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7. Jesus Christ’s Message to the Church Leader of the Laodiceans (Revelation 3:14-21)
REVELATION 3:14-21
14 “To the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write: The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Head of God’s creation, says these things: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;’ and don’t know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me. 21 He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
To the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans Write: The risen Lord dictated to John, the elder in Patmos, a shocking, priestly message to the church leader of the Laodiceans. The city of Laodicea was situated on the banks of the river Lycos, in the province of Phrygia. Paul had mentioned its name several times in his Epistle to the Colossians 20 years earlier (Colossians 2:1; 4:13-16).
At that time teachers of Jewish law were trying to put the young church in Laodicea under the yoke of the Mosaic Law, with its food prohibitions, feasts and right of circumcision. A false doctrine had also seeped into the church, instructing believers to communicate with the power of angels. Furthermore, the representatives of Greek philosophy were bringing their Hellenistic ideas into the church, so that Paul and Epaphras were forced to wage a significant prayer battle against these strange spirits. That is why the apostle to the nations testified to the church that Christ is the fullness of wisdom and knowledge, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. After His death of redemption and glorious resurrection, He sat down at the right hand of God. Through His Spirit he takes up residence in all those who wait for Him (Colossians 1:19, 27; 2:3, 9, 14).
After the departure of Paul, the condition of the church in Laodicea grew even worse. The last of Jesus’ seven messages to the Christians in Asia Minor reads like a telegram, a fax, or an urgent edict direct from heaven, wherein the King of Kings lays before the eyes of His apostle in Laodicea a grievous revelation. Yet the letter to the church leader also described the one and only way for him to deliver himself and his church.
These Things Says the Amen: The “Amen”, the “Faithful and true Witness” and the “Beginning of the creation of God” turned to the worldly church leader personally (Revelation 3:14). Jesus introduced Himself as the personified Truth and the valid Guarantee for all the promises of God in the Old and New Testament (2 Corinthians 1:19-20). Jesus was the faithful and true Witness, who did not keep silent before the seventy members of the Sanhedrin about His sitting at the right hand of God His Father (Psalm 110:1), or of His coming as the Judge of the world. He remained faithful to the point of death, even the death of the cross, and sealed on Good Friday with His blood God's reconciliation with the rebellious world (Revelation 1:5).
In Jesus existed no craftiness, artifice, hypocrisy or deceit, such as the case with Allah (Sura 3:54; 8:30). Jesus lived what He said. In Him all the divine blessings to fallen humanity were realized. Jesus is the divine Amen of God amid all His revelations, commandments and blessings (Ephesians 1:3).
Jesus did not teach a philosophy void of the blood and did not propagate hollow speculation; rather, through His resurrection from the dead on Easter morning He revealed the reality of His wonderful presence as God and man. With His visible body He put before our eyes our hope of eternal life. He is the Beginning of the new creation; consequently, He is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).
On the Day of Pentecost, and in fulfillment of their promises, the Father and the Son poured out the Holy Spirit upon a large crowd of praying men and women. Thus, the new Spirit-born creation, which had begun with the birth of Christ, was realized in justified sinners. Jesus is the Origin, the Firstborn and the Head of His church. In His self-introduction, He confirmed Paul’s previous witness to the church of the Laodiceans (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 3:2-11; John 1:3). The glowing love of Jesus in salvation is the only true love. This love also intended to spur the indolent church leader in Laodicea on to a new hope.
I Know Your Works, That you are Neither Cold nor Hot. I Could Wish you Were Cold or Hot: Jesus suffered under the tedious worships of the Laodiceans. He heard only the droning recitation of lukewarm prayers, saw ministries that began but were never completed, and verified neglectful ministration. For the Christians in the city, everything had become more important than the spiritual life of the church. No one argued about questions of faith, and no one was either for or against. Some of the elderly faithful as well as non-committed came to the services, but nobody was zealous. The devil left this church in peace, for she had fallen fast asleep. It offered no threat to him. Everyone was filled up and satisfied. The paved way of moderation and compromise, as well as the majority’s agreement to remain complacent, signified the beginning of the end, the last step before the fall. The church had grown foul, and hadn't even noticed that she was staggering on toward God’s judgment.
Jesus’ call, “I could wish you were cold or hot” should have awakened the minister and his church. Actions are the language of the soul. Jesus would have preferred even an ice-cold, repugnant and offensive church to a lukewarm, multicultural, and indifferent one. Lack of gratitude toward the sacrifice of the Lamb of God is even worse than rejecting it!
