Tag Archives: Ephesus

HELLO, EPHESIAN BELIEVERS!

November 9, 2020Bible StudyEphesus, God's holy people, PaulLuella Campbell

HELLO, EPHESIAN BELIEVERS!

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1: 1-2).

I wonder if we will even appreciate the significance of these words of greeting, or even the letter Paul wrote to this church in Asia Minor.

A Roman writer once called Ephesus Lumen Asiae, The Light of Asia. Ephesus, with a population of 300,000, was the chief commercial city of the province and the centre of the mother goddess worship of western Asia. In the New Testament era it was the fourth greatest city in the world, after Rome, Alexandria in Egypt and Antioch of Syria . . .

The apostle Paul first visited Ephesus on the return from his missionary journey where he “entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews” (Acts 18:19-21).

On his second journey, Paul came to Ephesus and taught the twelve disciples who knew only the baptism of John (Acts 19:1-7) and “went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8). He later taught in the school of Tryannus for two years, and as a result, “all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:9-10).

Ephesus was full of wizards, sorcerers, witches, astrologers, diviners of the entrails of animals and people who could read one’s fortune by the palm of the hand. And yet, after the preaching of Paul, the magicians publicly burned their books, “so the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (Acts 19:19-20). Timothy and Erastus were with Paul, but he sent them to Macedonia, while “he himself stayed in Asia for a time” (Acts 19:22) . . .

The disturbance over Diana of the Ephesians is one of the most prominent stories in the book of Acts (Acts 19:23-41). There were 33 temples in the Greco-Roman world where Diana was worshiped. After Paul’s preaching in Ephesus had harmed the local silversmiths who made statues of Diana, Paul’s companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, were dragged into the theatre. The disciples would not allow Paul to go into the assembly . . .

“The goddess who had largely given Ephesus its wealth and importance — so that it was a kind of Lourdes of the ancient world — was at the core of so much human thinking. She derived from those early manifestations of religious belief, the mother-goddess figures to be found from Asia Minor to the Cyclades, and westward to Sicily. The embodiment of the female principle, she represented not only fertility but resurrection in the shape of new birth, the eternal return of life to the earth and, as found in a number of early carvings, the ‘Tree of Life’. As Isis she bore the divine son, Horus; and as Artemis she was the Mother of Wild Things, the goddess of all animals. The Isis-Artemis conception embraced everything. It could be taken at any level; from the simple peasant’s conception of the divinity who would ensure that his beasts and land were fruitful, to the intellectual idea of an all-creating mother who sustained the whole universe.” (Ernle Bradford, Paul The Traveler, pp. 194-195).

http://www.biblelandhistory.com/turkey/ephesus.html – retrieved December 2015

Paul challenged Diana worship, not by doing “spiritual warfare” or preaching against her in the city but by declaring the truth about Jesus, despite opposition and personal danger. The outcome was startling. The worship of Diana was in tatters. When the many people who were involved in witchcraft, received Jesus as Lord, they burned their occult paraphernalia. The silversmiths, let by Demetrius, rioted because they had lost their business selling Diana images.

The power of the gospel had broken the evil deception of Diana, just as Jesus had told His disciples it would during their visit to Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16: 13-19).

How marvellous that Paul could write words like “to God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus,” to a group of people who were once pagan idolaters! They had worshipped the image of a goddess whose history goes back to the time of Nimrod, the rebel king who, together with his wicked wife, Semiramis, led a revolt against Yahweh and set up the first organised false religious system of sun-worship, symbolised by the tower of Babel.

How tragic that the church today, in the name of Jesus, has unwittingly reincorporated so much of the pagan mythology of Diana-worship into the worship of Jesus, especially in the so-called “Christian” festivals of Christmas and Easter. We have swallowed the lies of the Roman Catholic Church by following their deceptive “Christianising” of the worship of the sun-god, Baal, through the incorporation of the many symbols of Baal-worship into our celebrations in the name of the one who expressly forbade the practice.

God has entrusted to His people the rich treasure of His Word. He asked us to preserve it intact and teach it as the truth, not to add or subtract anything. He will hold us accountable for what we do with it because His Word is the embodiment of Himself.

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once of all entrusted to the saints (Jude 1: 3).

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3, eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), a companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

For more details, check my website:

http://luellaannettecampbell.com/

Have you read my blogs on www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com ?

