If those early Christians were God’s people why did He allow them to be persecuted, so ferociously, and for so long? The picture is painted in “How long? How long?” (Rev. 6:9-11)
The answer was – the killing will go on! It was in a fulfilment of a heavenly plan (v.11). But perhaps we might ask the question more than they did themselves, yet we are not the ones faced with that horror! The argument of suffering is held up to tell Christians they are barking up the wrong tree and that God can’t be pleased with you (it’s an old argument – cf. Job’s friends).
An interesting thing to note is that persecution has been borne better by Christians than by anyone else! One of the things that impressed the Romans was the way Christians died. Many people get angry at God or strike Him out of existence because things aren’t going to their liking in their life, but the ancient Romans witnessed a calmness in the face of death that was different amongst those dying for the name of Christ. The Centurion noted this at the death of Christ (Matt. 27:54).
The fox had caught the rabbit and was deciding what to do with him and the rabbit said, I don’t care what you do with me, just don’t throw me in the briar patch. The fox thought this must be the rabbit’s greatest fear and so he threw him in the briar patch. The rabbit picked himself up and began merrily hopping through the briar patch saying, I was born in a briar patch! The church grew on the blood of the martyrs is an observation commonly made of the early church. That initial persecution of the church led by Saul of Tarsus failed because they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8:4). It was like trying to put out a fire by pouring kerosene on it.
Being Christians doesn’t mean we’re ignorant of the ways of the world. We are aware of the realities of life. Gen. 3 onwards introduces us to the dynamics of life. We are aware of the fall of man, the accelerated descent into sin as Cain kills Abel and so forth. We understand that the battle between good and evil is a deadly war, and the stakes are the highest. Even so, why was the early church persecuted?
It was established in an historical context, not in folklore and mythology. It is not historians who speak about the Christ-myth, for they know better. Because Christ lived in a place and time, and His early disciples lived in a place and time, the dynamics of social and political life come into play. The peoples who were first affected by the entry of Christianity into the world were Jews and Romans. Jews because the movement sprang up in Jerusalem, the very hub of the Jewish nation, and Romans because they were in control of the known world at that time. The faith could not enter the world without challenging the status quo, especially because it challenged the values of the world and its morals and ethics, and the pluralism of the world with its declaration that there was only one Saviour for all men – Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Sparks were bound to fly, and when one group has political and military power, and the other preaches peace to all men, you know who would persecute whom. So the Jews thought the Christians to be heretics; the Romans thought they were treasonous, not accepting the Caesar as the divine head of the Empire. Seutonious wrote in the “Life of Nero”, punishment was inflicted upon the Christians, a class of men addicted to a novel and mischievous superstition. Tacitus called Christianity a pernicious superstition. Pliny said it was a debased superstition carried to great lengths.
Their persecution was interpreted by the early Christians, not to mean they had been rejected and forsaken by God, but to mean they were afforded the honour of being identified with Jesus (“be counted worthy” – Acts 5:41) – if the Master is persecuted then the servant will be (John 15:19,20). Why don’t we so suffer today? It would be naive to say that Christians aren’t persecuted today, but we are blessed to live in a society that has been influenced by the doctrines of Christ in formative years. We have adopted some of the values of Christ in our society. We might then pose the question; Would Jesus be crucified (or put to death in some other way) in our society today? I don’t think so:- Jesus would be tolerated, smiled at condescendingly, and pushed to the fringe of popular thought. He would be regarded as irrelevant and old-fashioned; annoying, but irrelevant.
But it was a different story in the world when Jesus came. It was a society that had not benefited from His coming – an intolerant society that would not take being challenged lying down. He challenged it and paid the expected price. The image of Christ that modern liberalism has concocted is so different from the real Jesus. Today, He is presented as being such a “stand for nothing and fall for everything” sort of fellow. William Temple said, Why anyone should have troubled to crucify the Christ of liberal Protestantism has always been a mystery.
Another reason the early church was persecuted was for our benefit. That would have been the furthest thing from their mind when they suffered, but in hindsight it is true. First, the victory over the Roman empire in Revelation is a vindication of the promise Jesus made that the gates of Hades would not prevail, against the church, and it shows us there is nothing that the world can throw against the church that can wipe it from the earth.
Also, their persecution has rendered futile arguments against the fraud of Christianity. Why would men and women die for a lie? When I’m trying to grow things in my garden, I try to create the best conditions (within reason): I get rid of the weeds, apply water and fertilizer. Some have suggested that the world was ripe for the picking at that time, and Jesus and His small band of clever men played to the hopes and aspirations of the people and perpetuated the greatest fraud man has ever seen. It wasn’t like that at all. It was only after two centuries of persecution that Constantine came along to bless the church with peace. As A. Campbell said in his debate with Robert Owen about the rise of Christianity….not a king nor a priest smiled upon our faith until it won the day. Men lie for money, for power, for position. But these elements are missing in the formation of Christianity. I’m sure the early Christians never thought of the importance of faith today when they suffered. They not only suffered for Christ, they suffered for us. How so? It is one thing for men to be martyrs for their faith (eg. suicide bombers) – they obviously believe the basis for their religion to be true on the testimony of others. It is another thing entirely for a man to die for something he knows to be a lie because he invented it!
A good comparison can be made with the advent of Mormonism. Joseph Smith claimed he was directed to golden plates with inscriptions engraved upon them which he translated with angelic help. This is called the Book of Mormon. That’s a big claim. Three witness claim they saw the angel and the golden plates: Oliver Cowdrey, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris. In the space of a short time Oliver Cowdrey and David Whitmer were disfellowshipped by the Mormon church, whilst Martin Harris later admitted repeatedly and publicly that he wasn’t there when the angel supposedly came down and showed the golden plates. There were also eight witnesses who signed an affidavit to say they had handled the golden leaves. Five of them were excommunicated and one died in a gun fight alongside Joseph Smith trying to escape from jail. This is hardly compelling testimony!
Consider the apostles of Christ. James, the brother of John, was the first to die (A.D.44 Acts 12:2). What did the others think? If you were an apostle wouldn’t you rethink your position? William Paley wrote; If twelve men whose probity and good sense I had long known, should seriously…..relate to me an account of a miracle wrought before their eyes, and in which it was impossible that they should be deceived; if the Governor of the country…Should call these men…and offer them a short proposal, either to confess the imposture, or submit to be tied up to a gibbet; if they would refuse with one voice to acknowledge that there existed any falsehood…if this threat were communicated to them separately, yet with no different effect; if it was at last executed; if I myself saw them, one after another, consenting to be racked, burnt, or strangled, rather than give up the truth of their account…..I undertake to say that there exists not a skeptic in the world who would not believe them.
Andrew, brother of Peter, was executed on an X-shaped cross.
Phillip also was crucified
Thomas was run through with a spear near Chennai in India
Bartholomew was skinned alive and then beheaded
Matthew was killed with a halberd (spear fitted with an axe head)
James the less was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple
Simon was crucified in Britain
Thaddaeus was also crucified
Peter was crucified upside down
Matthias was stoned and beheaded
Paul was beheaded
Were these men mad? (cf. Acts 26:25,26; 2 Cor. 2:17)
Were they mistaken? They had every reason to reconsider – 2 Pet. 1:16
One could go through the entire history of the Bible and consider the lives and destinies of its heroes and find a similar pattern. As Jesus asked, Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?
Whence but from heaven could men unskilled in arts
In several ages, born in several parts
Weave such agreeing truths?
Or how or why should all conspire to cheat us with a lie?
Unasked their pains, ungrateful their advice
Starving their gains, and martyrdom their price
Anon