THE TRIUMPH OF POLYCARP

“I know your works . . . and your poverty (but you are rich)” (Revelation 2:9).

I am teaching a Bible class on the book of Revelation at our church. Believe it or not, Revelation is one of the greatest studies of victory in all the Bible. In the second and third chapters, Jesus describes the seven churches of Asia and He has nothing negative to say about the church at Smyrna.  History tells us that the apostle John pastored the church at Ephesus and, as an elder, oversaw the other six churches of Revelation. One of John’s acts as an elder to the church at Smyrna was to appoint a pastor named Polycarp.

According to history, Smyrna was a prosperous city, yet the Christians there were poverty-stricken. The word used here for poverty actually means deep poverty. The Christians of Smyrna knew poverty because they were being fired from jobs, their businesses were being destroyed, and their homes taken away as they experienced persecution from an anti-Christian community.

Late in Polycarp’s life, a heavy wave of persecution came upon the Christians of Smyrna. His congregation urged him to leave the city until the threat blew over. So, believing that God wanted him to be around a few more years, Polycarp left the city and hid out on a farm belonging to some Christian friends. One day on the farm as he prayed, Polycarp had a vision of his pillow engulfed in flames. He calmly told his companions, “I see that I must be burnt at the stake.”

Meanwhile, the local authorities had issued a warrant for his arrest. They seized one of Polycarp’s servants and tortured him until he told them where his master was. Soldiers came to the farmhouse where he was hiding and when they found him, they were embarrassed to see that they had been sent to arrest an old, frail man.  

On the way back to the city government, officials tried to persuade Polycarp to stand before a statue of Caesar and simply declare, “Caesar is Lord.” That’s all he had to do and he would be off the hook. They pleaded with him to do it in order to escape the dreadful penalties. At first Polycarp was silent, but then he calmly gave them his firm answer: NO. The chief official was angry with the old man and pushed him out of his carriage onto the hard ground. Polycarp, bruised but resolute, got up and walked the rest of the way to the city.

A large, bloodthirsty mob had gathered to see Christians tortured and killed in the arena. One Christian named Quintis had boldly proclaimed himself a follower of Jesus and said he was willing to be martyred. But when he saw the vicious animals in the arena, he lost courage and agreed to publicly declare that Caesar was Lord. However, another young man named Germanicus did not back down. He marched out and faced the lions, and died an agonizing death. Ten other Christians gave their lives that day, but the mob was unsatisfied. They cried out, “Away with the atheists who do not worship our gods!” To them, Christians were atheists because they did not recognize the traditional gods of Rome and Greece. Finally, the crowd started chanting, “Bring out Polycarp!”

When Polycarp was brought into the arena, he and the other Christians heard a voice from heaven saying, “Be strong, Polycarp!” As he stood before the authorities, they tried one more time to get him to renounce Jesus. Polycarp was told to agree with the crowd and shout out, “Away with the atheists!” Polycarp looked at the bloodthirsty mob, waved his hand toward them and said, “Away with those atheists!” The authorities persisted. “Take the oath and revile Christ and we’ll set you free!” Polycarp answered, “For eighty-six years I’ve served Jesus; how dare I now revile my King?” The authorities finally gave up, and announced to the crowd: “Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian.”

The crowd shouted, “Let the lions loose.” But the animals had already been put away. The crowd then demanded that Polycarp be burnt. The old man remembered the dream about the burning pillow, and took courage in God. He said to his executioners, “It is well. I fear not the fire that burns for a season and after a while is quenched. Why do you delay?”

They arranged a great pile of wood and set up a pole in the middle. As they tied Polycarp to the pole, he prayed: “I thank You that You have graciously thought me worthy of this day and of this hour, that I may receive a portion in the number of the martyrs, in the cup of Your Christ.” After he prayed and gave thanks to God, they set the wood ablaze. A great wall of flame shot up to the sky and when this happened, witnesses say they saw a dove fly up from the smoke into heaven. At the very same moment, a church leader in Rome named Irenaeus said he heard God say to him, “Polycarp is dead.” God called his servant home.

Current studies tell us that persecution of Christians is increasing all over the world. Every eleven minutes, somewhere in the world, a Christian dies for professing that Jesus Christ is Lord!  Persecution is increasing everywhere and it is increasing here in North America. The word of the Lord to all is, “Be strong!”