THE BOOK OF ACTS – STUCK ON JESUS

July 13, 2019Bible Studye, Ephesus, follow Christ, MasterLuella Campbell

STUCK ON JESUS

“From Miletus he sent to Ephesus for the leaders of the congregation. When they arrived, he said, ‘You know that from day one of my arrival in Asia I was with you totally– laying my life on the line, serving the Master no matter what, putting up with no end of scheming by Jews who wanted to do me in. I didn’t skimp or trim in any way. Every truth and encouragement that could have made a difference to you, you got. I taught you out in public and I taught you in your homes, urging Jews and Greeks alike to a radical life-change before God and an equally radical trust in our Master Jesus.'” Acts 20:17-21 (The Message).

What a testimony! Saul, the Pharisee, who had poured his heart and soul into getting rid of Christians because he thought they were wrong, became Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, because he had experienced an encounter with the One he was vehemently persecuting.

Paul was not stuck on himself! He was passing the baton on to those entrusted with the church he had founded. What kind of leaders were needed to steer the believers in Ephesus through troubled waters during a time when they were the target of serious misunderstanding and opposition by Jewish radicals and Roman rulers who thought they were God? To declare that Jesus, not Caesar, was Lord was treasonable and punishable by death. One after the other, the Caesars zealously protected their “divine” status by persecuting those who insisted on worshiping this Jesus, not them, as Lord.

The church needed leaders with the same measure of loyalty to Jesus as Paul had, who would shepherd the believers with the same integrity and passion that they saw in him. They needed men who were followers of Jesus, not leaders who were intent on binding people to themselves and building little kingdoms around them. They needed shepherds who would show them the way as well as teach them the Word of God.

Paul could write to congregations he had founded and taught: ‘Follow me as I follow Christ.’ That was a bold and dangerous statement unless it was absolutely true. How many pastors and teachers can say that today? Yet is this not the role of the true shepherd of God’s flock? Jesus has entrusted His sheep to men and women with the confidence in them that they will fulfill their commission as those who are accountable to Him.

It is a shameful thing that many so-called “shepherds” use their position to lord it over their congregations and to milk them in the name of “faith”, or “sowing seed”, or even unashamedly declaring, ‘God will save a soul for every dollar you give,’ and then build bigger houses and drive better cars because God is “blessing” them. What has happened to the Paul-like generosity that spends itself for the sake of others?

For Paul there was a guiding principle that he followed, remembering that there was more to life than a few short years on this earth.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV).

Like his Master Jesus, Paul always took the long look. To live only in the now, forgetting that this life is an apprenticeship for the life to come, is the height of folly.

He could look in his Master’s face with confidence, knowing that he had not wasted or prostituted the gifts and calling he was given on his own pleasure and comfort. He gave himself fully to his task because he knew there was an eternal reward for a job well done.

THE BOOK OF ACTS – THE PRICE OF STUPIDITY

July 8, 2019Bible Studybonfire, Ephesus, riotLuella Campbell

THE PRICE OF STUPIDITY

“That set them off in a frenzy. They ran into the street yelling, ‘Great Artemis of the Ephesians! Great Artemis of the Ephesians!’ They put the whole city in an uproar, stampeding into the stadium and, grabbing two of Paul’s associates on the way, the Macedonian, Gaius and Aristarchus. Paul wanted to go in too, but the disciples wouldn’t let him. Prominent religious leaders in the city who had become friendly to Paul concurred. ‘By no means go near that mob.'” Acts 19:28-31 (The Message).

Stand back and survey the scene. What do you see? An uncontrollable, unruly mob, working themselves up into a frenzy and on the brink of ruthless violence against anyone who happened to resemble the objects of their wrath! Paul’s ministry in Ephesus had resulted in a wholesale turning to the Lord, with a startling outcome, a bonfire of occult books, but that didn’t mean that there were not many unbelievers left in the city.

This time it was not the Jews who led the riot but Demetrius and his fellow silversmiths who were losing business because, through the power of Jesus many had turned away from idol-worship. Humans were acting like hooligans, but who was the instigator? Satan, of course! This is just the sort of thing he would initiate to get people to lose control of themselves and go on the rampage. Whether the trigger was religious or financial, it didn’t matter; the outcome was the same.

Paul wanted to step in and quieten the ruckus but his friends would not let him. The mob would have torn him to pieces there and then.

