A NEW KIND OF EMPLOYEE (13 OF 15)
by Zach Terry
Scripture: Colossians 3:22-25, Colossians 4:1
This content is part of a series.
A New Kind of Employee (13 of 15)
Series: Colossians
Zach Terry
Colossians 3:22-4:1
INTRODUCTION: Well there is no better text for us to look at on Labor Day weekend than the one before us today.
CONTEXT: Paul is incarcerated in the city of Rome writing to the Colossian church around 50AD. Claudius was the Emperor of a Roman Empire that despite the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) seemed to be perpetually on the brink of division, rebellion and civil war. No Roman Emperor had a comfortable rule - but were constantly, nervously on the lookout for uprisings.
Nothing was more threatening to the Empire than a man who seemed to have sway over the populous (or mob) while proclaiming ideas that were counter cultural to the Grecco-Roman norm.
Just 125 years previously Spartacus (a former Gladiator) had been such a man as he led a rebellion of thousands of slaves to mobilize, militarize and and escape their Masters. The Roman legions had been at war in Spain so there was little more than Militias to oppose Spartacus and his army.
Once the Legions returned from Spain they quickly suppressed Spartacus, defeating his forces and crucifying 6,000 of his survivors on the Appian way.
Karl Marx listed Spartacus as one of his heroes, and described him as ''the most splendid fellow in the whole of ancient history''. Because you see - it was assumed that Spartacus was fighting for absolute equality as well as the abolition of slavery
So you see the intent of questions raised to Jesus when he was asked, ''It is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?'' They were trying to get him to acknowledge that he intended to also lead a revolt against Rome. But Jesus had no such intent. The Kingdom of Christ would be an internal Kingdom of the heart that would work within the established cultural norms - the only revolution would be a personal one.
Christianity would spread from host to host, from heart to heart until it reached enough critical mass in a culture to have sway and ...
Series: Colossians
Zach Terry
Colossians 3:22-4:1
INTRODUCTION: Well there is no better text for us to look at on Labor Day weekend than the one before us today.
CONTEXT: Paul is incarcerated in the city of Rome writing to the Colossian church around 50AD. Claudius was the Emperor of a Roman Empire that despite the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) seemed to be perpetually on the brink of division, rebellion and civil war. No Roman Emperor had a comfortable rule - but were constantly, nervously on the lookout for uprisings.
Nothing was more threatening to the Empire than a man who seemed to have sway over the populous (or mob) while proclaiming ideas that were counter cultural to the Grecco-Roman norm.
Just 125 years previously Spartacus (a former Gladiator) had been such a man as he led a rebellion of thousands of slaves to mobilize, militarize and and escape their Masters. The Roman legions had been at war in Spain so there was little more than Militias to oppose Spartacus and his army.
Once the Legions returned from Spain they quickly suppressed Spartacus, defeating his forces and crucifying 6,000 of his survivors on the Appian way.
Karl Marx listed Spartacus as one of his heroes, and described him as ''the most splendid fellow in the whole of ancient history''. Because you see - it was assumed that Spartacus was fighting for absolute equality as well as the abolition of slavery
So you see the intent of questions raised to Jesus when he was asked, ''It is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?'' They were trying to get him to acknowledge that he intended to also lead a revolt against Rome. But Jesus had no such intent. The Kingdom of Christ would be an internal Kingdom of the heart that would work within the established cultural norms - the only revolution would be a personal one.
Christianity would spread from host to host, from heart to heart until it reached enough critical mass in a culture to have sway and ...
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