By: Tom Lowe Date: 6-29-15
Lesson: The church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22)
Revelation 3:14-22 (KJV)
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Introduction
‘THE CHURCH OF THE LAODICEANS was situated in Phrygia, on the border of the Province of Asia, along with nearby Hermapolis (modern Pamukkale) and Colossae, in the fertile Lycus Valley, about 66 miles south and east of Philadelphia. It was an area where there was a very large Jewish population. So many Jews immigrated here that the Rabbis protested against the Jews who sought the wines and baths of Phrygia. It was the last city in this clockwise loop of cities in the travel pattern for delivering the letters, beginning with Ephesus.
In the ancient world there were at least six cities called Laodicea and this one was called ‘Laodicea on the Lycus’ to distinguish it from the others. The name Laodicea comes from Laodice, the name of the wife of Antiochus II of Syria who founded the city between 261 and 253 bc. The settlement was called Diospolis before it became Laodicea ‘city of Zeus,’ which accords with the fact that Zeus was the chief god of Laodicea. There was also a cult practicing emperor worship, and another that worshipped Asclepius, the god of healing.
In ad 60 a great earthquake destroyed Philadelphia and Sardis, and devastated the city; but its citizens were so rich and independent that they refused any help from the Roman government and out of their own resources rebuilt the city. No wonder Laodicea could boast that it was rich and had amassed wealth and had need of nothing. It was so wealthy that it did not even need God (or so they thought).
It is clear from this passage that the wealth of the city greatly affected the church. It seems strange to most people that riches and sorrow go together. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. Most of the time, riches produce rotten living. There are a few rich people who serve God, and there are a few rich churches that are spiritual; but the general rule is that riches brings sorrow. Jesus said “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” That does not mean that God cannot or will not save a rich man—He can, and He will. But the sad fact is that riches and spirituality do not seem to walk together.
In the first century bc Laodicea became a financial center and a place where gladiatorial games were held. Prosperity was due, in part, to the wealth this city had acquired in the first century through the philanthropic gift of 2000 talents, a gift from Hieron, one of its leading citizens, who adorned Laodicea with many fine public buildings. The influence of the family of Zeno the orator, who had led the resistance against the Parthians under Labienus in 40 bc and thus received Roman citizenship from Mark Antony, helped the city’s stature. A main road from Rome and Troas to the east went through Laodicea, helping to make the city an important commercial center.
Laodicea was well-known for its wool industry, the wool being softer even than that of Miletus; it was a Raven black color, which was attributed to the water the sheep were drinking. It is true that the water in the area is calcareous (chalky) and that it gathered other elements as it flowed from hot springs and other sources.
The city was the chief medical center for the area, with its nearby medical school sponsored by the temple of the Anatolian god Men Karou, which was located west of Laodicea. An ‘eye salve’ (v. 18), produced at Laodicea was made from pulverized Phrygian stone, a preparation recommended by the Physician Galen as good for eye diseases. The city’s doctors were so famous that some of their names appear on the coins of Laodicea. The city also developed an important cloth industry, producing a cloth called ‘Ladicean.’
The archaeological remains at Laodicea include part of the city wall, three gates (Ephesian, Hierapolis and Syrian), two theaters on the north side, a temple of Iconic style, a stadium, gymnasium, nymphaeum/fountains, aqueducts, etc.
Commentary
14 And unto the angel[1] of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
In the opening of the letter to the church at Laodicea, several names are used for Jesus that have not been used yet in Revelation—“THE AMEN, THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS, THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD.” All three stress His authority.
He is the ‘AMEN,’ the Old Testament title for God. This is a strange title and may go back to either of two origins.
In Isaiah 65:16 God is called the ‘God of truth’; but in the Hebrew He is called the ‘God of Amen.’ Amen (meaning “so be it”) is the word which is often put at the end of a solemn statement in order to guarantee its truth. If God is the ‘God of Amen,’ He is unreservedly to be relied upon. This would mean that Jesus Christ is the One whose promises are ‘TRUE’ beyond all doubt.
