As Polycarp Did

“But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”” Acts 4:19-20.

One of the most inspiring stories in church history is the martyrdom of Polycarp. Polycarp was a pupil of the Apostle John. He lived between the years 69 and 155 A.D. serving as head of the Church at Smyrna. He was known as one of the earliest fighters of Christian heresy and was well respected by the Church. He always stood firm in the face of persecution which resulted in his eventual death.

Here is the account of Polycarp’s death.

The emperors of Rome had unleashed vicious attacks against the Christians in the early 2nd century, and members of the churches back then recorded many of the persecutions and deaths. One of them, Polycarp, was arrested for being a Christian, which the Jews considered a politically dangerous cult whose rapid growth needed to be stopped. Before an angry mob, the Roman proconsul took pity on this gentle old man and urged Polycarp to proclaim, “Caesar is Lord”. And if he would make this declaration and offer a small pinch of incense on Caesar’s statue, he would escape torture and death. However, Polycarp responded with, “Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” When Polycarp refused to compromise what he believed, he was burned alive at the stake. 

What an incredible testimony. All he had to do was two simple tasks and he would have been spared, those being to sprinkle a little incense on Caesar’s statue and declare Ceasar as lord. However, he chose to stay true to Christ.  Because of this, he was put to death in a horrible way. It is said Polycarp did not cry out, but he sang praises to Jesus until he died. His martyrdom is but one of many stories of persecution resulting in death. Many have heard of Christians being thrown to the lions as thousands of Roman citizens watched with delight. Many, like the Apostle Paul were beheaded. And it is said that Nero would burn Christians alive as lamps to light his debaucherous parties.

My prayer is that Christians living today would have the same strength to remain true to Christ as Polycarp did. We may not find ourselves facing death for the cause of Christ, but we should be willing if necessary. We may all face some resistance due to our faith in Christ. For instance,

• What if we were told to do something unethical, immoral, or illegal as a requirement to keep our job? 
• Would we make small concessions such as lying or participating in anti-Christian behavior for any reason?
• What if we are given the choice of rejecting Christ or losing everything we have? This may become a reality at some point. 
• What if we are compelled to accept a little leaven in our lives in order to be accepted by the crowd? Could we resist?

“And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.” But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? “Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up? How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Matthew 16:5-12.

Would we stay true to our faith in Christ as Polycarp did, or would we sprinkle a little incense on Caesar’s statue?

There will probably be times where we will have to make decisions whether we stand firm for Christ or choose to compromise. Peter and John made the choice to obey God and preach the gospel, rather than obey the Sanhedrin. Because of this, they were beaten and ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus. Then they were released. Did they discontinue telling others about Christ. No they did not. As Luke wrote in the book of Acts, 

“And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” Acts 5:41-42. 

They did not stop when it became uncomfortable. They persevered, knowing they could be treated even worse. But it did not matter to them, for they chose to please and obey God rather than men. This should also be our attitude today.

We must be willing to stand up for the truth, whatever the cost. We may lose friends, jobs, possessions, family members, and even our lives for the truth. We need to ask ourselves, are these things a higher priority than God? Do I want the acclaim of men or God? If there is any hesitation at all, we need to examine our priorities and bring them in line with God’s. Only then will we be able to say as Polycarp did, “For so many years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”