Against the Tide
Do you ever wonder what life was really like for the early Christians living in the Roman Empire?
One of the things we may not think about was that many of the early Christians were Jews living in Jewish communities throughout the empire. In larger communities there would be a synagogue, but in the smaller ones, the Jews would gather in homes and this is where Paul, Timothy and Silas would meet with them.
A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.' And she prevailed upon us. - Acts 16:14-15
The city of Thyatira had a small Jewish population, but it was far from being a small town. It had a long history as a center of commerce in the ancient world. Coins and artifacts date back over 3000 years. It was a marketing center that was home to guilds, organizations of tradesmen from coppersmiths to leatherworkers. It was very difficult to earn a living if you did not belong to a guild, but each guild chose a particular god as its patron and if one wanted to belong, one had to worship that god.
So, for Lydia to be a merchant who chose to become a Christian, she had to be a powerful woman, someone who was not afraid of losing business by being openly supportive of a non Roman god, the God of the Jews.
The city was mentioned in Revelation as one where the temptation to give in to worldly possessions was very strong, and we can see why. It was a bustling trade center with wealthy merchants and plenty of opportunities to make a decent living, if one would compromise one's beliefs.
It is a challenge we face today and it hasn't gotten any easier.
Lydia was not afraid to be different. We don't know if her business suffered as a result, but we can imagine it was not easy.
It may be hard to imagine being in a situation like that today. We live in a society that keeps business relationships and personal matters of faith separate. Or at least we believe we do. We try.
When we hear of people being persecuted for their faith, we find it offensive and repulsive. I believe we should, but I also wonder if we are not too different from the guilds in Thyatira at times, staying within our comfortable circles of friends, avoiding too much interaction with other cultures or faiths.
So, perhaps we should take a lesson from this woman, Lydia. When we find ourselves in a place that is uncomfortable or uncertain, we can remember the woman who was not afraid to swim against the tide. And we can borrow some of her courage.
More to come...
Image Credit: Seven Churches of Revelation