Back in May I wrote about Capernaum being a great place for Jesus to set up a base camp for his ministry to the Galilee area. And, recently I realized it was also a perfect time for Jesus to come.
The country was under the control of the Roman military. Roman guard stations were everywhere. Even though the actual military headquarters location was Caesarea (not Philippi) the people didn't have to go far before running into some kind of roman military place. This was because Israel was a border province which meant there was a greater concentration of military posts.
While the roman military is known for being cruel and demanding (taking land, food, etc to serve their own needs) there is an interesting policy of the government that I had never heard of before doing my research. The administrators of the roman government allowed the local authorities of conquered territories a certain amount of independence in running their place. It was the job of the military to ensure the peace of Rome, so when they deemed it necessary they would intervene. Previously, all the other nations that had captured Jerusalem and Israel either scattered the people to the four winds, or took them back to their home country to try to brainwash them.
While many may see the roman occupation as a hindrance that Jesus had to work around, I see it as a tool to get the word out. Let's look at the positive side of this time period. Jesus and the rest of the Jews got to keep their religious practices, rules and regulations as they had for centuries. Roman guards desiring to ensure peace might have stood nearby the large crowds that gathered to hear Jesus speak. Luke 7 let's us know there were some roman guards who understood what Jesus was about and understood what he was saying. They could easily have spread the word when they got home. And who's to say, they might even have spread the word to the people of the next territory to which they were sent.
There's more than one way to get the word out.
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