The indictment hearing takes a curious turn once the politarchs (the city officials) sense it to be an internal feud amongst the Jews. They had no idea there was a difference between Judaism and the emerging group of Christians. Furthermore, they didn’t care. Much like Pilate felt when Jesus was brought before him, the local city officials here in Thessalonica didn’t wish to rule on this because they didn’t consider it to be their problem.
When it came to religious issues, the Romans were not like the Greeks who insisted upon “Hellenizing” their conquered lands. Nope, the Romans were “live and let live… as long as you pay us tribute and don’t cause us trouble. Stay out of our way, show us the money, and we’ll respect your religious beliefs.” Now, I think it would be good to quickly point out that Rome was an economy based on slave labor and conquest. To be sure Rome had its finer points, but the finer things of Rome were to be enjoyed by a select few. The message of being reconciled with a fair and just God was very well received–especially among those lower caste folks. So, Rome would take a much greater interest in Christianity not long after Nero came into power.
So, when issues of a religious nature were brought to local officials, many shrugged it off as a “Jewish” problem and left it as such.
However, some ten years earlier (41AD), a rather intense issue arose between the Jewish and non-Jewish citizens in Alexandria. By this time, there was a salty history between the Greeks and the Jews in this city, so Rome was invited to “weigh in” on the matter after two Jewish envoys went to Rome to plead their case before Emperor Claudius himself.
So, what was going on here? Two Syrian Jews–most likely outspoken Christ followers from Antioch–came into Alexandria and began sharing Messiah to anyone who might listen, especially in the synagogues. This became a huge issue in a heavily populated Jewish area and set the city into quite a commotion. Some Greeks were elated at the idea of having access to God; Other Greeks weren’t so keen on the idea. Neither were many of the Jews. The idea that Messiah had come, died and raised from the dead was a tough pill for them to swallow, so they outright rejected the idea. But things were a bit more complicated here. Because there was bad blood between the Jews and the local Greeks here in the city, the Greeks thought that the Jews were inviting Syrian Jews to come to Alexandria and help them leverage their influence in that city.
All sides dug in their heels, and the city became divided in a hurry. The tension over such division escalated so much that things became violent between the two groups. The Jews wrote and even visited Emperor Claudius himself and asked for him to intervene. Claudius was not amused.
In a letter responding to this escalation of strife happening here in Alexandria, Emperor Claudius gave the city officials a pointed response to cease from hostilities:
The Jews, on the other hand, I bid for their part not to agitate for more than they have previously enjoyed, and never again to send two embassies, as though they lived in two separate cities—the like of which has never happened before. Moreover, they must not engage in contests for such posts as gymnasiarch or games director (That was to be enjoyed by non-Jews), but should rest content with what belongs to them by right and enjoy an abundance of all good things in a city which is not theirs. They must not bring in or invite Jews who sail in from Syria or Egypt; this is the sort of thing which will compel me to have my suspicions redoubled. Otherwise I will proceed against them with the utmost severity for fomenting a general plague which infests the whole world. If on both sides you are willing to desist from this behaviour and live in mutual consideration and neighbourliness, I for my part will show that long-standing friendly interest in your city with which my family has had close relations since my ancestors’ days.
The Jews arriving from Syria were not coming to Alexandria to strengthen the Jewish militia. Instead, they were likely Christ followers who were pairing up and going into new cities to proclaim the message of the Kingdom of Heaven and the New Covenant. The Jews were blamed by a segment of Greeks, and even Caesar himself, for welcoming these supposed mercenaries into the city. Naturally, the Jews were upset because they were being targeted for something they didn’t do. Sounds like a soap opera, right?
Similar to what happened in Alexandria, Emperor Claudius put a stop to the proselytization happening in Rome later around 49 AD. For a time, he restricted Jewish gatherings, but that didn’t work, so he placed much heavier restrictions around the Jews–so much so to cause many to flee the city altogether. Priscilla and Aquila were such people that fled and met up later with Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:2).
With Claudius’ edict against proselytization, Jaden’s case against Paul and Silas here in Thessalonica had some viability. But not every municipality took such a firm stance and shrugged off the concern altogether.
With this background, you can see how things are escalating here in Thessalonica.
Would this Jewish King be seen as a threat by the Romans? Kind of. Rome developed an interest because of the havoc being caused in their cities. These evangelists were coming into cities and dividing the synagogues by sharing messages some Jews didn’t like, while wooing other Jews and converted Jews to join in their ranks. If that wasn’t enough, the Greeks and other citizens had enough bad blood between them and the Jews, that they thought more Jewish people in their midst couldn’t be a good thing. So, the Romans stepped in and placed restrictions on Jewish activity in some of their cities… but not all.
