23:1-3 Then they all took Jesus to Pilate 2 and began
to bring up charges against him. They said, "We found this man undermining
our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting himself up as
Messiah-King."
3 Pilate asked him, "Is this true that you're 'King of
the Jews'?"
"Those are your words, not mine," Jesus replied.
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H.
Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Today we are to pay our taxes. It is a shame when a big
Christian group is caught not paying their taxes, it is a direct denial of what
Jesus taught. It is not about our opinions, it is about not being subversive so
that we are not called a danger to society. We are to behave by the rules of
the land we live in.
1 Peter 2:15 It is God's will that by doing good, you might
cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary
Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Notice, the Jews stirred up the Romans against Jesus. The
very people who caused so much unrest among the people were also accusing Jesus
of disturbing the peace.
Luke 23:4-5 Pilate told the high priests and the
accompanying crowd, "I find nothing wrong here. He seems harmless enough
to me."
5 But they were vehement. "He's stirring up unrest
among the people with his teaching, disturbing the peace everywhere, starting
in Galilee and now all through Judea. He's a dangerous man, endangering the
peace." (from THE MESSAGE: The
Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights
reserved.)
Let’s be clear about what we’ve read so far, Jesus wants
his disciples to be peacemakers and pay taxes to their governments. We are to
be good citizens so as not to give an excuse for people to accuse us. Now let’s
fast forward to after Pentecost. The disciples were being persecuted by the Jewish
religious leaders and those same leaders were having them jailed for healing
people and telling them about Jesus. Peter and John in Acts chapter 4 were
jailed overnight for healing the lame man and witnessing in the Temple where
5,000 people were saved. The apostles didn’t leave that meeting in fear, but
instead they asked for more boldness.
Acts 4:23-30 As soon as Peter and John were let go, they
went to their friends and told them what the high priests and religious leaders
had said. 24 Hearing the report, they lifted their voices in a wonderful
harmony in prayer: "Strong God, you made heaven and earth and sea and
everything in them. 25 By the Holy Spirit you spoke through the mouth of your
servant and our father, David:
Why the big noise, nations?
Why the mean plots, peoples?
26 Earth's leaders push for position,
Potentates meet for summit talks,
The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers!
27 "For in fact they did meet — Herod and Pontius
Pilate with nations and peoples, even Israel itself! — met in this very city to
plot against your holy Son Jesus, the One you made Messiah, 28 to carry out the
plans you long ago set in motion.
29 "And now they're at it again! Take care of their
threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message,
30 as you stretch out your hand to us in healings and miracles and wonders done
in the name of your holy servant Jesus."
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene
H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
The Jewish religious leaders kept trying to influence the
government officials to stop the apostles, but even pressuring the government
couldn’t stop the move of the Holy Spirit and an angel broke the apostles out
of prison.
Acts 5:17-40 Provoked mightily by all this, the Chief
Priest and those on his side, mainly the sect of Sadducees, went into action,
18 arrested the apostles, and put them in the town jail. 19 But during the
night an angel of God opened the jailhouse door and led them out. 20 He said,
"Go to the Temple and take your stand. Tell the people everything there is
to say about this Life."
21 Promptly obedient, they entered the Temple at daybreak
and went on with their teaching.
Meanwhile, the Chief Priest and his cronies convened the
High Council, Israel's senate, and sent to the jail to have the prisoners
brought in. 22 When the police got there, they couldn't find them anywhere in
the jail. They went back and reported, 23 "We found the jail locked tight
as a drum and the guards posted at the doors, but when we went inside we didn't
find a soul."
24 The chief of the Temple police and the high priests were
puzzled. "What's going on here anyway?"
25 Just then someone showed up and said, "Did you know
that the men you put in jail are back in the Temple teaching the people?"
26 The chief and his police went and got them, but they handled them gently,
fearful that the people would riot and turn on them. 27 Bringing them back,
they stood them before the High Council. The Chief Priest said, 28 "Didn't
we give you strict orders not to teach in Jesus' name? And here you have filled
Jerusalem with your teaching and are trying your best to blame us for the death
of this man."
29 Peter and the apostles answered, "It's necessary to
obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, the One
you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God set him on high at his side,
Prince and Savior, to give Israel the gift of a changed life and sins forgiven.
32 And we are witnesses to these things. The Holy Spirit, whom God gives to
those who obey him, corroborates every detail."
