Citizenship

Fifth Saturday after Pentecost

Saturday is Bible study day. Our verse for today is:

"Our citizenship is in heaven." 

                                    --Philippians 3:20

The early Christians lived within the vast Roman Empire. The Romans controlled the Middle East, North Africa, almost all of Europe, and Britain. The Roman army was the most powerful military force the world had ever known. The Romans were grand builders. Roman roads and bridges still stand today.  I have been in the Roman baths in the city of Bath in westernmost England. I have been in the Amphitheater in Caesarea on the coast of Israel, where Paul presented his legal defense before the Roman governors, Felix and later Festus. 

The Roman Empire was not only vast but long-lived. The city of Rome was founded in 753 BC. The Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century AD (476 AD is the date most often given). Jesus was born in one of Rome's best times, the Pax Augustana, the Peace of Augustus. The Prince of Peace was born at a time when there were no significant wars within the Empire or on its borders. 

Romans were intensely patriotic. They cultivated the Roman values of family, loyalty, courage, intelligence, and power. Power was the most important Roman value. The symbol of the Roman Empire was the most powerful of all birds, the eagle. Physical fitness was of high importance. Although gymnasium was a Greek word, it was the Romans who erected more gyms than any other empire. The Romans thoroughly understood that it was these cultural and ethical values that made them great. 

The dark side of Roman power was violence. The Empire was built on the backs of slaves. At the time of Jesus, 60% of the people who lived within the bounds of the Roman Empire were slaves. Roman treatment of slaves and of conquered peoples could be extremely cruel. Capital punishment was widespread. The Romans did not invent crucifixion, but they used it more than any other nation. In 63 BC , the Roman slave Spartacus started a major slave rebellion. Rome put it down with a vengeance.  All the roads that led to Rome were lined with crosses for weeks with thousands of dying men screaming their agony.

Roman society was in many ways the most tolerant society the world had ever known. Religions of all sorts were allowed to flourish. The only thing required was annual sacrifice to the Roman civic Gods and to the Emperor. This was the single most thing that brought the Roman Empire into conflict with Christianity. The Christians would not sacrifice to Roman gods or emperors. 

Into this vast Empire Christianity was born. The early Christians had some striking differences in values from the Romans. Whereas the Romans valued strength and power above all, the Christians valued weakness. Their founder, a man of no wealth or power, was convicted as a common criminal and executed on a cross. His strength lay not in the ways of this world. In 1 Corinthians 1:27 Paul writes, "God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." When Paul prayed to be healed of a physical ailment, God responded, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). 

The greatest miracle in history was not anything in the Bible. The greatest miracle took place over the first 300 years of the Christian era. A ragtag, poorly organized, band of weak people, slaves, women, the poor, with no armaments and no fighting were able to conquer the greatest empire the world has ever known, conquer not with a sword, but with a savior.

I am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America. For all the faults and flaws of its history, and for all the great things it has done, it is my country. I belong to it and it belongs to me. I want to do my part in making it better, particularly making it better for those whose ancestors were brought here unwillingly and suffered centuries of slavery and discrimination and for those original Americans whose ancestors had their land taken away. 

My values are those of the early Christians, not those of the Roman Empire. My citizenship is proudly in America, but I have another citizenship, a greater citizenship. It is in the Bible verse that began this blog today.

Happy July 4th.

Faithfully,

Christian