 |
| Image sources: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laodicea_on_the_Lycus & https://believehim.org/church-of-ephesus/#more-823 |
The Message to Laodicea
14 Write to Laodicea, to the Angel of the church. God's Yes [Amen], the Faithful and Accurate Witness, the First of God's creation, says:
15 "I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You're not cold, you're not hot - far better to be either cold or hot!
16 You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit.
17 You brag, 'I'm rich, I've got it made, I need nothing from anyone,' oblivious that in fact you're a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.
18 "Here's what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that's been through the refiner's fire. Then you'll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You've gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see.
19 "The people I love, I call to account - prod and correct and guide so that they'll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!
20 "Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I'll come right in and sit down to supper with you.
21 Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That's my gift to the conquerors!
22 "Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches." Message
(the following is from www.easyenglish.bible)
"Verse 14 Laodicea was about 40 miles south and east of Philadelphia. It was the richest city in the region. The people there had sheep with soft black wool. The city was famous for this wool. With it, the people made clothes, which they sold. With so much wealth from farms and commerce, they had successful banks. The banks had large stocks of gold.
The people in Laodicea were proud of their medical school. The school produced a wide range of medicines. The two most famous medicines were ointments for the ears and the eyes.
There was no supply of water in the city. So, they had to bring water from about six miles away. The water came through a system of pipes. But the supply could dry up when the weather was hot.
Amen may seem a strange word to use as a description of Jesus. But the word means, ‘It is true.’ And like Jesus (Hebrews 13:8), the truth never changes. It is that which is. It is what will be. It is that which is real and permanent. The Lord Jesus calls himself the loyal and true witness. What he says is always true. He speaks what he knows. He talks about what he sees. We can believe all that he says. We can trust him.
Jesus is the ruler of all that God has made. He was there at the start when God created all things. God made all things by Jesus. He made all things for Jesus.
Verses 15-16 The Lord Jesus sees all things. He knows all that there is to know. He knew the Christians in Laodicea. He saw what they had done. He knew their thoughts. He knew what they did. He knew why they did these things.
The hot weather warmed the pipes. The water was warm, not cold or hot. It was not nice to drink. Such water made one feel sick.
The Lord said that these Christians were like the water. They were not like cold water. Cold water is good to drink. They were not like hot water. Hot water has many good uses. But they were like water that is neither cold nor hot. They were of no use to the Lord. It was as if they made him sick. He would throw them away as one does with bad water.
Verse 17 Jesus explains why he was not happy with them. They thought that they were doing well. They had all that they wanted. The church was wealthy and it seemed to be lively. They were rich and they had achieved it themselves. They were proud of what they had achieved. They were so pleased because of their wealth. They did not think that they needed anything.
But their opinions about themselves were not correct. It was true that they had plenty of money. But in their spirits, they were in a bad state. In reality, they were poor. They had nothing of which to be proud. They could not see the true state of their lives with God. So, to God, they seemed as if they were blind. They had expensive clothes. But to God they seemed as if they were naked. Their expensive clothes could not hide their sins.
The people in Laodicea were proud of their wealth. They were proud of their eye ointment. They were proud of their wool and the clothes that they made. It was as if the inner life of the Christians lacked all three of these. So, Jesus told them that they were poor, blind and naked. But they did not understand it.
Verse 18 They had plenty of gold but they were poor. The gold from the banks was no use to God. Everything that has real value comes from God. What he gives is better than the purest gold. God told them to buy from him. We buy without price (Isaiah 55:1). We receive from God, as we believe in him.
They could buy clothes of black wool in the market. The Lord told them to buy white clothes from him. To wear white clothes means to be clean and innocent. These wonderful things can only come from the Lord. Jesus took all our sins and blame. He suffered and he died because of them. When we trust in him, he can declare us innocent. He alone can make us clean.
The cause of their problems was that they were blind to their real state. In other words, they could not see that they needed help. With their wealth and easy life, they thought that they needed nothing.
The people in Laodicea sold their famous eye ointment. People used it to cure diseases of the eye. It helped people to see more clearly. The Lord told the Christians to put ointment in their own eyes. It was as if they were blind. But they did not know it. In other words, they could not see (know) the reality about their situation. Until they knew it, God could not cure them. It was as if they needed to open their eyes in order to see (know) the truth.
Verse 19 The Lord has been severe in what he said to these Christians. The reason for this is that he loves them. God hates all kinds of evil things, wrong actions and bad attitudes. He wants those whom he loves to be free from these. So, God corrects all whom he loves. He trains his children as a good father does.
Discipline is always hard at the time. But it benefits the person. The Christians in Laodicea should be eager to improve. They should want to please God their father. They must repent and change their way of life.
The word ‘eager’ in this verse also means ‘hot’. See my notes on verses 15-16.
Verse 20 It was as if, by their wrong attitudes, the Christians in Laodicea had pushed Christ out of their lives. The Lord stood outside of their lives. He demanded that they let him in again. He is like someone who is knocking at a door. A person has to open the door from the inside. That person has to choose whether to open the door or not.
Jesus will come in if they invite him. The Lord will not come in unless they ask him. When he comes in, they will eat together. They will have a close friendship with Jesus.
Jesus tells his friends about the future. Then they will eat and drink with him in his kingdom.
Verse 21 Those who live for Jesus now, will live with him beyond death. They are the people who overcome. Jesus will invite them to sit with him on his throne. They will share with Jesus the king. They will rule with him.
Jesus as a man won the right to the throne. He overcame, so he sat down with the Father on his throne. And Jesus has power over all people and things. He is the king of kings and Lord of lords.
Verse 22 The Spirit warns the churches about their failures. He shows them where they are wrong. He tells them to repent and to change. He gives great promises of reward to those who do. What the Spirit says to these 7 churches, he says to all of us."
No comments:
Post a Comment