Notice, they were healing people and people received Jesus
as their Messiah, the people were not subverting the government, but the
religious leaders were. This was a time where the Jews were trying to use their
laws as a form of religious rule over the people of that region. This was not
the Romans oppressing the Christians, but the Jews oppressing the Christians.
Note that a Pharisee named Gamaliel was the one that diffused this situation. The
Apostle Paul (Saul) had been a student of Gamaliel the Pharisee before Paul’s
trip to Damascus.
Acts 5:33 When they heard that, they were furious and
wanted to kill them on the spot. 34 But one of the council members stood up, a
Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of God's Law who was honored by
everyone. He ordered the men taken out of the room for a short time, 35 then
said, "Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men. 36 Not long
ago Theudas made something of a splash, claiming to be somebody, and got about
four hundred men to join him. He was killed, his followers dispersed, and
nothing came of it. 37 A little later, at the time of the census, Judas the
Galilean appeared and acquired a following. He also fizzled out and the people
following him were scattered to the four winds.
38 "So I am telling you: Hands off these men! Let them
alone. If this program or this work is merely human, it will fall apart, 39 but
if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it — and you better not be
found fighting against God!"
40 That convinced them. They called the apostles back in.
After giving them a thorough whipping, they warned them not to speak in Jesus'
name and sent them off (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language ©
2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
The apostles were whipped by the religious leaders. This
was unfair and unjust treatment, but it was not a government that was
persecuting them but a religion that was persecuting them. Saul (later Paul)
was trying to stop Christianity through persecution, but instead the Christians
moved out from Jerusalem over the world preaching Jesus.
Acts 8:3 And Saul just went wild, devastating the church,
entering house after house after house, dragging men and women off to jail. 4
Forced to leave home base, the Christians all became missionaries. Wherever
they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus (from THE MESSAGE:
The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights
reserved.)
Now, we might have misunderstood what was happening, Jews
were trying to stop Jews from becoming Christians, but the Jews could not stop
the Romans from becoming Christians. That threw a huge monkey wrench into the
entire culture. The Jews had no authority to keep non-Jews from accepting Jesus
as Messiah. So while they were persecuting converted Jews, non-Jews were
receiving salvation too. Here is a re-cap of Cornelius’s story.
Acts 10:1 There was a man named Cornelius who lived in
Caesarea, captain of the Italian Guard stationed there……….44 No sooner were
these words out of Peter's mouth than the Holy Spirit came on the listeners. 45
The believing Jews who had come with Peter couldn't believe it, couldn't
believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on "outsider"
Gentiles, 46 but there it was — they heard them speaking in tongues, heard them
praising God. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by
Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.) (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in
Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Roman citizens and governmental employees were now
receiving the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. The Jewish leaders could not
stop the Holy Spirit, but the Jews got Herod Agrippa to go along with the
persecution of Christians for their conversion of Jews and Herod Agrippa
executed the Apostle James.
Acts 12:1-19 That's when King Herod got it into his head to
go after some of the church members. 2 He murdered James, John's brother. 3
When he saw how much it raised his popularity ratings with the Jews, he
arrested Peter — all this during Passover Week, mind you — 4 and
had him thrown in jail, putting four squads of four soldiers each to guard him.
He was planning a public lynching after Passover.
5 All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the
jailhouse, the church prayed for him most strenuously.
6 Then the time came for Herod to bring him out for the
kill. That night, even though shackled to two soldiers, one on either side,
Peter slept like a baby. And there were guards at the door keeping their eyes
on the place. Herod was taking no chances!
7 Suddenly there was an angel at his side and light
flooding the room. The angel shook Peter and got him up: "Hurry!" The
handcuffs fell off his wrists. 8 The angel said, "Get dressed. Put on your
shoes." Peter did it. Then, "Grab your coat and let's get out of here."
9 Peter followed him, but didn't believe it was really an angel — he thought he
was dreaming.
10 Past the first guard and then the second, they came to
the iron gate that led into the city. It swung open before them on its own, and
they were out on the street, free as the breeze. At the first intersection the
angel left him, going his own way. 11 That's when Peter realized it was no
dream. "I can't believe it — this really happened! The Master sent his
angel and rescued me from Herod's vicious little production and the spectacle
the Jewish mob was looking forward to."
This is the second time an angel broke someone out of jail.
Peter may have been among the first group as well. Is it beyond Yahweh’s
abilities to break people out of prison? No. I think it’s amusing that Herod Agrippa
did this to win favor with the Jews, but then it seems as though he had enough
of this disappearing prisoner game
and went on vacation.
Acts 12:18 At daybreak the jail was in an uproar.
