Dead Emperor, living king

Several years ago I visited the tomb of Napoleon. Buried under the golden dome of “Les Invalides”, surrounded by statues representing his achievements and other symbols of his power, the former emperor is venerated as a god.

As someone who enjoys history, one event in the life of Napoleon is particularly interesting to me. After losing a war and being forced to abdicate his throne, he was exiled to Elba. However, this was not the end of his story. The former emperor of France escaped his island prison and set his sights on Paris. As Napoleon marched north, he encountered an army waiting for him on the outskirts of Grenoble. He asked them, “who would like to kill their emperor?” Rather than attack, the waiting army joined the soldiers of his escort and Napoleon marched triumphantly and unopposed to reclaim his seat as emperor while the “usurper” king fled.  I find this story interesting because in a moment Napoleon changed status. In a moment he went from deposed despot to returning emperor. In a moment a city went from serving one leader to serving another. There is a plaque in Grenoble that records the famous words of Napoleon:
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“Avant Grenoble j’etais aventurier a Grenoble j’etais prince”.
"Before Grenoble I was an adventurer, after Grenoble I was a prince."

This story reminds me of another that happened almost 2000 years ago in the city of Ephesus. In Acts 19 we read of how Paul begins to share the good news about Jesus in a city which is the center of worship of the goddess Artemis. People travelled from all over the then known world to participate in the worship of this false god and, for the tradesman in the city, selling statues of her was a lucrative trade. However, as the gospel entered Ephesus the light drove out the darkness as the Kingdom of God pushed the kingdom of Satan out. At one point those who had been practicing witchcraft gather to burn their scrolls, a public denouncement of the life they used to live. It records that the value of the scrolls was somewhere between today's equivalent of four to five million dollars. This was no small event, a city was changing allegiance. A city was turning to serve a new master, to serve the one true God and over a period of 2 years it records that the message of the gospel was preached to the entire province of Asia minor.

For the first believers in Ephesus, the cult of Diana or Artemis would have been overwhelming. They would have come to faith in the shadow of her temple, just as other believers at the time would have felt the same pressure under the Imperial cult of Caesar, the emperor of Rome. These false gods, worldviews and ways of living looked certain to crush the faith of the Christians. At times their very lives were in danger. Yet, 2000 years later, the truth remains while the “glory” of Rome and Ephesus live only in history. I find this encouraging because it reminds me of how big our God is. How He is above all that I see and all that I face right now in front of me. In our lives, we are constantly going to come up against giants. Whether it is a global event that affects billions or a minor one that only affects me, it is worth remembering what happened in Ephesus.  In a dark and seemingly hopeless situation, the light streamed in and the dark could not stay. I am encouraged because there are many situations in the world which seem too big, unconquerable or unchallengeable. Then I think of our God.
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We have come to serve in Grenoble and are encouraged that once before this city changed allegiance, does it seem far fetched to think it could do so again? Once this city chose to serve an emperor, now we pray, trust and work so that it will serve the one true King.