“Some were yelling one thing, some another. Most of them had no idea what was going on or why they were there. As the Jews pushed Alexander to the front to try to gain control, different factions clamoured to get him on their side. But he brushed them off and quieted the mob with an impressive sweep of his arms. But the moment he opened his mouth and they knew he was a Jew, they shouted him down. ‘Great Artemis of the Ephesians! Great Artemis of the Ephesians!’ — and on and on, for over two hours.'” Acts 19:32-34 (The Message).

Isn’t this typical of human behaviour? Join in the fun, even if you have no idea what it’s all about! How well Isaiah diagnosed the hearts of human beings! “We all, like sheep, have gone astray….” Isaiah 53:6a (NIV).

The scary thing is that God holds everyone accountable for what they do, even if it is thoughtless and irresponsible behaviour like these people were engaged in. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it right. We are responsible for our choices because every decision we make has consequences for ourselves and other people. We do not live our lives in isolation. What we do affects others.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV).

Thoughtless and irresponsible actions are included in “the things done while in the body”, like the actions of these Ephesians who had no idea what it was all about. This riot was, in the end, not really about the goddess or about what Paul was teaching. It was about the silversmiths losing their business because many of the Ephesians had come to their senses and realised that this goddess was nothing but a hoax.

This story should be a warning to us that we do not allow ourselves to be deceived and to sell our souls for “hot air.” God gave us the ability to think and to make choices and decisions that affect our eternal destiny. Let’s not waste this gift by falling for lies.

Spiritual Warfare – The Strategy Of The Early Church

September 26, 2014Apologeticsblood, Diana, Ephesus, gospel, overcame, revelationLuella Campbell

THE STRATEGY OF THE EARLY CHURCH

Immediately after Jesus’ ascension, the disciples followed His instruction and implemented the strategy He gave them.

“When the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and He sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His word with signs that accompanied it.” Mark 16:19, 20 (NIV).

The example of Ephesus

If ever there was a test case for the effectiveness of the strategy of the apostles, and in particular, the apostle Paul, it was the city of Ephesus.

The City Of Ephesus

“Ephesus once had a great harbour, but because of the lack of tides in the Mediterranean to clear out the debris, the harbour tended to silt up. It was probably from this harbour that Paul set sail for Macedonia after the Ephesian riot (Acts 20:1).

“The main street of the city was the Arcadian Way which led from the harbour to the theatre. The street was over 100 feet wide and paved with marble slabs. The street was often used for parades and ceremonies, and was flanked on either side by rows of columns 50 feet deep. The street was named in honour of the emperor Arcadius (A.D. 383-408) who enlarged and restored it. At night the street was lit by lanterns.

“The great theatre at Ephesus gives us some idea of the elegance of the ancient city in the time of Paul. The construction began during the reign of Claudius (A.D. 41-54) and was completed during the reign of Trajan (A.D. 98-117). This massive structure measured 495 feet in diameter and seated an estimated 25,000 people. The great uproar over Diana of the Ephesians took place here (Acts 19)…”

The Temple Of Diana

“The disturbance over Diana of the Ephesians is one of the most prominent stories in the book of Acts (Acts 19:23-41). There were 33 temples in the Greco-Roman world where Diana was worshiped. After Paul’s preaching in Ephesus had harmed the local silversmiths who made statues of Diana, Paul’s companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, were dragged into the theatre. The disciples would not allow Paul to go into the assembly.

“The Temple of Artemis (or Diana, according to her Roman name) at Ephesus ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. As the twin sister of Apollo and the daughter of Zeus, Artemis was known variously as the moon goddess, the goddess of hunting, and the patroness of young girls. The temple at Ephesus housed the multi-breasted image of Artemis which was reputed to have come directly from Zeus (Acts 19:35). The temple of Artemis in Paul’s day was supported by 127 columns, each of them 60 meters (197 feet) high. The Ephesians took great pride in this grand edifice. During the Roman period, they promoted the worship of Artemis by minting coins with the inscription, ‘Diana of Ephesus.'” (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, pp. 345-346).

“The temple was four times as large as the Parthenon. Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79) said the temple was constructed on marshy soil to safeguard it against earthquakes.

“For over a thousand years this goddess with her temple provided a focal point for the rich religious, economic, and cultural life of her worshippers. Now hardly one stone can be seen of one of the most famous buildings in the world, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. Built on marshy ground not far from the Cayster River, it arose on a site occupied from time to time by several temples of which at least one dates from pre-Greek days. It faced west, toward the sea and the setting sun. Pliny the Younger tells us that the columns in front of the temple were carved with notable events in the life of the Greeks and that the statue of Artemis stood in the inner sanctuary. Some of the statuary from this temple is displayed in the New Hofburg Museum in Vienna. This temple was the first in the world to be constructed entirely of marble.” (Everett Blake and Anna Edmonds, Biblical Sites In Turkey, p. 119).