Jesus expects from us boiling-hot love. Yet, He does not speak about boiled churches and preachers. Whoever hears the whistling of boiling water and tests its temperature knows that, in spite of its continuously being heating, a steady temperature of 100 ˚ C remains, for the water is continually being charged with power. In the same manner, our souls need to be charged with the power of God, so that we may serve Jesus continually and radiate the light of His love in a loveless world. Then He can say to us in the end, “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).
Jesus expects from every church leader, as well as from you, an open and honest stand. He compels no one to accept or reject His grace, just as He does not compel us to burn for Him. He does, however, await your decision. You, too, can choose to be plugged into the eternal power supply of His fullness!
So Then, Because you are Lukewarm, and Neither Cold nor Hot, I Will Vomit you out of My Mouth: Our Lord Jesus is nauseated by a believer totally indifferent to everything, living in complacency, replete with boredom of life, having neither like or dislike for anyone. In His compassion Jesus touched a leper and healed him; but He would vomit a lukewarm minister out of His mouth. The Lord did not speak about a short bout of spitting up, but about a provoked and powerful vomiting. The sluggish, tepid water in His mouth became unbearable in the course of time. Spiritually understood, this vomiting out of the Lord’s mouth signified that He could no longer take the name of this disinterested church leader in His mouth or ever again mention him before His Father in heaven.
Jesus had begun His previous messages to the six preachers with words of warning, repentance, or encouragement when describing the condition of each individual church. He also commended their many services and endurance. But in Laodicea He speaks differently. Here we see and hear the flaming rage of the Lamb of God speaking in threatening ultimatum. Logic and encouragement could no longer help this pastor, but only shock.
Jesus’ flaming wrath constituted the last hope for this wasting- away preacher. He had dictated to His apostle the statement, “I have against you” four times until now – even when some things in the churches were in order. But in Laodicea he devastatingly dictated: “You are loathsome, you disgust Me”. This was the height of His condemnation.
Jesus was honest and told the church minister the truth; yet He was still wrestling on behalf of the self-complacent and self-satisfied one. He had not yet vomited him out of His mouth, but endured with him for a short time, hoping that he might still repent immediately and completely.
You say, “I am Rich, Have Become Wealthy, and Have Need of Nothing” -- and do not Know That you are Wretched, Miserable, Poor, Blind, and Naked: After the strong threat, Jesus explained to the man in Laodicea all of his misery. The church leader was well off and respected in the city. He purchased his people by paying bribes or presents without compunction. Everyone respected him and submitted to him. He was self-complacent like the rich man whose ground yielded plentifully (Luke 12:19).
The preacher probably thought within himself: “I have a secure base for the future. The church will not suffer any trouble. I scan co-finance her along the side”. The man did not notice how he stole his Lord’s truth, glory and thankfulness. He did not recognize that all his achievement, strength, wealth, success, health and dignity were, ultimately, blessings of God. He was undoubtedly rich in money and gold, but poor in spirit and love. Everything revolved around his successful ego. He boasted of a success that was all too visible in his beautiful dress, vehicles and houses. He gladly talked about the build up of his business and smugly analyzed his success. There was little to hear regarding gratitude to God. Self-complacency, in fact, signifies a rebellion against the Lord. He may have thought sub-consciously: “All this I have done by myself. I do not need a savior, a deliverer or a helper. I already own paradise on earth. I can take a vacation, travel, and see with shudder the misery of other peoples –and all so soon forget!”
This minister was the prototype for many believers in our modern, wealthy society. They belong neither to the bitterly poor nor to the very rich. They have enough for living and enough for vacationing: warm water, electricity and paved streets ease their lives. They have everything they need, yet their lives are empty and superficial. Nothing more can quickly upset them. They are satisfied and content.
Jesus told about the rich man and poor Lazarus, who was laid before his door. The rich man reflects the picture of the church leader in Laodicea and many believers in modern society. An all-to-late penitence was the result of his awakening in torment and suffering in hell.
Jesus loved the indifferent, wealthy preacher, even though He felt disgust for him and wanted to vomit him out of His mouth. He placed before the man's eyes his deplorable condition and revealed to him his hidden diseases. Jesus had not a word of praise for him, but only pity. To be sure, the minister was still an ambassador of Jesus Christ, but he had criminally neglected his spiritual life. In the Lord’s eyes he was a pitiable figure. His misery revealed itself in three ways:
- He was inwardly and spiritually vegetating in empty space. He no longer possessed any divine power. He had lost his missionary worldview. His business and success engrossed his attention. His subconscious was filled with numbers, projects and accounts. Heavenly perspectives had atrophied in him. He had become spiritually poor.