In John’s Gospel Jesus’ statements often begin: “Truly, truly, I say to you” (John 1:51; 3:3, 5, 11). The Greek for truly is Amen. It is possible that when Jesus Christ is called the Amen it is a reminiscence of His own way of speaking. The meaning would be the same, Jesus is the One whose promises can be relied upon.
He is the witness on whom we can rely and who is true. A witness must satisfy three essential conditions. (a) He must have seen with his own eyes that of which he tells. (b) He must be absolutely honest, so that he repeats with accuracy that which he has heard and seen. (c) He must have the ability to tell what he has to say, so that his witness may make its true impression on those who hear. Jesus Christ perfectly satisfied these conditions. He can tell of God, because He came from Him. We can rely on His words for He is the Amen. He is able to tell His message, for never did man speak as He did. And neither will He dilute the truth; He is the true witness which means He will not distort the truth. He sees through all the sham, the shallowness, the outward show of our lives. He is a completely trustworthy and perfectly accurate witness to the truth of God—“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
In the film, “A Few Good Men,” Jack Nicholson had a line which has become well-known; “You can’t stand the truth.” We could not stand being told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Society has invented a thousand ways of conveniently blunting the sharp edge of truth. The Lord Jesus is the faithful and true Witness. He sees a lukewarm church, and He tells it the truth about itself in a memorable and particularly undiluted form. Yet even that harsh truth is softened with His love.
He is THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD (better translated ‘the principle’ or ‘source’ of creation) is ambiguous, since it could mean, either, that Jesus was the first person to be created or that He began the process of creation. To say that Christ is the first creature created by God is contrary to Scripture, for He Himself is “the beginning and the ending” (1:8), the original agent in God’s creative work. He is the “BEGINNING” (literally “beginner, originator, initiator”) of creation (John 1:3; 3:14) and the “first born of creation”; that is, the most preeminent, supreme person ever born— The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Colossians 1:15). As a man, He had a BEGINNING, but as God, He was the BEGINNING.
It is the second meaning which is intended here.Jesus is not a created being, for we are told in the beginning of John’s Gospel, Jesus). He has always existed; He was there at the creation of the world, and He was there at the beginning of all things.He is the One who flung the stars into space, plowed out the basins of the seas, reared against the skyline of the world the mighty Rocky Mountain range.Not a blade of grass grows without His permission; not a speck of dust moves.He is the origin of the creations of God, the all-controlling One, and the dynamic Christ.He stands before this wretched church and penetrates its little disguises and sees it through and through.
The judgment against this church is that they are LUKEWARM (v. 15).The water supply to Laodicea came from a hot spring so the water in the city was indeed LUKEWARM (tepid).In this case, of course, it is the spiritual condition of the church that is being described.Rather than denying Christ, they made an empty profession.According to verse 16, this is nauseating to God. Laodicea has the grim distinction of being the only Church of which the Risen Christ has nothing good to say.
The connection of the Son with creation is frequently made in the New Testament.John begins his Gospel by saying of the word: says Paul, As the Christian sees it, the God of creation and the God of redemption are one and the same.
It is clear from this passage that the wealth of the city greatly affected the church. It seems strange to most people that riches and sorrow go together. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. Most of the time, riches produce rotten living. There are a few rich people who serve God, and there are a few rich churches that are spiritual; but the general rule is that riches brings sorrow. Jesus said “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” That does not mean that God cannot or will not save a rich man—He can, and He well. But the sad fact is that riches and spirituality somehow do not seem to walk together. Apparently, the things that ruined that church was pride, material wealth and self-satisfaction among the people. They did not need God—they had everything. They gloried in things—not in the Lord.
It is not known whether Paul ever visited the city, although he did write them a letter, and the letter to the Colossians was read by the LAODICEANS (Colossians 4:16).