“After years of archaeological research the ruins of the temple were discovered in 1877 by J. T. Wood. The platform on which the temple stood was 418 by 239 feet, and the temple itself was 342 by 163 feet and had over one hundred columns supporting its roof.” (Homer Hailey, Revelation, An Introduction And Commentary, p. 120).

“The Hellenistic temple which Paul saw was destroyed in A.D. 262.

“The original temple of Diana crumbled into the dust many centuries ago. It was rebuilt and became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was to this temple Alexander came. The Macedonian wanted his name carved on one of the 127 pillars. He offered all the riches of his eastern campaign for the privilege. The city fathers turned down the offer. But nobody refused Alexander. The Ephesians did. They talked him into a calm acceptance by saying ‘If we put the name of another god on her temple it will upset her.’ So the mightiest mortal on earth couldn’t even buy the privilege to have his name on a pillar in the temple of a god. Years later Paul wrote to a group of Ephesians telling them they were the temple (not of a god) but of the Almighty God.” (Jim McGuiggan, The Book Of Revelation, p. 44).

Paul in Ephesus

“The apostle Paul first visited Ephesus on the return from his missionary journey where he “entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews” (Acts 18:19-21).

“On his second journey, Paul came to Ephesus and taught the twelve disciples who knew only the baptism of John (Acts 19:1-7) and “went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8). He later taught in the school of Tryannus for two years, and as a result, “all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:9-10).

“Ephesus was full of wizards, sorcerers, witches, astrologers, diviners of the entrails of animals and people who could read one’s fortune by the palm of the hand. And yet, after the preaching of Paul, the magicians publicly burned their books, “so the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (Acts 19:19-20). Timothy and Erastus were with Paul, but he sent them to Macedonia, while “he himself stayed in Asia for a time” (Acts 19:22).

“At the end of his third missionary tour, in the spring of A.D. 57, Paul stopped briefly at Miletus, “for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost” (Acts 20:16). Paul met with the elders of Ephesus at Miletus (Acts 20:17-38). In his final words to these elders he told them of his deep sorrow that they would see his face no more (Acts 20:38).

http://www.biblelandhistory.com/turkey/ephesus.html

There is no evidence in the book of Acts of any of the modern practices of so-called “spiritual warfare” that preceded or accompanied the preaching of the gospel in Ephesus. Yet so great was the power of the gospel that the city was transformed, and the power of Artemis so weakened that it took humans (Demetrius and the silversmiths) to defend her, when in actual fact it was their business of selling silver images that was affected and that bothered them more than the majesty of the goddess!

(Incidentally, Paul often asked the churches to pray for believers and for him, not for the places he visited and the unbelievers to whom he preached. What was the burden of his requests?

Ephesians 1:15-19: that believers will know who they are and what they have in Christ;

Ephesians 3:14-21: that believers will know and experience the fullness of Christ’s love in order to come to fullness in Him;

Ephesians 6:19: that he would have the right words fearlessly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

Paul was concerned about the effectiveness of the messengers and the message and not the power of the opposition).

The outcome of Paul’s time in Ephesus was the spread of the gospel throughout the province of Asia (Acts 19:10); healings and deliverance from evil spirits (Acts 19:11); the fear of God and the name of Jesus held in high honour among Jews and Greeks in Ephesus (Acts 19:17); the destruction of the scrolls of witchcraft and sorcery by new believers (Acts 19:18-20); and the riot instigated by Demetrius and the silversmiths because Diana’s influence was waning and they were losing business (Acts 19:23-40).

There is not a word mentioned about principalities, powers, strongholds, altars or intercessory prayer to deal with the opposition.

THE BOOK OF REVELATION

I do not propose to write a commentary on the Book of Revelation in this section, but just to examine the way in which spiritual warfare was conducted on two fronts – on earth and in heaven.

First of all, Jesus’ appearance to John on the Island of Patmos sent a clear message to him and to his readers – Jesus is in charge of the churches (ch 1-3) and of history. He has the right to open the scroll (ch 4, 5) while all the creatures in heaven are engaged in perpetual worship.