"Where is Peter? What's happened to Peter?" 19 When Herod sent for
him and they could neither produce him nor explain why not, he ordered their
execution: "Off with their heads!" Fed up with Judea and Jews, he went
for a vacation to Caesarea. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary
Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
While the Christians continue to spread out over the world,
the persecution continued. Other religions got upset as well. Spiritualists who
had a women working for them who was a psychic and fortuneteller had demons
cast out of her and the Spiritualists were afraid of going broke. It was a
great witness in Thyratira, which was a province of Turkey, under Roman rule.
Acts 16:19-40 When her owners saw that their lucrative
little business was suddenly bankrupt, they went after Paul and Silas, roughed
them up and dragged them into the market square. Then the police arrested them
20 and pulled them into a court with the accusation, "These men are
disturbing the peace — dangerous Jewish agitators 21 subverting our Roman law
and order." 22 By this time the crowd had turned into a restless mob out
for blood.
The judges went along with the mob, had Paul and Silas's
clothes ripped off and ordered a public beating. 23 After beating them black
and blue, they threw them into jail, telling the jailkeeper to put them under
heavy guard so there would be no chance of escape. 24 He did just that — threw
them into the maximum security cell in the jail and clamped leg irons on them.
25 Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and
singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn't believe their ears.
26 Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door
flew open, all the prisoners were loose.
27 Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors
swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he
pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as
dead anyway, 28 when Paul stopped him: "Don't do that! We're all still
here! Nobody's run away!"
29 The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he
collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. 30 He led them out of the jail and asked,
"Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?" 31 They
said, "Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you'll live as you
were meant to live — and everyone in your house included!"
32 They went on to spell out in detail the story of the
Master — the entire family got in on this part. 33 They never did get to bed
that night. The jailer made them feel at home, dressed their wounds, and then —
he couldn't wait till morning! — was baptized, he and everyone in his family.
34 There in his home, he had food set out for a festive meal. It was a night to
remember: He and his entire family had put their trust in God; everyone in the
house was in on the celebration.
35 At daybreak, the court judges sent officers with the
instructions, "Release these men." 36 The jailer gave Paul the
message, "The judges sent word that you're free to go on your way.
Congratulations! Go in peace!"
37 But Paul wouldn't budge. He told the officers,
"They beat us up in public and threw us in jail, Roman citizens in good
standing! And now they want to get us out of the way on the sly without anyone
knowing? Nothing doing! If they want us out of here, let them come themselves
and lead us out in broad daylight."
38 When the officers reported this, the judges panicked.
They had no idea that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 They hurried over
and apologized, personally escorted them from the jail, and then asked them if
they wouldn't please leave the city. 40 Walking out of the jail, Paul and Silas
went straight to Lydia's house, saw their friends again, encouraged them in the
faith, and only then went on their way. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in
Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
This group of spiritualists did the same thing as the
Jewish religious leaders, and again the prisoners were given the option to walk
free. This time they didn’t. Paul had a little bit of a stubborn streak and
insisted on making a big deal about this as Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.
Paul wanted this to be a spectacle that many would see. They were not Jewish
citizens so they had a higher status in Roman territories and should not have
been treated this way. Again, another new thing was happening here. Jews who
were Roman citizens were now receiving Jesus as Messiah and spreading the news.
First, Jews became Christians, then Romans became Christians, and now Roman
Jews were becoming Christians. Look who’s next.
Acts 17:4-7 Some of them were won over and joined ranks
with Paul and Silas, among them a great many God-fearing Greeks and a
considerable number of women from the aristocracy. 5 But the hard-line Jews
became furious over the conversions. Mad with jealousy, they rounded up a bunch
of brawlers off the streets and soon had an ugly mob terrorizing the city as
they hunted down Paul and Silas.
They broke into Jason's house, thinking that Paul and Silas
were there. 6 When they couldn't find them, they collared Jason and his friends
instead and dragged them before the city fathers, yelling hysterically,
"These people are out to destroy the world, and now they've shown up on
our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear! 7 And Jason is hiding them,
these traitors and turncoats who say Jesus is king and Caesar is nothing!"
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in
Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
The God fearing Greeks believed on Jesus as Messiah and the
Jews got so mad they became violent again. Has anyone ever taught in Church how
violent the Jews were toward the first century Christians? Probably not. There
is a very interesting pattern here and we will explore it shortly. But first
let’s look at Paul’s explanation as to what he was doing to the Christians
before his conversion on the road to Damascus.
