Having to submit before a master is anything but attractive in today’s ideology. Being free and without authority is the natural desire in life. With much resistance, that fantasy can never be a reality. Paul would explain that one is either a slave to God or a slave to sin (Rom. 6:16-20). The world may believe, that because they don’t follow God, they are free. That type of thinking is a mere delusion and the prison of sin still remains.

Polycarp is a name that you may not be entirely familiar with. He is not found in the Biblical text but various sources point to Polycarp as a follower of John, the one Jesus loved. Certainly the dates would allow for such a claim; he was born in 69AD and died in 155AD. There is a great lesson to learn from this early Christian’s story.

At this point in history, Christianity was going through perhaps the worst persecution it would ever face. The Roman Empire was in full swing and emperors were hostile and militant against those of the faith. They would declare and mock Christians as being atheists because of their failure to acknowledge Caesar as deity. In order to live as a normal citizen, one had to confess “Kaiser kurios” which translates to “Caesar is Lord.” Without this confession, a person was an outcast to society and was subject to punishment.

Polycarp, being a first-hand follower of the Apostle John, became a prominent teacher of the faith. Unfortunately, with his popularity came a high demand for his life. He insisted on remaining in the city, for he was not afraid of what man could do to him. After being persuaded by his students, he eventually retreated to a farm. The Romans tortured local Christians until they forfeited his location. When the Romans came to arrest him, Polycarp offered food and a place to stay for the night on the request that he’d have one more hour for prayer. Both parties came to agreement, but the inevitable was still coming.

Once arrested, Polycarp was brought into the inner city region of Rome. The proconsul pressed him and encouraged him to denounce Christ. He refused time and time again. He was threatened by the wild beasts of the arena, yet he remained steadfast in his confession of Christ. Eventually the Romans begged the question, “what harm is there in declaring Caesar as lord?” His response was the catalyst to his impending death. Polycarp reasoned with them, “eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” After a series of events including fire at a stake, an executioner was finally sent to kill Polycarp.

Every time we mention the word “Lord” we are declaring a master over us. Several have opened the occupation of lordship to the passions and desires of this world. True Christian’s refuse to let such a thing happen and will keep God as King. Polycarp’s answer, both bold and excellent, has roots in the Old Testament. God asked through the prophet Jeremiah, “what wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness and became worthless” (Jer. 2:5)? Polycarp took joy and pride in knowing his master was God, not man. I believe we have the same opportunity of joy and pride when it comes to making God our Lord.

You can find the account of Polycarp in the Encyclical Epistle of the Church at Smyrna in Ante-Nicene Fathers 1: The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Iraneus. Take into consideration that this is not a Divinely inspired writing and should be treated as a historical source rather than scripture.

Tyler King