As the Lamb opens the seals on the scroll, there is evidence of warfare on earth between those who worship God and those who worship the dragon, but always under God’s authority and while the multitudes in heaven worship Him. Whatever happens on earth, happens by God’s permission and always works towards His ultimate purpose – the victory of the Lamb and His followers and the final overthrow of Satan and the vanquishing of everything evil.

In chapter 12 comes the triumphant cry after Satan’s defeat and overthrow:

Then I heard a loud voice from heaven say: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:10, 11

Again, no mention of intercessors and pulling down strongholds – only the power of the cross and of lives that bear witness to its power.

Throughout the book of Revelation, history is played out on earth under God’s supervision while worship continues ceaselessly in heaven until the final overthrow of the world system – called Babylon – and the counterfeit woman. The unholy trinity of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet are dispatched and God’s restoration plan consummated when heaven comes down to earth and the Bridegroom returns to be united with His bride and to set up His reign on earth.

To be continued…

Spiritual Warfare In The New Testament

September 25, 2014ApologeticsEphesus, New Testament, spiritual warfare, weaponsLuella Campbell

SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The New Testament Model

The New Testament church was born into an environment no different from anywhere in the world today. In the Roman Empire, idolatry, witchcraft, immorality, greed and every kind of wickedness was the order of the day. Added to this was the cult of Caesar worship, punishable by death for those who refused to comply, and the religious fervour of the Jews who had rejected their Messiah and did everything they could to stamp out the infant church, targeting the apostles and persecuting the believers wherever they could, headed up by Saul of Tarsus until his dramatic encounter with the living Christ.

If there was ever a reason to identify and deal with powers and strongholds, it was then.

Jesus sent His disciples into all the world with a commission to make disciples. What were their weapons and what would their strategy be?

The gospel.

Paul declared to the Roman church in the heart of the Roman Empire:

“I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Romans 1:18 (NIV).

But Paul, what about the powers of darkness that hold sway over the whole Roman Empire? The power of God lay in the preaching of the gospel, not in intercessory prayers and pulling down strongholds.

The truth

Jesus stated categorically, principalities and powers or not, that it is the knowledge of the truth that sets people free.

“To the Jews who believed in Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” John 8:31, 32 (NIV).

“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” John 8:34-36 (NIV).

The word

How much power does the Word of God have to effect change in the lives of people?

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.” Hebrews 4:12, 13 (NIV).

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23 (NIV).

The Holy Spirit

To play down the efficacy of the work of Jesus is to empty the Holy Spirit of His power. According to Jesus, the Holy Spirit has the power to convict the world of sin (without the necessity of dealing with demons or strongholds).

“Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go I will send Him to you. When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin…” John 16:7b-8a (NIV).

The cross

For the apostle Paul, it was the message of the cross that brought people to faith in Christ.

Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up, from the earth, will draw all me to myself. He said this to show what kind of death He was going to die.” John 12:32, 33 (NIV).

And so it was Paul’s passion to proclaim the power of the cross.

“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV).

The resurrection

The power of the cross stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus.

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:16-20 (NIV).

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God – the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding His Son, who as to His human nature was a descendant of David, and who, through the Spirit of Holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 1:1-4 (NIV).

Jesus’ yoke

The concept of a yoke in Scripture is an interesting one. The Israelites were an agricultural people and their ancient script (called paleo Hebrew), and language grew out of their originally nomadic lifestyle. Their understanding was based on their senses rather than abstract ideas like love, faith, etc.

The name of God (El) was made up of two pictures, aleph being an ox head and lamech being a staff. An ox head denoted strength and a shepherd’s staff, authority. Hence God was the strong one who had authority, the mighty one.

“The ancient Hebrews considered the yoke as a “staff of the shoulder” (see Isaiah 9:4). When ploughing a field, a farmer would place two oxen in a “staff” – one was the older and more experienced and the other the younger and less experienced. The younger was to learn from the older. Again the two pictographic letter, the ox and the staff, are found in this image of action. This concept of “learning through association” can be found in the Hebrew word, alaph, (H 502) and contains the same pictographs.

“The Hebrews did not perceive God as some might omnipotent entity but as “the mighty one,” the older ox in the yoke who teaches them, the younger ox in the yoke.” (Benner, Jeff, The Living Words – Volume 1, Published 2007 by Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc).

This was the thinking which lay behind the association of a rabbi with his disciples, young men whom he selected and called to follow him with the understanding that they would be so closely bonded to him, like two oxen in a yoke, that they would learn to be just like him and imitate him in everything they taught and did.