- He was also spiritually blind and could not see God’s holiness and love. That is why he did not recognize his sinfulness or wretchedness. He failed to perceive that he was standing near the end of his life, but kept dreaming, “I know all there is to know and everything is in my hand”. He thought he had a good overview of things surrounding him, yet he had become spiritually blind.
Ministers of other churches in Asia Minor may well have felt sorry for him. They were poor in regards to money and had little influence in their societies, but they were rich in God. They repented of their negligence. But he thought: “I do not need to repent as they do”. Many successful people today live from heart medications and are always demanding new forms of treatment. Their agenda calendars pursue them so that they find no inner rest. They are in danger of becoming impoverished in God and spiritually blind. Jesus gave them something to consider: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26). - Jesus finally made clear to the straying preacher in Laodicea that He had seen through him, and that he was standing naked before God and men. Some may have laughed at this spiritual failure, who boasted haughtily and flaunted his possessions and influence. His spiritual bankruptcy and the discrepancy between his pretentions and the reality concerning him had become obvious. He thought he was something, but deploring and sarcastic smiles began to appear over him. He said he could see, yet he could see nothing. Whoever thinks he would know everything about God and the world is, in fact, very limited. Unless the Lord opens our eyes, we remain spiritually blind; and unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).
I Counsel you to Buy From Me Gold, and White Garments, and Anoint Your Eyes with Eye Salve: Jesus spoke to the merchant like a merchant. He did not abruptly order him to repent or to change his mind, but suggested with all kindness, in the language of a merchant, that he, of his own mind, decide to obtain the first-class goods of heaven, which alone have eternal value. Jesus gave the haughty rich man one last chance. He struggled for the satiated, self-complacent preacher as if he were his own brother.
It was discovered at the divine inventory that the minister’s shelves and bank accounts were empty. No spiritual gold or anything of eternal value remained in his coffers. The preacher had to recognize that his earthly riches had no value in heaven. In an act of the will, he needed to lay aside the scales he had been using to measure worth and take up the divine measure.
Jesus advised the enterprising minister to buy from Him gold refined in the fire. At that time Laodicea was known for producing pure gold that had been refined in fire. Perhaps the one being addressed had even obtained his money from producing gold. Jesus hit the target when he suggested to him to buy from Him better gold. Jesus’ gold is His salvation, refined in the fire of God’s wrath. This gold cannot be obtained with money, but is freely given by grace, for no one is in a position to come up with the priceless equivalent. Our justification by grace, the remission of all our sins, and the purification of our consciences arise only through faith in the Lamb of God, in His sufferings and in His atoning death. We were not redeemed with gold or silver but with the sufferings and death of the just Son of God. This is the only currency that has value in heaven. The merchant had to learn to rethink his views and reappraise all his values. He needed to thank Jesus for His priceless gift (1 Peter 1:18-19).
In Islam, we find that a Muslim has to pay an expensive price for a vague hope of obtaining a place in paradise. Prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, charities and bloodshed in the holy war are the means of payment (Suras Fatir 35:29-30; al-Tawba 9:111). But he who offers these sacrifices never knows whether his works are sufficient enough to counter his many sins. He does not own any heavenly gold that would have been given him freely. A Muslim rejects any substitution in judgment, the reality of the Son of God, and salvation by grace. That is why they remain sinners, spiritually poor, and troubled from within.
Jesus commanded John to write to the enterprising minister in Laodicea that he should buy from Him snow-white garments and dress himself in them, that the shame of his nakedness might be covered. In addition to the production of gold, Laodicea had also established a significant textile industry, specialized in producing black fabrics. Official dress, robes and uniforms were made of these fine fabrics. Executives and officials had to represent their offices stately. The merchant- preacher might have traded in these fabrics and acquired for himself material to have some suits measured. Yet, Jesus encouraged him to put off this earthly glory and craving for office and put on white garments from heaven. These garments testify of the purity of Him who gives them freely, as the song says: The blood of Jesus is my adornment, His righteousness my holiness. I would not enter heaven if I did not receive them.
In the Middle East those sentenced to death were often stripped of their clothing so that they might appear naked and despised. The Son of God also suffered this punishment in our place. Since then His followers are no longer condemned in nakedness, but declared innocent in garments of honor. Those who were acquitted in Asia Minor could leave the courtroom dressed in white, as a sign of their innocence. Jesus summoned the preacher to take off his traditional black uniform and throw it away. He was to dress in white as an indication of his justification. He had to confess that clothes, money and the glory of men have no value before God. The cleansing of our hearts by the blood of Christ is indispensable for our acceptance by God.
