Polycarp was a second-century disciple of Jesus. He had been taught by the Apostle John, who also made him a bishop in the church. Polycarp, at the age of 86, refused to sacrifice to Caesar as a god, and was consequently burnt alive. He is one of the earliest Christian martyrs.
They strengthened the believers and encouraged them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must pass through many troubles to enter the Kingdom of God,’ they taught. Acts 14.22
Smyrna (today: Izmir, Turkey) was an ancient city, 35 miles north of Ephesus. Polycarp (AD69–156), the bishop of Smyrna, was the first recorded martyr for the Christian faith after New Testament times. According to Church tradition, he was a pupil of John the Apostle.
Polycarp is known for his efforts to protect the Church from false teachers, such as Marcion, who taught that the God of the Old Testament was different from, and inferior to, the heavenly Father whom Jesus Christ had proclaimed.
Polycarp lived a long life before his eventual martyrdom. Told by the local Roman official to either deny Christ and burn incense to the Roman Emperor or face death at the stake, Polycarp replied: ‘How can I blaspheme my King and Saviour?’ The fire, he added, would last only for a short while, whereas the fires of judgment reserved for the enemies of God would last forever.
When Jesus sent his followers out he likened them to ‘sheep among wolves’ (Matthew 10.16). Pause for a moment and consider the implications. What usually happens to sheep in the presence of wolves? It’s not difficult to imagine! We gloss over passages like this and want to keep them far from our own experience. We hope we can follow Jesus and still be safe and comfortable.
Nik Ripken, who has devoted his entire ministry to serving the Church in some of the toughest places in the world, writes in The Insanity of Obedience: ‘We have the high privilege of answering Jesus’ call to go. But let us be clear about this: we go on His terms, not ours. If we go at all, we go as sheep among wolves.’
The way of Jesus is not like pick and mix at the cinema. You can’t choose the bits you like and leave out the rest. We go on his terms and not on our own. But we can go knowing as Polycarp did Jesus will never abandon us. With such faithfulness ‘how could I blaspheme my King and Saviour?’.
Read on, to find out more about Paul’s teachings on Christian love and service.
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