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
With the other churches, when the Lord Jesus said, “I KNOW THY WORKS,” He meant good works; He was commending them for good works. But the Lord Jesus has no word of commendation for this church. All is condemnation here. Even the “WORKS” here are not good works; they are evil works.
The condemnation of Laodicea began with a picture of almost crude vividness; because the Laodiceans are neither cold nor hot, but have about them a kind of nauseating quality, which will make the Risen Christ vomit them out of His mouth. The question is inevitable: “Had Christ died upon the Cross and suffered the great passion in order to produce such lukewarm disciples?” And the question answers itself in the words “I WILL SPEW THEE OUT OF MY MOUTH.”
Often hot mineral springs have a nauseating taste and make the person who drinks them physically sick. That is the way in which the church at Laodicea affected the Risen Christ. Here is something to make us think:
The one attitude which the Risen Christ unsparingly condemns is indifference. Of all things indifference is the hardest to combat. The problem with modern evangelism is not hostility to Christianity; it would be better if it were so. The problem is that to so many Christianity and the Church have ceased to have any relevance and men regard them with complete indifference.
The one impossible attitude of Christianity is neutrality. Jesus Christ works through men; and the man who remains completely detached in his attitude toward Him has by that very fact refused to undertake the work which is the divine purpose for him. The man who will not submit to Christ has necessarily resisted him.
Hard as it may sound, the meaning of this terrible threat of the Risen Christ is that it is better not even to start on the Christian way than to start and then to drift into a conventional and meaningless Christianity.
Notice the use of the terms “cold” and “hot”—not “dead” and “alive.” The LAODICEANS were in the most dangerous state possible. They were not referred to as being spiritually dead, nor as being spiritually alive . . . were they indifferent. They were lost, of course, for had they been born again they would not have been spewed out of the mouth of Him who is the head of the Church. Total indifference to Christ—not hatred—is the condition of the LAODICEANS. Had the church been totally cold, there would have been a possibility of reviving the coldness, and the church might have become warm again. Had it been hot, the Lord would have blessed. HOT speaks of those with real spiritual fervor and passion like the Christians in Ephesus, although they were even then getting away from their best love. The church at Laodicea was a group of undecided, neutral members who would not take a stand one way or the other toward Christ or the truth, and this is the most hateful, disgusting spirit possible to display against God’s Christ, God’s Word, and God’s Church. Such a condition must be dealt with immediately and gotten rid of quickly. The last condition of the church is the worst by far. Total indifference is damning more people today than the liquor traffic, the dope traffic, and all other species of sin combined. “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” “He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” It is not gross sins such as drinking, doping, murder and adultery that damn the soul . . . It is indifference. Procrastination—putting off receiving Jesus—is the sin that damns the soul.
‘THOU ART LUKEWARM’ was probably an attention-grabbing expression for the Laodiceans as they thought of their water brought from the north through an aqueduct system from the hot springs of Hierapolis, and possibly from elsewhere, and how lukewarm it became. In addition to being warm the water was filled with minerals (impure), so it tasted terrible.
Many have thought that this cold and hot refers to spirituality—and that Christ would rather have “cold” people (without faith at all, or without any sort of growth) than “lukewarm” believers (who believe some). They take of word “cold” to be negative and “hot” to be positive, with “lukewarm” in between. Instead, both “cold” and “hot” should be taken as positive. Christ wished that the church had cold, refreshing purity or hot, therapeutic value, but it had neither. They were lukewarm. They didn’t take a stand on anything; indifference had led to idleness. By neglecting to do anything for Christ, the church had become hardened and self-satisfied, and it was destroying itself and would soon be dead. As a result, Christ was about to spit them out of His mouth. The church cannot be a “dead system.” Jesus said, “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). He still loved these lukewarm saints, even though their love for Him had grown cold. He planned to chasten them as proof of His love (v. 19; proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5-6). God permits churches to go through times of trial so that they might become what He wants them to become.
