Read
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Philippians 2:3
Reflect
On the night of July 18, A.D. 64, a fire broke out in Rome.
The summer air was warm and windy, and the flames began in an area near the Circus Maximus where shops were filled with combustible goods. The fire spread quickly through the city’s narrow streets. As people fled, some reportedly hindered efforts to stop the flames, while others were seen throwing torches into buildings that had not yet caught fire. Whether they were acting under orders or simply exploiting the chaos remains uncertain.
By the time the fire was finally extinguished, most of Rome had been damaged or destroyed.
Today, we commonly associate the disaster with the phrase, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” History tells us there are several problems with that statement.
For one thing, fiddles had not yet been invented. The ancient accusation was that Nero sang about the fall of Troy while Rome burned, perhaps accompanying himself on a lyre. Even that was reported as rumor rather than established fact.
Nero was also about 35 miles away in Antium when the fire began. After returning to Rome, he opened public spaces and his own gardens to displaced residents, arranged temporary shelters and brought in food at reduced prices.
So the familiar picture of Nero casually making music while ignoring the suffering around him is probably not historically accurate.
But the image has endured because it captures something that was true about him.
Nero’s reign was marked by vanity, cruelty and unchecked self-interest. He was responsible for or implicated in the deaths of several people closest to him, including his stepbrother, his mother and his wife. Although rumors accused him of starting the Great Fire, there is no convincing evidence that he did. What is clear is that he used the aftermath to build an enormous new palace complex and blamed Rome’s Christians for the disaster.
According to the Roman historian Tacitus, Christians were arrested and subjected to horrific punishments.
Perhaps Nero was confounded by the faith of the people he persecuted. Their Savior represented almost everything his life denied.
Nero wanted to be treated as a god. Jesus was God, yet He did not use His status for His own advantage. Nero used people to protect and glorify himself. Jesus humbled Himself, took the form of a servant and gave His life to save others.
The contrast could hardly be greater.
Nero’s name became a lasting symbol of leadership corrupted by selfish ambition. The name of Jesus spread around the world because He chose humility, obedience and sacrificial love.
What can we take away from this in our daily lives?
Most of us reading this may never face persecution resembling what Christians endured under Nero. Yet all of us will face moments when our words and actions reveal whether our faith is genuine.
Nero reportedly believed that hidden talent counted for nothing. He craved an audience and wanted his abilities to be seen and praised. Faith, however, was never intended to become a performance. We do not serve others so that people will admire our goodness.
But neither should genuine faith remain invisible.
Real faith reveals itself naturally through humility, love and service. It leads us to follow both the example of Christ and the words of Paul:
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
Scripture does not condemn every ambition, pleasure or personal benefit. But it does challenge motives that place our advancement above the welfare of others. Philippians does not tell us to ignore every legitimate need of our own. It tells us not to treat our needs as the only ones that matter.
Rome burned while its emperor remained consumed with his own glory. The world around us may be burning in less literal ways through loneliness, poverty, grief, conflict and fear. The question is whether we will remain absorbed in ourselves or notice the people standing in the flames.
Nero sought glory by elevating himself. Jesus revealed glory by lowering Himself.
If Christ truly shapes us, our faith will not be a performance designed to draw attention to ourselves. It will be visible in the way we serve, listen, give and place the good of others ahead of selfish ambition.
We cannot put out every fire.
But we must not stand nearby, fiddling with our own desires while someone else burns.
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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
