When I read church history my soul is often stirred. These are my brothers and sisters. I will fellowship with them for eternity. They paved the way before me. They won and lost. They were faithful and they made grave mistakes…just like me. But God draws straight lines with crooked sticks. My soul was stirred once again today while reading the account of Theodosius and the Thessalonians.
Theodosius
Theodosius (usually called “Theodosius the Great”) reigned as emperor of Eastern Rome from 379-392 and of the entire empire from 392-395. He was a devout Christian, as the emperors of that time typically were. Nick Needham described him in this way:
“Theodosius was normally a wise, generous, far-seeing ruler, admired for his Christian integrity of character…”
In other words, he was a good man. Not only a good man, but a good Christian man and ruler. However, just like all men, he had a weakness. Theodosius’ weakness was his explosive anger. He was “prone to outbursts of wild fury, which so terrified everyone that even his wife and children would hide from him” (Needham). It sounds like he was a man who loved Christ and struggled with a persistent sin. That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? This particular sin would overcome him with tragic results in 390.
A Riot in Thessalonica
In 390, Botherich, the good governor of the province of Illyria, was murdered by a rioting mob in Thessalonica. When Theodosius heard the news, his impulsive anger got the best of him. In a fit of rage, he ordered his troops to massacre the Thessalonians. Almost instantly Theodosius realized what he had done. He hastily sent another decree to cancel the order he had given, but it wasn’t quick enough.
By the time the cancel order reached Thessalonica, the soldiers had already slaughtered around 7,000 people. The emperor was rebuked in a letter by Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, and banned from worship for eight months. Following the direction of Ambrose, he walked through the streets of Milan publicly repenting. When he was allowed to enter the church again, he knelt before the congregation and begged God’s forgiveness “with passionate sorrow, tears streaming from his eyes” (Needham).
What I see in this story is an account of a man who loved Christ and sought to honor Him. But he was still a man. In a moment of weakness, he made a quick decision that he would instantly regret. He probably carried that with him for the rest of his earthly life. Obviously, my heart broke for the innocent Thessalonians. But it broke for Theodosius also. All of us can recount sinful decisions we have made that had consequences we regret. It may not have led to the slaughter of 7,000 innocent lives, but it still produced weights that we struggle to put down throughout this life. We can identify with Theodosius.
Ambrose’s Response
There is a portion of Ambrose’s rebuke letter to Theodosius that especially hit me.
“You are brave in battle, and praiseworthy in every other way, but goodness was the crown of your character. The evil spirit envied you these purest of your blessings. Conquer him while you can! I love you; I honour you from my heart; I pray for you. If you believe this, accept what I say. But if you do not believe it, forgive me for preferring God to you.”
This rebuke is not coming from a man filled with rage. It is coming from a man, a brother in Christ, who loves Theodosius. He does not soften what Theodosius has done, but he does not condemn him either. The purpose of the rebuke is that Theodosius might be reconciled with the Lord and His people. It makes me zealous for that kind of love and truth among Christians today.
At some point in your life, you will be a Theodosius, a genuine-hearted believer who fell into Satan’s trap. You will need an Ambrose to call you out through repentance and restoration. At some point, you will need to be someone else’s Ambrose, loving them back to righteousness and fellowship with the truth.
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