LAODICEA: “DON’T MAKE ME SICK!”
My mom used to always say when we were travelling through Saskatchewan, “Don’t drink the water. It’ll make you sick.” Must have been from experience. To this day, I’m leery of drinking water in Saskatchewan.
I never knew if the water in Saskatchewan was or is as bad as mom said it was. But my own experience of Steinbach water was another story. Back in my college days, the water was really bad. If you drank it straight from the tap at room temperature, it was awful. It tasted metallic. You could smell the iron in it before you put to your mouth. Hot or cold it was okay. It turned blonde hair red. If you saved water in a bottle in the dorm fridge you could see floaties dancing in it. It was so gross, you had to be thirsty, or you would spit it out.
Jesus takes this image of unpalatable water and drives home his point about spiritual lukewarmness. You can taste it now, can’t you? The church at Laodicea was in the worst condition of the seven churches, worse than Sardis. Jesus said they were “poor, blind, and naked,” but worse than this was the really grievous reality that they didn’t realize it. They thought they were pretty good Christians, but Jesus said they were lukewarm.
Someone once did a survey of his church and asked them, on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 meaning cold-hearted towards God and 10 being “on fire for God,” what number you would say you are? He said that most of his people in his church answered mostly in the 4 to 6 range. You know, average. What number would you put yourself at? I might have said 7 or 8. After reading and studying Revelation 3:14-22, I realized Jesus has something to say about anything less than 10: YOU’RE LUKEWARM, he says!!
Maybe you’re better than 6; maybe you’re reaching for 7 or 8 with me…BUT DON’T YOU WANT TO BE 10?? Don’t you want to be ON FIRE for Jesus? I’m starting to pray, “Jesus, make me a 10 on the fire scale!”
The Church of Laodicea (3:14)
Laodicea was the wealthiest city in the region. It was so wealthy that following a devastating earthquake, they rebuilt the city with their own funds and even helped other cities rebuild. Their wealth came from a vibrant black wool industry that produced clothing and a medical school famous for an eye ointment that cured various eye diseases.
It is unknown whether Paul ever visited Laodicea. Some said that his associate, Epaphras, preached the gospel and established a church in the city. Paul does mention Laodicea in his letter to the Colossians (2:1), a letter he encouraged the Laodiceans to read as well.
"And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read the letter from Laodicea," 4:16
He even wrote a letter to Laodicea and wanted that one read in Colossae.
Laodicea was situated in the Lycus valley, 6 miles from Hierapolis and 12 miles from Colossae.
Though firmly established on a well-travelled road, they had no access to water. They had to pipe it in over a Roman-style aqueduct from other cities. They piped in hot water from Hierapolis, which was fine if it stayed hot (otherwise it was full of calcium carbonate), and cold water from Colossae (if it stayed cold).
To the church at Laodicea, Jesus identifies himself as “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.” Why “the Amen”? What do we mean by “Amen”? Amen is the biblical way of saying, “Yes! I agree! By all means! So be it!” When we hear the Word of God, we should say Amen. When a testimony of God’s faithfulness is shared, we should say Amen. Jesus is the Amen of God – he is the “Yes” of God, the promise of God fulfilled. If God said it, Jesus is the Amen.
Jesus also says he is the beginning of God’s creation. Not that he was the first one created – that’s not what it means – but that he is the origin of creation
"All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made," John 1:3
Why does this matter to the church at Laodicea?
Jesus identifies the problem at Laodicea as moral and religious indifference to the things of God and godliness. His picture is graphic. “You are neither hot nor cold and I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.” Not just spit, vomit!
It is often misunderstood that “hot” equals “zealous, lively, passionate, and hardworking,” while “cold” refers to “lifeless, unregenerate pagans devoid of spiritual life.” But there is problem with this: Why would Jesus want people to be coldly unbelieving rather than backslidden in faith?
More likely, Jesus does not refer to hot and cold as a spiritual temperature or religious mood of the believer or unbeliever. Rather, the word “hot” refers to the well-known medicinal waters of Hierapolis whose springs reach 95 degrees. The word “cold” recalls the refreshing waters of Colossae. So, what Jesus means by hot and cold is not spiritual temperature; he rebukes them for their useless works. The church should be providing healing for the spiritually sick (hot water) or refreshment for the spiritually weary (cold water). But they are lukewarm; their works are useless to anyone.
This is why Jesus says, “You make me sick!” What a rebuke! I know it’s harsh but think of what Jesus sees in Laodicea: “When I look upon your zeal, your indifference toward the needs of others, and your blasé response to my beauty, I feel like a man who has drunk room-temperature Steinbach water!”
This is a scary place to be now, isn’t it? Are you thinking back to that survey and worrying about your answer (1-10)? Jesus told the church, “I know your works.” Not, “I know your feelings.” Feelings are not bad, but if we “feel” close to God, but that spirituality you feel you have doesn’t produce fruit – good works, evidence of faith – what is that worth?
Consider the parable of the talents in Matthew 2514-30: a master gives his three servants various amounts of money. Two servants invest the money in some kind of business ventures and double their investment. The third servant buries his money, doesn’t even put it in the bank to earn interest. He does nothing with it. The master returns and is furious. He wasn’t angry because the slave did something bad, but because he did nothing at all with this trust. The money in the parable could represent “faith.” Faith has been entrusted to us, to believe in God’s Son, and what are we doing with that trust?
