Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death. Rev. 2:10, 11.
Polycarp was the elderly bishop of Smyrna around A.D. 155. A crowd in the stadium clamored for his arrest. But when mounted police arrived at his cottage to arrest him, he served them a banquet, requesting an hour of prayer before they took him away. The officers marveled at his graciousness and lamented that they had to arrest him. As he marched into the stadium to the roar of the crowd a voice from heaven said, "Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man."
The procouncil (governor), out of respect for his age, tried to persuade Polycarp to avoid death by offering a simple way out. "All you have to do is say, 'Away with the atheists.' " The crowd had earlier used the phrase to refer to the Christians, calling them atheists because they wouldn't worship the community's idols and had no shrines of their own. Polycarp waved his hand toward the pagan crowd in the stadium and said, "Away with the atheists." Not satisfied, of course, the procouncil said, "Just curse Christ, and I will let you go."
"Eighty and six years have I served him and he has done me no wrong," the bishop replied. "How then can I blaspheme my king who saved me?"
When the procouncil then threatened him with fire, Polycarp responded, "You threaten me with a fire that burns for just an hour, because you don't know about the fire of judgment that will come upon all the ungodly. But why do we delay? Bring what you will!"
When they had placed Polycarp on the wood they waited to nail him to the stake, but he said, "Let me be as I am. The one who will help me endure the fire will also help me stay here, even without nails." When they lit the fire it formed a vault around him, looking like an oven. The bishop stood in its center, unconsumed. The crowd, not able to bear their defeat, prevailed upon the executioner to reach in and kill him with a dagger. And so Polycarp died for his faith.
The threat of death for Christians is not an issue in much of today's world. It may be easy to consider texts and stories like this irrelevant to our daily lives, especially if we live comfortably in the suburbs. But we have still much to learn here. The martyrdom of our brothers and sisters in the past and even in the present challenges us to count the cost of our faith. How would we fare if placed in similar circumstances? Can our faith grow and mature without such challenges? How much is Jesus truly worth to us?
Lord, help me to count the cost of faith. I want to embrace the little challenges now so I can face whatever may be in store for me.
Polycarp was the elderly bishop of Smyrna around A.D. 155. A crowd in the stadium clamored for his arrest. But when mounted police arrived at his cottage to arrest him, he served them a banquet, requesting an hour of prayer before they took him away. The officers marveled at his graciousness and lamented that they had to arrest him. As he marched into the stadium to the roar of the crowd a voice from heaven said, "Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man."
The procouncil (governor), out of respect for his age, tried to persuade Polycarp to avoid death by offering a simple way out. "All you have to do is say, 'Away with the atheists.' " The crowd had earlier used the phrase to refer to the Christians, calling them atheists because they wouldn't worship the community's idols and had no shrines of their own. Polycarp waved his hand toward the pagan crowd in the stadium and said, "Away with the atheists." Not satisfied, of course, the procouncil said, "Just curse Christ, and I will let you go."
"Eighty and six years have I served him and he has done me no wrong," the bishop replied. "How then can I blaspheme my king who saved me?"
When the procouncil then threatened him with fire, Polycarp responded, "You threaten me with a fire that burns for just an hour, because you don't know about the fire of judgment that will come upon all the ungodly. But why do we delay? Bring what you will!"
When they had placed Polycarp on the wood they waited to nail him to the stake, but he said, "Let me be as I am. The one who will help me endure the fire will also help me stay here, even without nails." When they lit the fire it formed a vault around him, looking like an oven. The bishop stood in its center, unconsumed. The crowd, not able to bear their defeat, prevailed upon the executioner to reach in and kill him with a dagger. And so Polycarp died for his faith.
The threat of death for Christians is not an issue in much of today's world. It may be easy to consider texts and stories like this irrelevant to our daily lives, especially if we live comfortably in the suburbs. But we have still much to learn here. The martyrdom of our brothers and sisters in the past and even in the present challenges us to count the cost of our faith. How would we fare if placed in similar circumstances? Can our faith grow and mature without such challenges? How much is Jesus truly worth to us?
Lord, help me to count the cost of faith. I want to embrace the little challenges now so I can face whatever may be in store for me.
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