A Life Beyond Yourself: The Story of Polycarp

…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews12:2).

By Rev. Todd Peperkorn

As human beings, we have a tendency to make comparisons. We look at other people and we judge. I am smarter than him. I look better than her. I have more friends than they do. But, as Christians, maybe we should compare ourselves to the saints who have gone before us? And ask, “what struggles do we face as Christians that connect us to the departed saints?”

In many ways, the struggles Christians face today are similar to those the Christian church faced during the two hundred years following Jesus’ resurrection. We live in a culture that is increasingly hostile toward Christianity. In America, Christians are not pressured to worship other gods, but to look at the Christian faith as one path among many. This Christian path is our truth, but others find truth in Buddha, the god of Islam, and others. During the second century, these false truths were very popular.

Polycarp, a pastor and disciple of St. John the Evangelist (author of the Gospel of John, Revelation and the three epistles of John) lived during the second century. He was known throughout the Roman World for his bold faith in Jesus Christ as the only way for salvation.

Around 155 A.D., Polycarp was murdered for being a Christian. What was the charge? Atheism. In the second century, Christians were often accused of atheism because they denied the Greek and Roman gods and believed there is only one God, the Holy Trinity. Furthermore, Polycarp and the Christian church denied that the Roman Emperor, Caesar, was a god. Every citizen was required to swear an oath to Caesar, and to burn incense to him as a sign of worship.

Not surprisingly, the Romans didn’t like Christianity. They went to search for atheists, and found Polycarp. The proconsul demanded that Polycarp renounce Christ, saying, “Swear the oath, and I will release you; revile Christ!” Polycarp responded, “Fourscore and six years have I been His servant, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”

No amount of pressure would deter Polycarp from his Christian faith. Eventually, the Romans tied him up to be burned at the stake. As Polycarp prayed, witnesses experienced the following:

And, a mighty flame flashing forth, we to whom it was given to see, saw a marvel, yea and we were preserved that we might relate to the rest what happened. The fire, making the appearance of a vault, like the sail of a vessel filled by the wind, made a wall round about the body of the martyr; and it was there in the midst, not like flesh burning, but like gold and silver refined in a furnace. For we perceived such a fragrant smell, as if it were the wafted odor of frankincense or some other precious spice. 1

Polycarp died a martyr’s (a person who chooses to die rather than renounce religious principles) death, and is remembered to this day as one of the great examples of the faith of the early Christians.

So what does this teach us about who we are today? It teaches us that Christians have suffered for the faith from the very beginning. Being a Christian is not easy. It isn’t simply one path among many that makes us who we are. Jesus Christ defines who we are by Baptism. He shapes us and makes us His own. But He doesn’t simply give us this gift and leave us alone. He continues to be present in His church even today.

We all suffer for the Christian faith, whether it be something relatively harmless like peer pressure, or more serious like imprisonment or death. But whether the suffering is big or little, it all links us to the One who suffered for us. He was abandoned when He suffered on the cross, but He will never abandon us. Our Lord was with Polycarp, and He is with us today.

Look to the Christians of many years ago. They may be your parents or grandparents.They may even be someone like Polycarp. But all of them help us to understand who we are, and make us realize the wonderful things God has given us in His Son Jesus Christ.

The Rev. Todd Peperkorn is pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

On the Martyrdom of S. Polycarp, from The Apostolic Fathers (ed by J.B. Lightfoot. Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1956), p. 114.