SEBASTIAN by Derek Henning

Sebastian, a man who was martyred twice, was killed by Diocletian in A.D. 303, upon his refusal to join in the worship of Roman idols. Previous to his martyrdom, Sebastian had been an officer in the emperor’s guard.

Despite all the evil influences of the military, Sebastian remained true to Christ, while he was surrounded by idolatry. He had seen the splendors of life in the emperor’s court, but he refused to involve himself in pagan practices. Upon this blatant refusal, the emperor ordered Sebastian to be shot through with arrows.


When some fellow Christians witnessed his martyrdom, they proceeded to prepare his body for burial. However, they found signs of life in his bleeding body! These Christians moved him to a safe place and nurtured him until his health returned to him. Sebastian planned to go back and confront the emperor, so they prepared him for his “second” martyrdom.

When Sebastian was strong and well, he traveled to a place that he knew the emperor would be passing. As the emperor passed, Sebastian stepped out into the road, confronted the governor, and told the governor how sinful his cruelties toward his people were. The enraged governor ordered Sebastian to be taken to a field outside his palace, be beaten to death, and his body thrown into the sewer. Even though the governor did not want the Christians to get Sebastian’s body, they found a way to extract it from the sewer and bury it in the catacombs.


Are you, as a Christian, willing to suffer persecution as Sebastian was? If Christ has given all for us, is it not right for us to give all for Christ? As the Apostle John wrote in I John 4:19, "We love him, because he first loved us."

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