The Impact of Rome – Caesar Augustus and Tiberius Caesar

Just as the month July was named to honour the first of the Roman Caesars, namely Julius, likewise the succeeding month, August, was chosen to honour his blood nephew and adoptive son, Caesar Augustus. The latter reigned the longest of any of the Caesars in Julius’ lineage, a total of fifty-one years. While he is only mentioned once in scripture, Caesar Augustus played a pivotal role in the account of the birth of the Lord. Unbeknown to Augustus, when he issued a decree mandating that an empire-wide census be taken, he was helping fulfil a prophecy, made about 600 years earlier. The prophet Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, Mic. 5. 2.

What a contrast between Caesar Augustus in his palace and Jesus in the manger. At this juncture of time, which person appeared more like a king? Would you pledge your allegiance to a baby boy who excited some rugged shepherds or would you rather show homage to the ruler of the known world, with his army of thousands, who compelled each person in his dominion to travel to the place of his or her birth to register for a tax initiated by him? On the surface, who appeared to really possess ultimate authority? Certainly, we assume Caesar Augustus.

Was Caesar Augustus aware of the Lord? It is highly unlikely. The date of the Lord’s birth meant that He would be in his teens when Caesar Augustus died in AD 14 but, sadly, Caesar Augustus was to impact our Lord’s life in one other very painful way. It was during his reign that crucifixion was first used extensively to punish Rome’s unwanted.

Tiberius, Augustus’ adopted son, at the age of fifty-five, assumed the role of Caesar after Augustus’ death in AD 14 and reigned until AD 37. He was the Caesar in power when the Pharisees and Herodians sought to entrap our Lord. The Herodians were a Jewish political party who favoured and supported Herod Antipas, the Roman Empire’s ruler over much of the land of the Jews from 4 BC to AD 39. The two groups mentioned above questioned the Lord as to whether or not it was lawful to give tribute unto Caesar. But ‘Jesus perceived their wickedness’, Matt. 22. 18, questioning them about the imprint on a Roman coin, known as a ‘denarius’, that He commanded to be brought to Him. After they identified the image as that of Tiberius Caesar, the Lord declared, ‘Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s’, v. 21.

It was during Tiberius Caesar’s reign that he appointed Pontius Pilate as the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judea. The latter ruled for ten years - from AD 26/27 to AD 36/37. Although Pilate is the best-known Roman governor of Judea, few sources remain concerning his rule. Virtually nothing is known about his life before he became governor of Judea, nor the circumstances that led to his appointment. However, Pilate has become renowned for being the official who presided over the trial of the Lord Jesus.

Pilate proved reluctant during that trial to sentence Him to be crucified. After his interrogation of the Lord, Pilate seemed convinced of His innocence. While he was sitting on the judgement seat, his wife sent word to him, saying, ‘Have … nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him’, Matt. 27. 19. From that juncture onward, Pilate persistently sought to release the Lord. However, the Jews, who were gathered in front of the Roman Praetorium, in essence threatened him by crying out, ‘If you [Pilate] let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar’, John 19. 12 NKJV.

At this point Pilate ordered the Lord to undergo a severe Roman scourging. By doing so, he hoped that the Jewish populace would be moved with pity toward our Lord when Pilate had Him, beaten and bloody, brought out before them to view, v. 14. However, our Lord’s extreme appearance failed to soften the hard-heartedness of the Jewish crowd towards Him. Instead, they coerced Pilate, crying out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!’ The chief priests also shouted, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’ v. 15. Fearing that he might appear to offend Tiberius Caesar, which, in turn, might jeopardize his position as governor, Pilate eventually ordered Jesus to be crucified on Golgotha.

From a human viewpoint, it appeared that the Lord was dying as a weak man at the hands of the strong. However, while Augustus, Tiberius, and the Roman Caesars after them, thought they were building their own empires, often they were simply unwitting and mostly unwilling actors in the establishment of the kingdom of God. The Caesars ruled by conquering lands and subjugating people - many of whom suffered and died. Yet, the Lord Jesus, while undergoing perhaps the cruellest punishment devised for use by the Caesars, conquered sin, death, and the grave by personally suffering and dying. He bore the full weight of God’s wrath and then remarkably rose again to newness of life. He is now glorified, seated on a throne at the right hand of His Father in heaven. At this point, who appears more powerful - these Caesars or the Lord Jesus? Things are not always as they appear on the surface.