Acts 26:8-11 For the life of me, I can't see why it's a
criminal offense to believe that God raises the dead.
9 "I admit that I didn't always hold to this position.
For a time I thought it was my duty to oppose this Jesus of Nazareth with all
my might. 10 Backed with the full authority of the high priests, I threw these
believers — I had no idea they were God's people! — into the Jerusalem jail
right and left, and whenever it came to a vote, I voted for their execution. 11
I stormed through their meeting places, bullying them into cursing Jesus, a one-man
terror obsessed with obliterating these people. And then I started on the towns
outside Jerusalem. (from THE MESSAGE:
The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights
reserved.)
Paul, as a student of Gamaliel, believed it was his duty to
oppose Christianity. He had all the authority of the high priests to jail
people and he voted for Christians to be executed. Paul thought it was his
duty, his obligation, his responsibility, to crush Christianity. Why? Because when
a religion is a law and a belief system, but enforced by laws, it is proper to
crush any other group that does not follow the laws of religion. Today we see
Muslim countries that operate in the same manner. Certain nations have
religious laws and legal systems that will not allow freedom to its people to
believe and worship in a different manner than the established national
religion. The lack of personal freedom to worship differently is well known by
the inhabitants of those nations and if people wish to worship under a
different religion, those people must leave that nation to live in a place that
grants religious freedom. Today, Israel is a nation consisting of Judaism,
Islam, and Christianity. Most nations have freedom of religion and separate
religion from governments and societal law. Many nations adopted
Judeo-Christian principals for societal laws but are not governed by religious
law.
The pattern of religious persecution we have just looked at
in the Book of Acts is due to the Jews wanting to keep their own religiously based
governmental laws even though they were really under Roman rule. Whenever
nations try to rule via religion there is always a bloody mess. Looking at the
Romans after 70 AD, first they persecuted the Christians, then they created a
national religion combining paganism and Christianity. Then there were the
Crusades. There was also the Ottomans, the Spanish Inquisition, and the
European wars over Protestantism and Catholicism. There are Hindu and Muslim
wars. There are the Sunni and Shiite wars. The Buddhists rose up against the
Catholic Vietnamese and the Chinese had their share of religious wars as well. Messy.
The ideal nation is not necessarily one that is founded on
and governed by a religion. What we see regarding governmental persecutions
towards any religious group is due to conflicting belief systems. Now think
back to our last study, Jesus taught something completely different for the age
of Christianity. He taught us not to riot, or protest, or stir up trouble. He
taught us to be peacemakers and to smooth things over with our enemies. He
taught us to pay our taxes and to be good citizens so that, as Peter says,
people will not believe we are a danger to society. This surely does not sound
like Christians should be instigators of political upheavals but instead
servants of others. Remember when John was put in prison by Herod? Jesus left
and went north. Now look what Jesus says to the church at Smyrna.
Rev 2:9-11 "I can see your pain and poverty — constant
pain, dire poverty — but I also see your wealth. And I hear the lie in the
claims of those who pretend to be good Jews, who in fact belong to Satan's
crowd.
10 "Fear nothing in the things you're about to suffer
— but stay on guard! Fear nothing! The Devil is about to throw you in jail for
a time of testing — ten days. It won't last forever.
"Don't quit, even if it costs you your life. Stay
there believing. I have a Life-Crown sized and ready for you.
11 "Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind
Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. Christ-conquerors are safe from
Devil-death." (from THE MESSAGE:
The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights
reserved.)
If this was written to us today it would read: the devil is about to throw some of you into
jail but don’t quit even if it costs you your life because Christ-conquerors
are saved from devil-death. Just because someone is persecuted by their
government or by religious leaders who force the government to imprison people
does not mean that Yahweh has forsaken anyone. In fact the greater witness is
when one behaves as Jesus already instructed, obeying the laws and paying
taxes, and then gets thrown into jail. Walking in gentleness, holiness and in
love is what we are called to, even in the midst of governmental persecution
because it does not give an opening or an excuse for the devil to accuse us.
Look at how Paul puts it.
2 Cor 6:3-10 Don't put it off; don't frustrate God's work
by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we're doing. 4 Our
work as God's servants gets validated — or not — in the details. People are
watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times,
tough times, bad times; 5 when we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working
hard, working late, working without eating; 6 with pure heart, clear head,
steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; 7 when we're telling the
truth, and when God's showing his power; when we're doing our best setting
things right; 8 when we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and
honored; true to our word, though distrusted; 9 ignored by the world, but
recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within
an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; 10 immersed in tears, yet always
filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing,
having it all. (from THE MESSAGE: The
Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights
reserved.)
