Laodicea

Sideroads:
1) I have heard it said in the past, back around 1975, that this church has much in common with the church in the United Status today. I think that it is true, and even more true today than back then. Of the messages to the churches in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, this one we need to listen to very carefully. And it is increasingly the message for the entire developed world: western Europe, the United States, Canada, the rich nations of Arabia (like Kuwait, UAE, etc.). But from some of the things said, we can see that it is addressed to the supposed believers of the time, those who identified with the church or said that they were His people. In addition, it gives an idea of how the whole culture needs to be approached because the entire culture is affected by these same things – in fact, this shows that Jesus knew ahead that His church would be affected greatly by the culture of the times in which they lived, and this one fits well with the age in which we live and in which we have been living for almost the past 75 years.
2) It is interesting that He mentions eyesalve. It is frequently noted that Laodicea had a prominent business of producing a salve for the eyes that was reknowned in its day. Is it coincidence or another evidence of the prophetic accuracy of our Lord that this message also hits the mark because we increasingly see the ability to improve our eyesight, even without the use of glasses, and to prevent vision loss from various diseases that were previously devastating to our sight? We have spectacles for anybody, contacts for most, LASIK and other refractive surgeries for those who really want to become contact and spectacle free, and now we even have intraocular lenses that work like bifocals available at the time of cataract surgery. Amazing. We have injections to delay and frequently stop the forces which take vision from those with diabetes and macular degeneration. But none will ever be greater than Jesus healing the sight of many people during His time on earth, with a word, with a touch; including the man in John 9 for whom He healed the well-set vision-robbing forces of his previously occurring amblyopia, probably caused by cataracts, but at least by severe refractive error (severe myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism).
3) It is so easy to look at this passage and think that it is for them: those who lived in Laodicea at the time of its writing; the unbelievers of our own era; the nominal Christians of our time, who go to church but don’t believe in a risen Christ who is God in the flesh, now ruling over all with the Father – or who believe in Christ but don’t go to church. But it is written to us as well. And if we, who have been molded by our own times (after all, we also wear contacts and get LASIK done. We have houses and cars, computers and IPODs, cell phones and text messaging too.) And so, we have a tendency to think that we are rich, well-off, and have need of nothing. But we, like them, are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked - spiritually. At the very least, we should be like Daniel, who righteous as he was, identified himself with the sins of his generation, and even with the generations that went before him.
4) Isn’t it interesting how God found seven churches which addressed the world, and even further, the world down through the ages – and all of them were located in Asia Minor in the first century. That says that the more things change, the more they stay the same. That says that God was right in Ecclesiastes. It says that “history repeats itself” has some merit. And it says that Asia Minor was a society of amazingly variety. Finally, it shows how omniscient God is, that he knew and “found” the example churches that let Him talk both to them in their day, and to the church in various times in various places.
5) Lastly, I note that the author of this passage is both the Spirit (vs 22) and Jesus (vs 14).


Discussion of the verses:
1) v 15, 16: I know your deeds (omniscience). You are neither cold nor hot (you don’t care about having a relationship with Me. It’s like I don’t exist. You don’t love Me – else you would give Me attention. But you won’t even give Me the attention of being “cold”. It’s like My “church” doesn’t need Me or connection to Me, the One by whose name it and they are called.
2) Because they are neither cold nor hot, because they are apathetic and couldn’t care less, He will reject them (spit or vomit them out of His mouth) like lukewarm water.
3) When in v 17 He quotes them as asserting that they are rich and wealthy and have need of nothing, it is a comparison with the verses above (15, 16) – they (we) think that we don’t need Him; that we don’t have needs that we cannot meet with / by our own smarts, strength, will, and money. We can exist on our own – without God; without God’s help.
The corollary is that which follows: “you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” They (we) don’t see that we are sinners, that we are sad and lonely, that our depression stems from not getting our needs met by going to Him with humble hearts that respectfully ask for Him to meet our needs. We don’t see how poor we really are; that we are blind and naked. Our eyesalve is not taking care of it – we need His. We need sight that only He can give.
4) So in v 18 He gives another corollary: He gives us wise advise: buy from Him (reminiscent of the start of Isaiah 55). Buy gold refined by fire (expensive, where will we get the money – it’s free, by grace) that we may become truly rich. Buy white garments (we can’t afford these either, nor can we make them) that you may be clothed and not be naked. And finally, that we buy His eyesalve, that we may see (because we are obviously blind to our need and to the fact that He is the only One who can meet all of our needs (some directly, some indirectly).
5) We might easily disbelieve or even take offense at verse 19. But Jesus is gentle in v 19 to say: “I love you”. But He does it in a kind of back-handed way: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent. This is reminiscent of Hebrews 12:3-11, taken in part from Proverbs 3:11, 12. ¨For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ¨My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.¨ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.¨ In the same way, in Revelation 3, church after church receives the discipline of the Lord, including (or especially) the church in Laodicea. And it is all meant for their good.
6) Verse 20 is probably the most famous verse of the first three chapters of Revelation: ¨Behold, I stand at the door and knock; If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.¨ In the Greek it reads, ιδοὐ ἐστηκα επἰ τἠν θὐραν καἰ κροὐω εἀν τις ακοὐση τἠς φωνἠς μου καἰ ανοἰξη τἠν θὐραν, εισελεὐσομαι πρὀς αυτὀν καἰ δειπνἠσω μετ' αυτοὐ καἰ αυτὀς μετ' εμοὐ. The wording translates from εισελεὐσομαι πρὀς αυτὀν, 'I will come in to him'. It is significant in several ways: a) it indicates that most or all of this church were not well-connected to Christ; b) it shows that Christ is continually seeking to connect with them (us); c) it demonstrates that each of us individually has a need and responsibility to answer the knock of Christ - that He does not force His way into anyone's heart - we must open up to Him if we want to connect with Him, converse with Him, relate to or have a relationship with Him.
7) Verse 21, as with the other churches, talks about overcoming. Overcoming what? The barriers to relationship with and approval from God through Jesus Christ. In the case of Laodicea, the challenge is to realize there desperate spiritually poor condition and hear His knock, and open the door to receive His help. In another sense, it is to understand their plight and to buy from iJesus gold, white (unsoiled, clean, pure) garments, and eyesalve (so that they might see). It strikes me as strange that He says that they (we) should buy gold from Him. If we aren't rich, how are we to buy this gold. The gracious answer is again seen in Isaiah 55 - "You who have no money come, buy, and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." In that there is an emphasis on grace here, this must have been (must be) a church which was getting away from God's grace and our need for His grace.
8) The reward, as with the other churches, is salvation. He is writing with promise of salvation and rewards. It appears that several of the churches are addressed as if the "reward" is their salvation - as if their connection to the Lord by faith is not fully established yet. They may be in the church (physically) but not yet in it (spiritually).
9) Verse 22 has the familiar "heads up", He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. which is said to each of the churches and is reminiscent of what Jesus said frequently while on earth, along with His, "Verily, verily" or "Truly, truly" (or in Aramaic/Hebrew - "Amen, amen" or "Faithful, faithful") and His "He who has an ear, let Him hear." So we have it confirmed that it really is Jesus who is speaking here.

Since the order of arrangement of the churches places Laodicea last, we may well wonder what's next? Is Christ's return imminent? It certainly makes sense and we should not be surprised if we see other signs of His soon return to become evident.