What Causes a Church to Become Lukewarm? (3:17-18)
For Laodicea, the issue was a misguided self-awareness. The church itself thought it was in good condition. Why were they so blind to their true condition – lukewarmness?
There was a common belief in the OT and in the first century as well that one’s spiritual health was indicated by their economic prosperity. How many times did Jesus turn that misconception on its head? Even in these letters to the seven churches we see the opposite to be true. Smyrna was fiscally poor while being spiritually rich. Laodicea was a prosperous church while being spiritually lukewarm.
Jesus puts this contrast in personally stark terms: (see and underline 17). The “poor, blind, and naked” reality of the Laodiceans is then set against the counsel of Jesus – this is what you need to do, he says (see and highlight 18). Despite their wealth, they were beggars! Despite their famous eye cream, they were blind! Despite their nice clothing factories, they were naked! Jesus says to get the real stuff from him:
Gold refined by fire – gold with the impurities burned away; this is a metaphor for purifying one’s life, for taking faith and making it real and active.
"...so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is texted by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ," 1 Peter 1:7.
White garments – also a symbol of purity but speaks further to a ministry of service to the Lord.
Salve to anoint your eyes – what the Laodiceans needed was a renewed sight, spiritual discernment to see what was really important in the kingdom of God.
What it boiled down to for this church, for any church including us, is that spiritual lukewarmness is being smug, complacent, and satisfied with the spiritual status quo. We can becomes so satisfied with where we are at that we don’t press on in the faith. To be lukewarm is to live as if what you presently know and are experiencing in the Christian life is good enough; it is to be self-deluded into thinking you’ve got Jesus figured out; it is to think there is nothing more to know about God. Are we satisfied? Are we content? Or do you believe there is more to following after Christ that we have not yet begun to experience?
Jesus counsels us that true spiritual wealth has nothing to do with our bank accounts or successes. We are impoverished if we think that. He says we need to buy the good stuff, the real gold. There is a paradox here: How do poor people like us buy the costly gold of heaven? You do so with the only currency that counts before God: Need. The cost is desperation. To so desperately desire God and realizing we have nothing to trade for it.
"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he has no money, come, buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without price..." Isaiah 55:1-3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven..." Mt. 5:3
Knock, Knock. Who’s There? – Jesus (3:19-20)
Jesus stands at the door knocking. Many evangelists have used this verse as an invitation to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. That’s okay. But look at the context. Jesus is talking to a church. What’s really absurd is that Jesus is outside the church door and knocking to come in – he should be in already.
In Solomon’s Song in the OT, there is a stanza that caught me this week. It fits this picture of Jesus standing outside knocking.
"My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me. I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer," Song of Solomon 5:4-6
Imagine a groom on his honeymoon night coming to the room of his bride and finding the door locked. Okay. So, he knocks and coos a few inviting words. No answer. The bride is looking a People magazine and gazing longingly at Alan Ritchson (I don’t know). Suddenly she realizes that her groom is at the door and runs to let him in, but it is too late, he’s gone down to the hotel lobby to reconsider this marriage. That’s the picture Solomon paints; that’s what the self-sufficient church is doing to Jesus. There is no rushing to the door to let him in; there’s no desire for the bridegroom; there’s no searching for him. And if the church isn’t careful, Jesus won’t linger at the door.
But Jesus says, if we do open the door, he will come in and eat with us. The Greeks had three meals (as we do). The first, breakfast, was no more than a piece of dried bread dipped in wine. The second was a midday meal that a person took with them to work or the agora; a simple picnic snack eaten wherever convenient. But the evening meal, that was special; the main meal of the day; people lingered over it. The day’s work was done; it was not rushed, but a shared time of relating the day’s events and listening to each other. Jesus wants to come in and linger with us. In some sense, the Lord’s Supper is a meal like this. That’s why we call it communion. It is not to be rushed; it’s about relationship; it’s about sitting with Jesus and enjoying him and he us.
Do we hear what the Spirit is saying? (3:21-22)
Every letter to the Seven Churches concludes with these words. He who has an ear…This saying does two things.
First, it makes the letter personal. It says to each of us “consider this,” and “this means you.” The challenge is not meant to be thought of as, “Do you know who really needs to hear this?” No, it’s for you! These are some harsh words from Jesus, and they hit us right between the eyes. But that’s just it, I’m not saying these tough things, Jesus is, and he’s the Lord of every believer. This is meant for you and for me.
Second, while it makes it personal, it also universalizes the message. These letters and their challenges were not just for seven churches in Asia Minor, 2000 years ago. Every church that wants to hear what the Spirit is saying needs to listen as if Jesus were speaking these words right now, right here. These letters still speak to us through the Spirit that inspired John to record them in his context. Just as Jesus is the Lord of every believer, he is the Lord of RFC. He has the right to wake us up if we are sleeping; he has the authority to kick our butts if we need it. I don’t know where these words land every Sunday – that’s the Spirit’s work – but I do know that we need to hear what he is saying.
If we are listening to the Spirit, what is he saying to each of us and to all of us as a church? Is Jesus standing outside the door and wanting to come in and do something amazing amongst us? Are we willing to say, “Go for it Lord!”?
If we took the test today, that survey that I mentioned in the beginning, what number out of ten would you give yourself? Maybe that doesn’t matter. Whatever number it is, we should want ten. Or shoot for 12 out of 10. What we need to pray for is that each of us would be on fire for Jesus. Hot and healing or Cold and refreshing.
AMEN
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