There is nothing more disgusting than a halfhearted, in-name-only Christian who is self-sufficient. Don’t settle for following God half way. Let Christ fire up your faith and get you into the action.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
The Lord Jesus lets them know that their thinking is all wrong—‘THOU SAYEST, I AM RICH’—Laodicea economically was truly a rich and prosperous city (3:14), one of the wealthiest cities in the world, and the church was also a wealthy church. But with their wealth came an attitude of self-sufficiency—feeling that they did not need a thing—they believed that the dollar was the answer to every problem of life. They were materially secure and felt spiritually safe—with no need for further growth—but unfortunately it was poverty-stricken spiritually. The charge against this church is that these people claimed to need nothing and that their wealth is entirely due to their own efforts, yet they were poor, blind, and naked. These three assertions were direct hits at the industries of the Laodiceans: banking, medicine, and clothing. Banks cannot remove the bankruptcy of the soul. Wool cannot cover the nakedness of sin. Eye salve cannot remove the blindness toward the Gospel. Thus, to trust in the things of the world is foolish. Any church—whether in Laodicea or in your hometown—is headed for ruin when it puts “things” ahead of Jesus. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). Wealth (things) at the expense of spirituality is a tragedy and a curse.
Laodicea had everything a worldly church could desire. Influential men no doubt sat on its boards; large accounts gained it prestige at the bank. Doubtless it occupied the choices location in town, had the best choir in Asia, summoned the most brilliant and eloquent of preachers to its pulpit, boasted a considerable membership, and had a well-oiled organization. Laodicea was a fashionable, worldly church, but it was powerless. These people had absolutely no place for the Lord Jesus Christ in their program. They did not need anything He had; they were completely satisfied. They did not believe in a God of judgment. They believed what the liberals and modernists are preaching today—“the goodness of God, the Fatherhood of God, and the brotherhood of man.” They did not believe in a God who is a consuming fire, a God who is angry with the wicked every day, a God who judges in righteousness.
Imagine, if you will, the Apostle Paul being the pastor of that church and preaching to its Sunday morning crowd on one of his favorite text, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14). It is pitiable when a church cannot stand together and say from their hearts, with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing” (Revelation 5:12). We need the gift to see ourselves as our Lord sees us, and not until then will we offer praise to Him.
Had the Pharisees recognized their own blindness, they would have received Him who is the Light of the world and He would have cleansed them from their sins. But in their refusal to confess their blindness, their sin remained. According to verse 18, only Christ can actually take care of spiritual poverty, blindness, and nakedness.
The last part of this verse is bursting with prophetic truth: “. . . AND KNOWEST NOT THAT THOU ART WRETCHED, AND MISERABLE, AND POOR, AND BLIND, AND NAKED!” These people did not know their spiritual condition. They were so totally indifferent to the truth, to the Word of God, to the Gospel and to Christ Himself, that they were calloused (“their conscience seared with a hot iron”). They were past feeling, and deep down in their own sinful hearts they thought they were sitting on top of the world religiously. In reality, they were on top of the world religiously—but spiritually they were wretched, they were miserable—and yet their blind hearts could not see nor feel their misery. They were poor, they were blind, and they were naked. What a difference between their thoughts of themselves, and the thoughts Christ had of them!
Why did I say this part of the verse is bursting with prophetic truth? In Matthew 24:37-39 we have the answer: “The world will be at ease—banquets and parties and weddings—just as it was in Noah’s time before the sudden coming of the Flood; people wouldn’t believe what was going to happen until the Flood actually arrived and took them all away. So shall my coming be.”
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Laodicea prided itself on three things; and each is mentioned in this verse and shown at its true value.
It prided itself on its financial wealth. It was rich and had acquired wealth and had need of nothing—so it thought. The Risen Christ advices Laodicea to buy their gold from Him; then they would have real spiritual treasures (1 Timothy 6). They had fool’s gold in their bank accounts, gold from this world with no spiritual or eternal value. Only with Christ’s gold would they be rich. It may be that GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE stands for faith since Peter compares it to faith in 1 Peter 1:7—“These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:7, NIV). Wealth can do much but there are things that it can never do. It cannot buy happiness nor give a man health either of body or of mind; it cannot bring comfort in sorrow nor fellowship in loneliness. If all that a man has to meet life with is wealth, he is Poor indeed. But if a man has a faith tried and refined in the crucible of experience, there is nothing which he cannot face; and he is rich indeed.
