TERTULLIAN, THE FATHER OF LATIN CHRISTIANITY, wrote *“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” It is a dictum that has withstood the test of time, from that of the killing of Jesus to the many martyrs of today’s faithful. It is, for each of us, a potential outcome of Jesus’ challenge to every believer: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)
There was great persecution of the early believers of the church of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem after the martyrdom of Stephen. Luke records that “Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.” (Acts 8:2-3) The immediate result of this is that “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” (Acts 8:4)
As the persecution began, the believers in Jesus first fled Jerusalem. As the paroxysm of rage centered in the Temple in Jerusalem increased in intensity, waves of orders went throughout Israel to hunt down these heretics. Literally running for their lives, these quarries escaped their predators by fleeing Israel to surrounding countries. They carried with them the startling new message about the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. So began the expansion of the nascent new faith.
Luke records that, “those who had been scattered by the persecution traveled as far as Antioch, spreading the word only among the Jews. Some of them, however, began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” (Acts 11:19-21) It does not escape our attention that this same section of scripture states, “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” (Acts 11:26c)
The history of the spread of Christianity is bathed in the blood of the martyrs, from its founder, Jesus himself, throughout all the twenty centuries from then until now. The message of the gospel grew roots and bore fruit at the leading edge of each wave of persecution. And each wave scattered those who believed in the message further throughout the globe, and as it did so, Christianity became the dominant world religion.
The testimony of scripture is foundational to developing the disciplines of the practice of our faith. At the center of it all is Jesus, and it is at his wounded feet that we are able to not only receive salvation, but to grow to be more like him. It is here, and also at his pierced side, that we receive the grace to worship God the Father. His example stands supreme: “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2) In this same context, Paul calls you and me to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18) Similarly, James tasks us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3)
Whatever your struggles and mine have been – and some have been severe – most of us have yet to struggle through literal martyrdom. The Hebrews author challenges us to view our trials in proper biblical perspective. “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Endure hardship as a discipline. God is treating you as his children.” (Heb. 12:4) Peter’s words are especially enlightening: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ.” (1 Pet. 4:12-13)
Being subservient to the will of God carries with it the ever-present possibility of persecution. Of the original Apostles, all except John were martyred; John himself suffered great persecution. But scripture testifies of them, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” (Acts 17:6, NKJV) In their journey towards martyrdom, they continually scattered the seed of the gospel; in their martyrdom, they left us a legacy of faith.
Jesus radically revolutionized the eternal destiny of humanity through the passion of his suffering, but far more so through the glory of his resurrection. Those he is truly Lord over have a similar calling – to radically revolutionize the world we inhabit and influence through the message of the gospel. From the Apostle’s time to ours, his mission always involves the cross, and the symbolism of crucifixion is an imperative forceful image guiding our own daily following of Jesus – a daily death of self-will, a daily new life in God’s will. Jesus ever-summons us to this fearful and fateful task. “I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (John 12:24)
Q. Where is the fertile field in which I must carry out my task?
* Tertullian, Circa A.D. 197, Apologeticus, L. 13 .
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