In His priestly words to the worldly church leader, Jesus went further and advised him to buy eye salve from the heavenly Doctor, so that he might see again clearly. That was the last arrow of God’s love, intended to penetrate deep into the minister's heart. The city of Laodicea developed a well-known eye salve that was sold in many countries. In the Far East there are many eye diseases and hundreds of thousands of blind people because of dust, insufficient hygiene, and inbreeding in marriage. The preacher probably traded in this famous eye salve and profited well from it. Now Jesus said to him: “Come to Me and try out my eye salve. You can have it without charge. Come to Me at last so that you may not continue stumbling blind through life, but have your eyes opened to know me. Then you will be in a position to see yourself and your surroundings, as God sees them.” The eye salve that Jesus offers freely is the Holy Spirit, for no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by Him (1 Corinthians 12:3). To receive the Spirit signifies anointment, without which no Christian is a Christian. Jesus himself said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor” (Luke 4:18). The church leader needed to repeat and confess these words of Jesus. By so doing he could fulfill his office in the authority of his anointing.
Jesus wrote to this man: “You are blind. Many think they can see but are spiritually blind.” Blessed is he that says: “I was blind and now I see, for Jesus opened the eyes of my heart.” By that we know the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten. Therefore be Zealous and Repent: With these words Jesus changed the tone and style of His spiritual council to the straying son. He no longer spoke as the angry Son of God or as the clever merchant, but as a compassionate Father.
Jesus indirectly confirmed to the church leader: “I, the Lord, love you.” By that He spoke neither of a philosophical love nor of a carnal love, but about a sacrificial love in the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ love as Savior prompted Him to gradually intensify the manner of His training method. He desired to say and do everything in order to bring His messenger to reflection and repentance.
After Jesus had assured him of His loving goodwill, He passed on to a sincere censure. Only he is a reliable friend who uncovers the infirmities and sins of others while still finding comforting words of love. We must label injustice as injustice and confess it. Jesus’ admonition to the church leader in Laodicea was both severe and friendly at the same time. He wanted to lead him to spiritual obedience. The minister’s own stubborn will needed overcoming. Faithful obedience is the way to life.
If the man in Laodicea was not willing to hear, he should feel the divine punishment. Jesus is then compelled to crush his bright projects, securities and hopes. The church leader had to start thinking spiritually. Unless he did that, Jesus had but two possibilities: either to discipline him or to vomit him up. Where words are no longer effective, afflictions must follow. Many humanists and modern educators do not like the thought of parents or legal guardians spanking. But Jesus, in flaming rage, preferred to punish rather than to let His guilty messenger perish for all time. That was the treatment prescribed by our holy Lord. Because of His love for him, He threatened to discipline him, in the event he didn't turn around.
Many parents hardly possess a loving authority, so that they only admonish their children with lukewarm words. They do not have the spiritual authority needed to punish their children in wisdom and proper measure. Children often expect a fair punishment for they know they deserve it.
Jesus encouraged the pastor of Laodicea to “Repent, change your mind, change the course of your thoughts. Let Me inspire you and do not let thoughts of power and domination control your life.” True repentance comes through Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit. We should not just regret our sins emotionally and for a short time only, but declare a holy war against the evil tendencies in us. At the beginning of his Reformation thesis Luther wrote that “the life of a Christian must be one of continuous repentance”.
Jesus hoped that the business zeal of the preacher in Laodecia would be exchanged for a spiritual zeal. Bargain hunting and financial accounting were not to prevail over him, but seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). He was no longer to be lukewarm, indifferent, bored or unconcerned while practicing his spiritual service on the sidelines; rather, with the boiling heat of the Holy Spirit and the fullness of His power he was to do everything to see that every member of his church was saved and sanctified. Rotten compromises had to disappear from his life. Jesus stood before him as a Savior who judges and as a faithful Redeemer.
PRAYER: Patient Holy One, humbly and bowing down we give thanks to You because in Your abundant patience You diagnosed the rich, proud, but spiritually blind and poor minister, and You commanded him to repent immediately and return although You were disgusted by him. Be merciful to us, who boast of our self-righteousness, that we may recognize that there is no righteousness in this world except in You.
QUESTION:
- What method did Jesus use to win the rich, but spiritually poor, minister?