Gaesar’s household
Seongwon Full Gospel Church
Pastor Hong Cheol-ki
October 2023
○ Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.
All the saints greet you, especially some of Caesar’s household.
○ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be in your hearts.
We will share grace together under the title “Some of the People of Caesar’s House.”
Paul’s life
Apostle Paul traveled from Jerusalem to Caesar and arrived in Rome by boat. He was and he was thrown into prison. (AD 61) Apostle Paul was about 55 years old. He estimates that he lived another 10 years after that and then died.
While Paul was in prison, he met some of the members of Caesar’s household.
Caesar means emperor. These are the emperor’s household members. Caesar’s household must have had many slaves. These are slaves from Asia. It is presumed that there were especially many Jews among them. There were probably Jews in Rome just as there were Jews among the captives in Babylon.
The people in Caesar’s household would have included housekeepers, cooks, bathers, porters, messengers, carpenters, tasters, and wardrobe keepers. They may have influenced their masters. And in AD 313, even the emperor’s mother began to believe in Jesus. It may have existed even before the Apostle Paul entered.
Although the people in Caesar’s household were slaves, there were probably some who had considerable influence. Because his master was influential, those under him would also have that influence.
What did the people in Caesar’s house believe?
Caesar’s household heard the gospel of the Messiah, and they must have heard the gospel of Jesus in anticipation of the Messiah’s return. The idea is that Jesus is not only the Jewish Messiah, but also the Messiah who will come to the whole world.
Acts 28:15 When the brothers there heard about us, they came to meet us as far as the Piazza della Appius and the Thrace Taverne. When Paul saw them, he gave thanks to God and gained courage.
In particular, Apostle Paul was in prison. Apostle Paul is a man filled with the spirit of Jesus. Those who guarded him did not believe in Jesus, but by contacting Apostle Paul, they too would have become members of Caesar’s household. Just as the jailer in the Philippian prison believed in Jesus, the gospel would have been spread to them as well.
Philippians 1 12. ○ I want you to know, brothers, that what happened to me was actually for the advancement of the preaching of the gospel. 13. Therefore, my chains were made manifest in Christ to all those in the crowd and to everyone else. 14. Many of the brethren. My imprisonment has enabled me to speak the word of God more boldly and without fear, trusting in the Lord.
In particular, the apostle Paul (Acts 28:30) Paul stayed in his own rented house for two years and welcomed everyone who came to him. 31. He preached the kingdom of God and taught boldly and without hesitation everything about the Lord Jesus Christ. So) I must have felt a little bit free from prison. So, he would have testified the gospel while staying in a rented house. And as Christians were increasingly persecuted, Apostle Paul may have lived in complete prison.
Regards
Apostle Paul always greets people in his epistles and ends his letters with a greeting. Philippians also begins with a greeting and ends with a greeting. A healthy community requires good greetings. It is important that I extend my hand first and smile first. For a church to thrive, the district must be healthy. It is God’s will for believers to receive grace and to lead a life of faith by returning to their homes and greeting each other.
Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Acts 2:44 “All the believers were together, sharing everything with one another, selling property and possessions and distributing to everyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple and break bread in their homes with joy. and eat with a sincere heart.”
Grace
○ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be in your hearts.
It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although Apostle Paul was in prison, it led to the advancement of the gospel and the people of Caesar’s household came to believe in Jesus. Just like Joseph was sold by his brothers and went to Egypt, but was framed by Potiphar’s wife and ended up in prison, but that became the advancement of the gospel and he became prime minister. Daniel and his three friends were taken captive in Babylon. But that became the advancement of the gospel. Isn’t all this grace? It is not something we can do in our own strength.
Even if one becomes a martyr while testifying to the gospel like Apostle Paul, that is progress of the gospel.
Peter was martyred by crucifixion in a Roman prison, and Andrew was crucified in Asia Minor.
Philip was assassinated in Hierapolis, Bartholomew was martyred by beatings in Armenia, and some say he was skinned alive and hung on a cross. Thomas was martyred and died in India while preaching the gospel in Thailand and India. According to tradition, he was martyred by being pierced by a spear. Matthew died as a martyr in Ethiopia. James was crucified in Egypt. Another tradition has it that after preaching the gospel in Syria and establishing a church, he returned to Jerusalem and preached the gospel. When he was stoned but did not die, he was sawed to death and was martyred. Judas was martyred in Persia. Simon preached the gospel in Mauritania, Africa, and England, and he was martyred in Persia (Iran) around 74 AD by being hung upside down and sawn to pieces.