Laodicea prided itself on its clothing trade. The garments made there were famous all over the world, and the wool of the sheep of Laodicea was a luxury item which all men knew about. But, says the Risen Christ, Laodicea is spiritually naked; if it really wants to be clothed it must come to Him. The Risen Christ speaks of “the shame of the nakedness of Laodicea.”
Laodicea prides itself on the magnificent garments it produces but spiritually it is naked and nakedness is shame. The Risen Christ urges it to buy white raiment from Him. This may well stand for the beauties of life and character which only the grace of Christ can give. There is little point in a man adorning his body, if he has nothing to adorn his soul. Not all the clothes in the world will beautify a person whose nature is twisted and whose character is ugly. ‘WHITE RAIMENT,’ a symbol of purity and righteousness (Revelation 19:7-8), would be in contrast to the raven-black woolen clothes the Laodiceans probably wore every day.
Laodicea prided itself on its famous eye salve; but the facts of the case show that it was blind to its own poverty and nakedness. The phrase ‘ANOINT THINE EYES WITH EYESALVE’ is an obvious allusion to the eye salve produced by the Laodicean Medical Center and medical school, with the application that the Laodiceans needed spiritual eye salve so they could see spiritually (v. 14). Laodicea was so conscious of its medical skill in the care of the eyes that it never realized that it was spiritually blind. Christ told them to get salve from Him to heal their eyes so they could see the truth—“Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind’” (John 9:39, N IV). Unless our eyes are opened by the Lord, we cannot discern spiritual matters. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14, KJV)
Note, that all three industries for which Laodicea was well-known are included in Jesus’ condemnation; clothing, banking, and eye medicine.
Having read this far, someone might ask “How can a wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked people buy anything? Can salvation be purchased? Our Lord was using language apropos to these merchandising-minded men. He would have them turn from the salesman who peddled the wares of this world to the One who said, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. (Isaiah 55:1, NIV). Buying “WITHOUT MONEY AND WITHOUT COST” is indeed, evidence of grace. Dealing with Christ is within the reach of the poorest. As a matter of fact, the deeper the need the better the chance of consummating the purchase. Is there anything in all the world more wonderful than this? You’re right to come and buy without money is your recognition of your own deep need and poverty. Christ is appealing to the church as He sees her, not as she thinks she is. In effect, He says, “If you are conscious of your poverty, I have riches for you.” (The riches of Christ are unknowable and inexhaustible.) How graciously He offers to provide for their need!
What the LAODICEANS’ could see had become more valuable to them than what is unseen and eternal. Christ was showing the LAODICEANS’ that true value is not in material possessions but in a right relationship with God. You have nothing if you don’t have a vital relationship with Christ. Their possessions and achievements were valueless compared with the everlasting future of Christ’s kingdom. Worldliness always clouds spiritual vision, and lack of spiritual vision is serious, or “where there is no vision the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18).
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Here is a verse which echoes a truth found elsewhere in the New Testament—God disciplines those He loves. His rebuke and discipline came because of His love for the church. Christ will “spit out” those who disobey (v. 16), but He will discipline those He loves. God’s purpose in discipline is not to punish but to bring people back to Him. God may discipline you to help you out of your uncaring attitude, but he uses only loving discipline. You can avoid God’s discipline by drawing near to Him again through confession, service, worship, and studying His Word. Just as the spirit of love can be rekindled in marriage, so the Holy Spirit can reignite our zeal for God when we allow Him to work in our hearts.