Some of the Jews became vocal about the Christ followers being a threat against Rome. This was becoming a big issue and why Claudius regarded the unexpected Jewish evangelical movement (Christ followers) as a “plague” that would infest the world. If you want to know what would later motivate Emperor Nero to become so hostile towards the Christ followers, this was it. Christ followers were seen as a disruptive virus of sorts within the cities of Rome. Because Rome understandably didn’t make a distinction between Christ followers and traditional Jews, Rome held the Jews responsible for not being able to govern their own and would begin putting restrictions around them. There is much more to this than the Christ followers stirring up the hornet’s nest. The traditional Jews were by no means innocent in their dealings with Rome. Nevertheless, Rome would lump them all together and become more strategic about how to deal with this increasing Jewish problem.
The strategic and mission minded outspokenness about Messiah (Christ), especially within Jewish synagogues might appear to be divisive. The synagogues were disrupted which would then cause a string of retaliatory events that would impact the cities throughout Rome as a whole.
The word of God was indeed living and actively moving from city to city by these Syrian Jews who pair up, map out a course, and share the Kingdom of Heaven and New Covenant promises first to synagogues, then to communities.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
— Hebrews 4:12-13
We tend to think of this passage when we hear/read a bible verse and grow convicted when our behaviors don’t match God’s expectations. But think about this passage from an evangelist’s perspective. The word of God is agitating, especially when you see it as a threat.
Why did the church explode in the first century? You combine the oppressive conditions that come from living in an oligarchical society, where you will fit into a five tier Roman caste system, with little opportunity for personal improvement… along with the tenacious nature of a swelling group of evangelistic types coming from Antioch to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is at hand… And, you’re likely to stir up a hornets nest.
For those lower castes who have little to enjoy in life, they will take to this idea of a better world in a matter of seconds–they have nothing to lose. For those Partricians, Plebians, or those who had worked extremely hard to rise within the ranks after several generations, they had much to lose. For those with much to lose, they are the ones most threatened by this insurgency of instigators.
Left to this, we may regard Christ followers as little more than agitators with an axe to grind. That’s how Rome regarded them. It’s also how many traditional Jews regarded them. But, this assumes that Rome was minding its own business and trying to do right by everyone. The Christ followers were simply poking the hornet’s nest. Remember, Rome’s business model was to grow by conquest, tribute and slavery. If you had enough clout within Roman society and were born into the right family, then you would do well. If not… well, it wasn’t pretty. Rome wasn’t the land of opportunity for all. It was an oligarchy, where the very few would rule the world and personally benefit by doing so.
Now, as for the traditional Jews and why they didn’t care much for the movement of Christ followers, theirs was an entirely different reason.
So, imagine hearing about a righteous and purely good God who judges people based upon their actions and their underlying motivations–that this God would change the corrupt world as we know it and make things right. So, what happens when God puts the plan into action and begins to roll things out? That’s the message of the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s the message of Jesus. God is laying the groundwork for His future Kingdom by changing the hearts of those Christ followers who will inhabit it. You guessed it… the existing players with much to lose would see this as a threat. They’ve worked too hard to let their investments slip between their fingers.
There’s much more to explore here, but hopefully this has given you a taste of the tension felt here in Thessalonica and in cities throughout the Roman Empire.
One important side note: Genuine Christianity, gospel centered Christianity, is not a self-improvement program… though self-improvement does definitely happen! No, Christianity in its purest of forms is an internal and community based revolutionary community where God uses human beings, like us, to accomplish his New Covenant promises (changed hearts, permanent forgiveness) to prepare the world for a new coming King.
While I personally am not intending to be an agitator–that’s not my style, at all–it does mean that the message I convey is controversial. The message of Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven is controversial. It always has been, and it will be until all humanity pledges itself before Christ.
Let me wrap up with the following two verses that Paul wrote to the fledgling church in Philippi:
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
— Philippians 2:9-11
And…
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
— Philippians 3:20-21
God will place Jesus as our forever King over all humanity upon his return. With the same power that will assert Jesus as our forever King, he will then change those who follow him into immortal beings just as he did with Jesus himself. Those are the promises that we Christ followers hold on to, no matter how difficult things become. As for the hornet’s nest… As long as there is corruption on the earth, those governments, many of whom mean well, will always be at odds with the message of the Kingdom.
May you hold on to the message of the Kingdom of Heaven, when God will make things right for those who are reconciled with Him.