The Gospel Changes Emperors and Empires

The Thessalonians of the New Testament lived in northern Macedonia. Their city, founded by one of Alexander the Great's generals around 350 years earlier, sat on a seaport of the Aegean Sea. Positioned along a major trade route, Thessalonica was a place of trade, commerce, and all the sinful excess it could fund. It was a rough town.

And yet the Apostle Paul willingly went there with his companions, built relationships, and quickly established a surprisingly strong church. Paul knew this was ultimately the Lord's work, so his letters to the young church praised and thanked God for the Thessalonians' growing faith and love for one another. God's gracious work in and through the Thessalonians seemed all the more encouraging to Paul and his companions as they considered that it was, seemingly, against all odds. The Thessalonians endured many persecutions and afflictions for their faith in Christ during the first century and did it with steadfast joy.

Centuries later, the fruit of the early Christians' perseverance expanded within the small Thessalonian church and throughout their entire city, even the Roman Empire. Initially a heavily persecuted religion, Christianity eventually became tolerated under Constantine the Great and, even later, the favored faith of the Empire. Roman emperors, usually zealous sponsors of Christian persecution, came to profess their faith in Christ!

One such emperor was Theodosius. A capable ruler in many respects, Theodosius nevertheless had a notorious temper. When a riot erupted in Thessalonica in 390 AD, resulting in the tragic death of the captain of the local Roman garrison, Botheric, Theodosius responded in a predictable rage. Rashly, he ordered his army to gather the Thessalonians - most of whom were entirely innocent - into the local stadium and slaughter them en masse. When his temper cooled a day later, he rescinded the order. Grievously, it was too late. Some 7,000 people died.

Overcome with regret, Theodosius traveled to Milan to meet with Ambrose, the local bishop. However, Ambrose, in a dangerous and bold act of integrity, refused to reduce Christ's Church to a political prop and left the city entirely, refusing to meet with Emperor Theodosius until he repented. Ambrose then wrote a compassionate yet pointed letter to him, excommunicating Theodosius from the Church of Jesus Christ until his public confession and humble repentance!

How did Theodosius respond? Many no doubt expected a fiery and murderous rage to boil within him, one resulting in the death of Ambrose, for nothing legally precluded the emperor from responding in this way. Moreover, previous Roman emperors were notorious for eliminating anyone opposed to their unquestioned authority.

Amazingly, Theodosius responded by meekly traveling to Milan's Cathedral to meet with Ambrose. Although arrayed in all the pomp and grandeur of his rule, Theodosius shed his royal robes and Roman insignia upon entry, bowed in public repentance, and humbly sought God's forgiveness for his grave sin. A year later, he even traveled to Thessalonica to seek the city's forgiveness. Given this extraordinary evidence, most discern that Theodosius' faith in Jesus Christ was genuine, despite his many admitted weaknesses and failings.

Could the earliest Thessalonian Christians foresee a day when the Roman Emperor, a notorious enemy of Christ's disciples, would profess a shared faith in Christ and publicly repent for his grievous sins committed in their city? Most assuredly not. However, within just a few centuries, that's what happened. The Thessalonian Christians' steadfastness under persecution and the endurance of their first, second, third, and early fourth-century sisters and brothers in the Lord gradually resulted in the conversion of countless souls within the Empire and even the Roman Emperor himself.

As those tempted to despair over current events and to view the future with apprehension, even dread, we do well to remember and rejoice in this story from church history for many reasons. For one, the earliest Thessalonian Christians and their sisters and brothers of early church history show us how God uses joyful and steadfast trust in Him to yield surprisingly beautiful results over time. Likewise, Ambrose teaches us how God uses the willingness to speak unpopular and difficult truths, even to those in positions of unrivaled power, to improve things. Finally, the example of Theodosius reminds us that God can transform even the hardest, most mercurial hearts and minds.

No matter how discouraging our world's news is, we can and should be of good cheer! No person, time, or place is beyond the powerful reach of the greatest news—the gospel of Jesus Christ.