Being a ruler over a group of people is marked with stress, hard decisions, and sleepless nights—certainly not a position for the mentally weak or immature. The position is difficult, be it sheriff, mayor, governor, or president. The average person does not fully mature until the age of 25, according to neuroscientific studies.1 And yet, in AD 54, a ruler was appointed who was only seventeen years old. This was no petty judge or political secretary. He was crowned ruler over one of the largest empires of the world at that time. The boy’s name was Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus—commonly called Nero. He was the fifth emperor of Rome.
Nero was not brought into power by any election or choice of his citizens. His mother, Agrippina, had married Caesar Claudius (her uncle), emperor of Rome. Claudius adopted Nero as his son. Nero would go on to marry Claudius’ daughter Octavia, his own cousin and stepsister.
On October 13, A.D. 54, Agrippina poisoned her powerful husband, and her son Nero became emperor. It was rumored that Nero and his mother had an incestuous relationship, but the new ruler was well received by his subjects and seemed eager to please them, ordering grand public buildings to be built, as well as lowering taxes and the price of food. However, it was not to last.
Nero soon killed his brother-in-law, who was fourteen, which angered his wife. At this point, the emperor was in a relationship with a freedwoman (a formerly enslaved person), so he had his wife exiled. When this sparked public outrage, he had Octavia beheaded on false charges of being unfaithful.
He then became infatuated with a woman named Poppaea Sabina, who was scheming to marry him. Sabina roused Nero to such fear and jealousy that he decided to kill his mother for fear of losing the throne. The plan was simple—while Agrippina was on a cruise ship, it would be discreetly sunk, and Nero’s mother would drown. However, this was not to be. Agrippina was a strong swimmer and escaped with her life. Undeterred, Nero dispatched his executioners to stab her to death in broad daylight. Unfortunately, things had just gotten started for the most powerful man in the empire and these bizarre and inhuman acts were only a sampling of what was to come.
Nero was given to fits of rage and became violent towards his wife in one such outburst. He kicked Sabina repeatedly until both she and her unborn child died. Nero is said to have regretted this, and he soon started a hunt for anyone who looked like Sabina, his dead wife. He finally found a slave that is said to have resembled her strongly, and they were married. The catch? The slave was a man. Nero took to dressing him in the clothing of a woman and referring to him as a lady. At this point, Nero’s slippery slope was only getting more slippery. He believed himself to be an artist—a genius, even—and gave massive public performances. If you were in attendance, you could not leave. Why? The doors were locked. Nero also dreamed of singing to his enemies and bringing them to tears for their perceived wrongdoings.
But the emperor was not content with only putting on musical performances. In A.D. 67, he entered into the Olympic Games, which was against the rules (no emperor was allowed to compete in the Games). Nevertheless, Nero entered. He introduced new competitions, such as trumpeting and acting. He entered into several and won each one. His actions caused much outrage since the Olympics were considered a sacred event and Nero had changed them.
However, Nero had an even bigger goal in mind. The chariot races were the biggest spectacle the Olympics had to offer. In them, chariot riders were allowed a team of four horses. Teams would race around a massive arena for a total of seven laps. Sometimes wheels fell off, or chariots crashed into each other. It was not uncommon for drivers to be thrown from their ride and to be trampled to death or to be dragged by their own team of horses. However, the winner would be celebrated and highly paid.
Knowing all the difficulty, danger, and stress involved, you can only imagine how the charioteers felt to see Emperor Nero roll up to the racetrack in an expensive chariot and a team consisting of not four, but ten horses. As it turns out, Nero was inexperienced and out of shape. Almost immediately, he lost control of his team and was thrown from the chariot, being seriously injured in the process. Despite never finishing the race, Nero won first place.
This incident does a good job of demonstrating Nero’s attitude toward his authority at this point in his reign. In fact, in A.D. 66, he won more than 1,800 first-place prizes for his supposed exhibits of artistry. Here was a man that could not be told “no”.
On the night of July 18, A.D. 64, a fire started in Rome’s Circus Maximus. The fire grew and spread, becoming out of control. The fire would rage for the next six days, leaving almost no part of the city untouched. It was devastating for the citizens of Rome and would go on to be the incident Nero would be most widely known for. Many ancient writers blamed Nero for starting the fire, although he was not in the city when it began. Whether or not he started the fire, Nero needed someone to blame. He chose a group of people who were despised and feared by the Romans and tortured them relentlessly. That group was known as the Christians. Tacitus, a secular Roman writer, described it as such, “Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as nightly illumination when daylight had expired.”
Meanwhile, Nero grew even more wicked. He ruthlessly slaughtered Christian men, women, and children, and plunged ever deeper into immorality. Finally, On June 9, AD 68, Nero, the last emperor of Rome killed himself after having been declared a public enemy by the Roman Senate. He was only 31 years old.
So, here is a man corrupt in every way. His lifestyle was deeply offensive to Christianity, and his persecution was one of the most horrible in history. How would we respond to such a ruler? How did Christians respond to him?
Paul lived under Nero’s reign. He saw all the horrible things detailed above. Yet, he gave the church the following admonition: Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake –Romans 13: 1-5.
These words seem impossible when we consider the situation. Yet the Word of God tells us that our governmental authorities are put in place by God Himself. What a testimony! How much more, then, are we called to respect our authorities—to not slander them; to obey them in all possible aspects; to stay away from their elections and campaigns; and yet, to yield ourselves to God and His authority as our final say?! Or, as Paul put it, Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God… –Romans 13:1.
The believers of the early church saw Nero—the murderous, bloodthirsty, corrupt emperor—as a man ordained of God. They sought to honor and respect him in his authority, while ultimately yielding to the higher authority of God. Herein, we see a potential paradox, that the earthly authorities are “ministers of God” to be honored and obeyed, yet IF the time would come wherein the believer is required by the civil authorities to disobey God, we then have a higher responsibility—…We ought to obey God rather than men –Acts 5:29.
This all puts a great responsibility on our shoulders today as Christians living in an increasingly corrupt and evil society. Can we find that biblical balance between honoring our governmental leaders while still obeying God in all things? Or do we fail just like the unregenerate around us in picking apart the faults of our earthly authorities when we feel our “easy living” being trodden upon?
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is –Ephesians 5:15-17. And Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful –1 Corinthians 4:2.
Let each one of us as committed, born-again, Bible-believing Christians walk circumspectly, redeeming the time. For we all want to be found faithful in that soon-coming day when we all will stand before the judgment seat to receive our just reward.
Endnote:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621648
