In a few weeks, America will celebrate the 250th anniversary since we, as a nation, declared our independence from Great Britian. Compared to the rest of the world, America is but a toddler.
Leslie and I are visiting Rome, Italy for the first time. We have seen the major sights and also took in Florence, Italy. What struck me was that time seemed to collapse in this country of ageless wonders and masterpieces of art and architecture.
One of our stops was along the Apian way. Built over 300 years before Christ, this was the “interstate” highway system of the Roman empire. Modern day cars and trucks drive over the original stones that seem no worse for the wear than they were nearly two and a half millennia ago.
Just imagine, I am standing where Roman soldiers marched to farthest reaches of the empire. The Apostle Paul walked along this road as he carried the message of Christ from one end of the Roman empire to the other and as he walked to prison.
The roads also carried wild animals, gladiators, and spectators who attended the games at the coliseum. The crowds roared, emperors held life and death in a single hand with thumbs up or thumbs down. Christians bravely stood, refusing to recant their faith in the person of Jesus Christ. Wild animals literally tore them limb from limb.
Here in the Coliseum, one can see the heights and depths of human capacity. From the height of magnificent architecture, to the depths of human depravity that could only be quenched with the innocent blood of their fellow man, and everything in between, the Coliseum captures it all.
While the Coliseum is associated with acts of horror that reveal the depravity of man, another object of architectural beauty is the church. There seems to be a church on every corner. That led me to be convinced that Baptist had to be somehow involved. If you searched long enough and hard enough, you would probably find that the carpet was a different color in each of those churches. (If you wonder what in the world is he talking about, then you obviously are not Baptist)
The builders of these magnificent structures show us one aspect of what God meant when He said, “let us make man in Our own image.” Theologians wrestle with that phrase today but all would agree that at least one aspect of the image of God is the ability to envision and create.
The architect of the cathedral sees the building in its splendor. The architect sees the towering steeple pointing to the heavens to direct our attention to God. Inside the quiet sanctuary, you can sense the presence of God.
The architect could see the finished building in his minds eye and often would never see the finished product with his human eye. The architect was not the only artisan in Rome. The artists made the objects to fill the magnificent buildings and decorate the city plazas.
The works of Michaelangelo are evident everywhere. From the Creation of Adam that adorns the centerpiece of the massive ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to each end of the building, the story of creation, the fall, the history, and the hope of redemption and bringing man back into a relationship with his creator is revealed in each section.
A two hour train ride to the city of Florence reveals, perhaps the most famous masterpiece of Michaelangelo, the statue of David. It is said that Michaelangelo did not work from a sketch or external work at all when he carved the image of King David. As if he had x-ray vision, Michaelangelo looked at the block of marble and could see the final product of beauty inside. He worked to remove the pieces that got in the way so that the image in his mind, trapped in the marble, could be set free.
Romans 8:29 says that we are “predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” In the same way, Michaelangelo carved away that which did not reflect the image that he saw in his mind to reveal the beauty of the image that had been predestined to be conformed under the hand of the master sculpturer.
The one who wrote those words was the Apostle Paul writing to Christians in Rome where one day he would take his last breath before the blade of a
Roman executioner would take his life. We walked through Mamertine Prison where he was held prisoner and from where he wrote his last letter, II Timothy. In II Timothy 4:7, Paul, reflecting on his life wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Paul knew that his days were numbered. What he did not know was the impact that his letters would have on millions and millions of others through the centuries. God’s sovereign plan was unfolding and as I walked in those places where Paul and so many others after him walked, I realized in a fresh and new way that those words written on the pages of my Bible are like reading yesterday’s newspaper.
These events took place and the buildings, roads, statues, paintings, all shout the reality of the faith that I, along with all others who call themselves Christians, hold. Thousands of years stare me in the face as if it was but yesterday. Rome is indeed a place where time collapses.