The word “ZEALOUS” means “to be hot.” This is His last message to the church. He says, “BE ZEALOUS.” Be hot. Get on fire for God. He is ordering this church to forsake its lukewarm state, and he says, “REPENT.” This church needs repentance more than all the others. And the message of repentance is for the contemporary church, but you will not be popular if you preached that, I can assure you.
Verses 18 and 20 indicate that Christ was speaking here to unbelievers. God certainly loves the unconverted (John 3:16). And chasten (literally “reprove”) often refers to God’s convicting and punishing the unregenerate (Matthew 18:17; 1 Corinthians 14:24; 2 Timothy 2:25).
“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons” (Hebrews 12:6-8, KJV). Any person who can live in sin, prosper in sin, be happy in sin and continue in sin without the chastening hand of God being placed upon him, has never been a son.
Repentance is the very last thing a sinner wants to do, and it is the very last thing a saint wants to do. We would rather do anything than REPENT. The repentance referred to here is not an ongoing daily repentance, but a once-for-all, turning-from-your-old-way kind of change.
Verse 19 is a quotation from Proverbs 3:12, but one word is altered. In the Greek of the Septuagint the word for love is agapan which indicates the unconquerable attitude of goodwill which nothing can turn to hate; but it is a word which maybe has more of the head than the heart in it; and in the quotation the Risen Christ changes agapan to philein.
There is no surer way of allowing a child to end in ruin than to allow him to do whatever he likes. It is a fact of life that the best athlete and the finest scholar receive the most demanding training. The discipline of God is not something which we should resent, but something for which we should be devoutly thankful.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
This verse is well-known and is often used in conjunction with a picture of Jesus standing at a door, knocking, and asking to be let in. The words, ‘I . . . WILL SUP WITH HIM, AND HE WITH ME’ do not refer to a meal shared with a stranger, but with a meal shared among friends who know each other well. There is no picture of intimacy more striking than that of setting at a common table and breaking bread together. This is the picture of the relationship of the Christian to God as the Christian comes to Him in Jesus Christ. There is nearness; there is sympathy; there is understanding; there is fellowship.
This word picture has been derived from two different sources.
It has been taken as a warning that the end is near, and that the coming of Christ is at hand. The Christian must be ready to open whenever he hears his Lord knocking—“And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately (Luke 12:36). The Christian must live well and live in love because the Judge is standing at the doors—“Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!” (James 5:9). If that is the picture here, this phrase contains a warning and tells men to take care, for Jesus Christ the Judge and King is at the door.
We cannot say that that meaning is impossible and yet it does not seem to fit the context, for the atmosphere of the passage is not so much warning as it is love. The origin of the passage is much more likely to be in Solomon’s Song when the lover stands at the door of his beloved and pleads with her to open: “I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night” (Solomon’s Song 5:2). Here is Christ the lover knocking at the door of the hearts of men. And in this picture we see certain great truths of the Christian religion.We see the leading of Christ. He stands at the door of the human heart and knocks. The unique new fact that Christianity brought into this world is that God is the seeker of man. No other religion has the vision of a seeking God. Here is the picture of Christ searching for sinful man who did not want Him. Surly love can go no further than that.
We see the offer of Christ. As the Authorized Version has yet, “I will come in and sup with him.” If a man will open the door, Jesus Christ will come in and linger long with him. He enters the believer’s heart and makes it His home. “I WILL SUP WITH HIM.” He takes what we put at His disposal and, as he did with the loaves and fishes, blesses it, multiplies it, and makes it a blessing to others. “AND HE WITH ME,” He says, thus promising that, if we open our hearts to Him, He will open heaven to us.
We see the human responsibility. Christ pleads an offers; but it is all to no avail if a man will not open the door.
The LAODICEAN church was complacent and rich. They felt self-satisfied, but they didn’t have Christ’s presence among them. Christ knocked at the door of their hearts, but they were so busy enjoying worldly pleasures that they didn’t notice Him trying to enter. The pleasures of this world—money, security, material possessions—can be dangerous because their temporary satisfaction can make people—even believers—indifferent to God’s offer of lasting satisfaction. The people in the church in Laodicea needed to accept Christ for the first time, for some (or “all”) of them had never made that commitment. Others needed to return to wholehearted faith in Him.