The implication of Jesus’ yoke

Jesus took His disciples to the “red light district” of Israel – Caesarea Philippi – where two of the most powerful religious cults in the Roman Empire were being practised.

“Caesarea Philippi is a large archaeological site containing elaborate building projects erected by Herod Philip and Agrippas II in the area of Dan, at the foot of Mount Hermon in northern Israel. In addition to magnificent Roman structures, Caesarea Philippi is also known for Banias, a collection of springs and pagan worship sites linked to the cult of Pan. The centrepiece of this ancient worship site is a huge cliff and grotto, which contains the remains of numerous altars, caves, temples, and courtyards. This is the location at Caesarea Philippi where Jesus met with his disciples and finally asked the question, “Who do you say that I am?”

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 16:13-17)

“Caesarea Philippi’s location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed. At one time, the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff.

“The pagans of Jesus’ day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring. They saw water as a symbol of the underworld and thought that their gods travelled to and from that world through caves.

“To the pagan mind, then, the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld. They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld – the gates of hell. In order to entice the return of their god, Pan, each year, the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds, including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats.

“When Jesus brought his disciples to the area, they must have been shocked. Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there.

“It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell.”

Jesus’ Challenge

“Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples “Who do you say that I am?” Peter boldly replied, “You are the Son of the living God.” The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus, the true and living God, and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in “dead” gods.

“Jesus continued, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (see Matt. 16:13 – 20).

“Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words, it seems clear that Jesus’ words also had symbolic meaning. His church would be built on the “rock” of Caesarea Philippi – a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols, where ungodly values dominated.

“Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world. By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome, Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked.

“Standing as they were at a literal “gate of Hades,” the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus’ challenge. They had studied under their rabbi for several years, and now he was commissioning them to a huge task: to attack evil by binding His yoke on people held captive by every “yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1), and to build the church in the very places that were most filled with moral corruption.

“Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi: He didn’t want his followers hiding from evil: He wanted them to storm the gates of hell.”

http://www.followtherabbi.com/journey/israel/gates-of-hell/

From this background it is clear that Jesus saw His church as a counter-culture based on the solid rock of His identity as the Son of God and His teaching that presented God as Father and God’s character as gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and full of love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6).

This was the “yoke” Jesus modelled and taught, in contrast to the strict legalism of the other rabbis of His day. He gave His disciples authority to “bind” His yoke of mercy and compassion on all His followers and to “loose” them from the yoke of pagan idolatry which made them slaves of sin, and the religious legalism which strangled God’s life out of them and made them into slaves of law.

His church would infiltrate the culture of its day and, like yeast in a lump of dough, slowly transform society through the transformed lives of its people, bringing God’s will and the standards of His kingdom to earth, and reflecting Himself in the lives of His people.

Not even the spiritual darkness of paganism and power of hell would be able to withstand the compelling witness of people transformed and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to live like Jesus (John 2:6),and to do the works that Jesus did (John 14:12), reflecting the nature of God’s loving rule over His people.

This is the vision Jesus had for His church which He imparted to His disciples over the course of three and a half years. He taught them how to do the works of the kingdom by example and by giving them opportunity to practise under His supervision. He gave them power and authority over disease and demons and sent them out to do the work in preparation for their worldwide mission.

On this occasion Jesus also gave His mandate to His followers – “I will give you the keys of the kingdom.” Before He ascended to heaven, He gave them this instruction, “Go…make disciples of all nations…” He would use the building bricks of the disciples we make, to build His church, blending diverse people into a unity that reflected His intimate unity in the Godhead, an impossible task outside of the power of the Holy Spirit.

Even when Jesus sent His twelve disciples, and later the seventy two, ahead of Him into the towns and villages where He was planning to go, it was not to do spiritual warfare but to preach the gospel and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1, 2; Luke 110:1-16). They were to interact with the people, and show and announce the kingdom by their gracious attitude towards those who gave them hospitality and those who received their message.

The outcome was astonishing.

“The seventy two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’”

“He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’” Luke 10:17-21(NIV).

If anyone were to teach the disciples how to deal with demonic powers it would have been Jesus. After all, He was the one who bore the brunt of the enemy’s attacks. Yet He did not instruct them on how to deal with the opposition except to cast out demons and to preach the kingdom of God.

He unmasked and dispatched the devil and His minions once for all at the cross.

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle over them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:15.