Best of Times, Worst of Times

 

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

—Galatians 4:4

Charles Dickens described the days of the French Revolution in his novel, A Tale of Two Cities: ¹

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

That sentiment prevails whenever we consider other periods of history, as well.

In the days of Jesus’ birth, the Roman Empire ruled most of the then-known world. In the capital city of Rome, the society was secure, prosperous, and luxurious. However, hiding beneath the surface, the entire fabric of society and culture was in imminent danger from hopeless and hidden perversion.

The Greek language was spoken in the entire Empire, unifying it like the world had never seen before. Only the resistance of the Jews kept the Roman Empire from a total allegiance to the ruling authorities. According to Jewish scholar, Alfred Edersheim, the city of Rome: ²

… in one short reign was transformed from brick into marble, … side by side, the most abject misery and almost boundless luxury.

The religious life of the Roman Empire suffered from superstition and from the deification of the Emperor. As Edersheim describes it: ³

Might was right. The social relations exhibited, if possible, even deeper corruption. The sanctity of marriage had ceased. Female dissipation and the general dissoluteness led at last to an almost entire cessation of marriage. Abortion, and the exposure and murder of newly-born children, were common and tolerated.

Edersheim goes on to point out the vile, cunning, evil reign over the Jewish territory of the various monarchs in the Herodian Dynasty, who ruled from 47 BC to 72 AD. This explanation gives us an idea of the way in which God prepared the perfect coming of His Son, Jesus Christ, in the middle of this extremely vile reign of the Herods.

When we read in Scripture about the “Light coming into the darkness,” we begin to understand how bad life must have been for the Jews in those days, and how the most devoted of them waited longingly for the coming of the Messiah. The Lord Jesus Christ came in the fullness of bad times, when history brought all the ripened powers and circumstances together.

As you read the description of the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus’ birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection, we should consider these questions:

• Do we see a parallel between those ancient days and our own times?
  
  
• Can we relate to the “darkness of the hour” in our present age?
  
  
• Do we cry out for a new coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?
  
  
• Does He have for our day a time of spiritual renewal and hope?
  
  
• Or, will we experience the Second Advent of our Savior, when He will come again in the clouds of heaven?
  
  

As we consider these questions, the answers should move us to consider the longing that ought to reside in our hearts. In any case, we need to watch, pray, and stand ready to see what God will do in our time!

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1 Dickens, Charles, and Harvey Dunn. A Tale of Two Cities. New York, NY: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation, 1921. Book 1. Chapter 1

2 Edersheim, Alfred The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC, 1993. Pp. 177-179.

3 Ibid.