Passing on the baton: Polycarp
We sometimes see adverts on television encouraging us to leave a legacy for particular charities, but I want us to consider an even more important legacy than that. What are we passing on in love for the Lord, in love for the truth of His word? How much is the example of our lives and faithfulness being passed on?
Paul wrote to Timothy “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).
Polycarp lived some decades after the Lord’s time on earth, (ca. AD 69 – 155). He never saw the Lord Jesus – but he was taught by one who had been with Jesus, the Apostle John. The truth was passed on to him, and he in turn passed on the truth to many others and was able to be a great influence for good.
SMYRNA
Polycarp became Bishop of Smyrna, the town of Izmir in modern-day Turkey. We have one of his letters still available to us, a letter to the church in Philippi.[1] In it he quotes extensively from the New Testament, reminds the believers that they have been saved by God’s grace, and calls on them to live out the Christian life.
Polycarp was concerned for the peace and unity of the church: he helped the church throughout Asia Minor, and at one time he visited Rome to discuss differences regarding the date for celebrating Easter. He was at the same time very committed to the apostolic doctrine, to the truth of God’s Word. He ‘contended for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints’, giving warnings in his writings against Docetism,; a heresy denying Christ’s true humanity. He also confronted the heretic Marcion when he met him in Rome calling him ‘the firstborn of the devil’. And some of Marcion’s followers came to faith in Christ and turned away from Marcion’s teaching through Polycarp’s teaching and witness. He had a lasting influence of defending the truth against false teaching.
“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also”
Second Century church father Irenaeus speaks of listening to Polycarp’s preaching in Smyrna when he was a young man. How much of an influence it had upon his life. Irenaeus would later go to Lyons in France to serve as bishop, after a time of persecution which had led to the death of the previous bishop in the city. Irenaeus himself would write defending the faith from its attacks by Gnosticism; like Polycarp he would stand firmly for the truth in tumultuous times.
We notice how the baton had been passed from the Apostle John to Polycarp, and then from Polycarp to many others like Irenaeus and Ignatius of Antioch, a friend of Polycarp’s. Those following his teaching and example. Polycarp was to have an enduring influence in the early church.
MARTYRDOM
What Polycarp is most remembered for though is how he was faithful to the Lord even to death. Asia Minor was under the authority of the Roman Empire, and at this time Christians were being persecuted for their faith. Polycarp saw many members of his church arrested and taken away, whilst he carried on.
Polycarp by this time had moved outside Smyrna into the countryside but the soldiers came and found him. When they arrived Polycarp provided them with food and asked if he could pray. The prayer lasted for two hours! The soldiers became uncomfortable at arresting such a man and sought to persuade him to compromise but he refused to do so.
Arriving at the stadium the Roman Governor asked him to renounce Christ. Polycarp replied
"For 86 years I have been his servant and He has never done me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?”
Polycarp was taken and burned at the stake. He was faithful until he reached that great age and still would not compromise his faith in Christ.
What kind of legacy did Polycarp leave? He showed his faithfulness to the truth in his teachings and writings, but also by his example to others and his readiness to suffer for the sake of Christ. It is worth our while to read about these early church fathers and the testimony of their lives, and also to read their writings, many of which are available online.
We trust we won’t have to face such times of persecution in our own day. But do we share Polycarp’s love for the truth, and his concern for the well-being of Christ’s church? Will the lives of others have been affected? Have we sought to pass on the truths we believe to the next generation?
[1] Available at www.ccel.org