Please notice, the Lord Jesus does not command the Laodiceans to buy (v. 18), nor does He force entrance (v. 20). “I STAND . . . I KNOCK.” You may rest assured that the Lord Jesus will never force Himself upon any home, any church, or any nation. He loves all, He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He is searching for the unsaved and—He will never force Himself upon anyone. The Lord will never intrude where He is not wanted.
To the unsaved Jesus is saying, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (John 10:9, KJV). The door of salvation is always open to sinners—they need not knock. But the church door of the Laodicean assembly was closed in the face of Jesus, and He stood on the outside, knocking. This is an alternate interpretation, but it may fit the context even better. Christ was seeking to enter this church that bore His name, but lacked a single true believer. This distressing letter was His knocking. Both interpretations are true, but His invitation in the closing days of this dispensation is, “IF ANY MAN HEAR MY VOICE, AND OPEN THE DOOR, I WILL COME IN TO HIM, AND WILL SUP WITH HIM, AND HE WITH ME.” Jesus makes this appeal to the individual. God can do great things in a church, even through one dedicated individual. Salvation is and always has been personal, and everyone must decide for themselves whether to accept or reject Christ’s invitation.
Dear reader, never say that Christ has NOT knocked at the door of your heart. Reflect seriously on your past life, and you will recall, I am the sure, a variety of ways in which the Savior has knocked at your door. He has knocked through suffering, poverty, the death of a loved one, a marital rift, the clearer gospel witness through a sermon, the personal testimony of someone concerned for your soul, or the quiet godly life of some child of God. But He has been there knocking, and He is there again, right now. While you are alive and able, let Him in at once to take over your whole personality.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
The promise of the Risen Christ is that the one that overcometh will sit with Him in His own victorious throne—“HIM THAT OVERCOMETH WILL I GRANT TO SIT WITH ME IN MY THRONE”— a reward unlike the wreaths or crowns already mentioned that are given to winners of a competition. Instead, this is the offer to rule with Jesus. We will get the picture right if we remember that the eastern throne was more like a couch than a single seat. The overcomer in life will share the throne of the victorious Christ. Christ on his throne refers to the heavenly kingdom (see also 1:6, 9; 2:26-27). Believers reigning with Christ is mentioned in several places in Scripture (see, for example, Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:28-30; Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12). This promise is certain because Christ won that right for believers through His own victory on the Cross. Victorious over sin and death when He rose again, He sat with His Father on His throne. The gospel of Mark records that “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19).
The throne of Jesus will be in Jerusalem (Luke 1:32, 33; Matthew 19:28; Acts 2:30-35; Acts 15:14-16). However, the kingdom will be universal—that is, throughout the earth. Read Psalm 72:8; Zechariah 14:9, and Psalm 8. The kingdom will be filled with righteousness.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
All seven letters finish with the words: “LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAITH UNTO THE CHURCHES.” This saying does two things.
It individualizes the message of the letters. It says to every man: “This means you.” So often we listen to a message which comes through a preacher and apply it to everyone but ourselves. In our heart of hearts we believe that the stern words cannot possibly be meant for us and that the promises are too good to be true for us. This phrase says to every one of us: “All these things are meant for you.”
It generalizes the message of the letters. It means that their message was not confined to the people in the seven Churches two thousand years ago, but that through them the Spirit is speaking to every man in every generation. We have set these letters carefully against the local situations to which they were addressed; but their message is not local and temporary. It is eternal and in them the Spirit still speaks to us.
Although a different message was addressed to each church, all the messages contain warnings and principles for everyone. The church at Laodicea is typical of a modern church quite unconscious of its spiritual needs and content with beautiful buildings and all the material things money can buy.
End Notes
[1] Angel: the pastor-messenger designated to deliver this letter.