If Paul hadn’t been imprisoned in Rome we would not have
his letters to learn from. The time was probably a good rest for his tired
body. Look what Paul endured. We can see how weak we are in our modern times
when someone gets excited because they think they are suffering persecution
when they get a speeding ticket. Um, that’s not persecution, that’s breaking
the law, don’t speed.
2 Cor 11:23-29 I've worked much harder, been jailed more
often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death's door time after
time. 24 I've been flogged five times with the Jews' thirty-nine lashes, 25
beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I've been
shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. 26
In hard traveling year in and year out, I've had to ford rivers, fend off
robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I've been at risk in the
city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and
betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. 27 I've known drudgery and hard
labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted
by the cold, naked to the weather.
28 And that's not the half of it, when you throw in the
daily pressures and anxieties of all the churches. 29 When someone gets to the
end of his rope, I feel the desperation in my bones. When someone is duped into
sin, an angry fire burns in my gut. (from
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson.
All rights reserved.)
Paul suffered for doing good. During the tribulation many
will be martyred and suffer governmental and religious persecution, that is
what the entire tribulation is about. We have studied it in detail; once the
redeemed are off the earth, there will be three major religious groups, but
people will still be receiving Jesus as Messiah and will be beheaded for it. It
will a bloody time of governments enforcing religious laws on people. Paul
tells us more.
1 Cor 15:30-33 And why do you think I keep risking my neck
in this dangerous work? 31 I look death in the face practically every day I
live. Do you think I'd do this if I wasn't convinced of your resurrection and
mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus? 32 Do you think I was just
trying to act heroic when I fought the wild beasts at Ephesus, hoping it
wouldn't be the end of me? Not on your life! It's resurrection, resurrection,
always resurrection, that undergirds what I do and say, the way I live. If
there's no resurrection, "We eat, we drink, the next day we die," and
that's all there is to it. 33 But don't fool yourselves. Don't let yourselves
be poisoned by this anti-resurrection loose talk. "Bad company ruins good
manners." (from THE MESSAGE: The
Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights
reserved.)
It is the hope of the resurrection, the hope of eternal
life with Christ that causes people like Paul to stare death in the face every
day. Fighting lions in the arena at Ephesus, being whipped, being stoned and
left for dead, Paul endured it all because of the resurrection and this is
probably why he needed a two year rest under house arrest in Rome. Many of the
guards assigned to Paul became Christians, and once Paul was released he
journeyed to Spain and to the British Isles. When he went back to Rome he was
beheaded. Paul coaches Timothy on what he should do, keep the Message alive.
2 Tim 4:3-8 You're going to find that there will be times
when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on
spiritual junk food — catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. 4 They'll turn
their backs on truth and chase mirages. 5 But you — keep your eye on what
you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message
alive; do a thorough job as God's servant.
6 You take over. I'm about to die, my life an offering on
God's altar. 7 This is the only race worth running. I've run hard right to the
finish, believed all the way. 8 All that's left now is the shouting — God's
applause! Depend on it, he's an honest judge. He'll do right not only by me, but
by everyone eager for his coming. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary
Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
If we, like Timothy, are to keep the message alive, we are
bound to ruffle religious feathers. But if we are abiding by our nations laws
and are true servants and peacemakers we will be more effective. Jesus told his
disciples to let Him lead, and that is what we are to do.
Matt 16:24-26 Then Jesus went to work on his disciples.
"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the
driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll
show you how. 25 Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my
way, to finding yourself, your true self. 26 What kind of deal is it to get
everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul
for? (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in
Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Self-sacrifice is the way. Keep the message alive. Ask for
fearless confidence to speak the Message even when governments plot against
you. Reconcile with your enemies and abide by governmental laws. Pay your
taxes. The devil will throw some of you in prison, but endure to the end
because you are a conqueror, an overcomer who can withstand to your death.
Don’t be surprised when you are treated the way the apostles were treated; if
necessary an angel can break you out of prison. When a religion is the law, all
political and societal governance is a religious practice, therefore any
outside religion will be met with governmental persecution. Jesus intended
Christianity to be separate from law, he gave us free will, which is what we
are to teach others. If we come to Jesus in freedom it is more valuable than by
force. Therefore, if by healing people and presenting Jesus we come under legal
persecution we have Jesus’ words, ‘embrace suffering’.
