The story starts with Paul, a disciple of Jesus who was preaching in Iconium. Thecla overhears Paul’s preaching. She can hear him from a window in her mother’s house. She is so captivated by what he says that she does not leave her window seat for three days. Her fiancé and mother urge her to stop listening, but she refuses. Thecla decides that what she hears is the truth, so she decides that she isn’t going to marry and that she wants to give her life to serving God.
So, her prosperous influencer of a fiancé, Thamyris, starts a riot and has Paul brought before the Governor, who throws Paul into jail. Being jailed does not stop Thecla from visiting with Paul. She wants to learn everything, so she bribes a few guards to get caught. Paul gets beaten and banished from the city, and Thecla is punished with being burned at the stake.
Check this out! Thecla’s MOM is the one demanding she gets put to death. Her mom is like I will be the one to send the message that no woman will follow Paul or the God he serves. Great parenting, not really.
So, get this: Thecla is stripped naked and tied to the stake in the center of the city for everyone to see. They set the wood pile underneath her on fire. God sends a rain as the wood burns and puts the fire out. They release her; in her persistence to know the God that Paul serves, she sets out to find him. She finds him praying for her. Thecla asks Paul to baptize her, and the dude refuses. Paul’s like nope, you’re not ready. He gives her the go-ahead to travel with him to preach the Gospel.
As they travel, a guy named Alexander falls in love with Thecla and asks Paul to marry her. Paul is like Bro; you can have her. She’s not mine. Thecla denies Alexander, especially after he asserts himself against her. Supernatural strength comes on her, and she knocks him down, takes his cloak and crown, and escapes. But Alexander isn’t having the embarrassment of getting his butt kicked by a chick and brings her before the Governor and has her charged with a violation of the treatment of a sacred object, and she gets sentenced to death.
Mind you, there is a mob of women protesting outside the courthouse. A rich woman who happens to be married to the Governor comes on and hosts Thecla in her home- she keeps her safe until the day of her execution. The day of her execution comes, and she is taken to the stadium to be killed by beasts. An arena filled with the women who support her and with the beast tasked to kill her. Bears and lions. It is said that a single lioness protected her- the lioness fights off the bears and lions killing the most prominent male lion but is killed herself. The Courage of a lioness saved Thecla.
Alexander, being angry and bitter, throws more beasts into the arena. Thecla lifts her hands to the heavens in prayer, then leaps into a pool of seals in the arena and baptizes herself, proclaiming, “in the name of Jesus Christ I baptize myself on the last day!”
Lightning comes down from heaven, killing the sea lions. The Governor comes to his senses and recognizes that God is protecting Thecla and releases her from the punishment Alexander bestowed upon her.
All the women in the arena rejoice and follow Thecla back to Tryphaenas (the Governor’s wife), who kept her safe house. Thecla preaches the Gospel to the ladies, and off she searches for Paul. She tells him of all God did for her and her baptizing herself. He gave her the authority to preach the Gospel.
She spent the rest of her life devoted in strict discipline to a life of prayer.
Phew, what a life! Today, I was ministering to someone, and they called me Pastor Badass! It made me smile, but as I write this, Thecla was a real Badass. I would say that Thecla had the Courage to rewrite her life story. Because of her Courage, she witnessed miracles, signs, and wonders. Because of her Courage, she ministered to people who were not worthy of ministering at the time. Her persistence opened doors for women to minister.
Coach Tracy
thecouragegym.com