THE REVELATION OF JESUS
LAODICEA - THE LUKEWARM CHURCH
Revelation 3: 14-22
Can you imagine your doctor being indifferent about disease? Your feeling sick, so you go to his office. He looks at you, takes you pulse and tells you to pay the nurse on the way out.
Hey! Wait a minute, what’s wrong with me Doctor? you ask. He looks at you and says, there’s nothing to worry about, you have a bad case of pneumonia. You look back in astonishment and say, aren’t you going to put me in the hospital or give me some medication? What about my family, is this contagious? People die of pneumonia, don’t they?
The doctor looks at you and says, That’s all right, Dan, you have to die sometime. It might as well be from pneumonia, that’s better than cancer or aids. If you needed surgery, then I could help, but not this stuff.
Can you imagine a doctor like that? Imagine a church lukewarm about Christ, it doesn’t make any sense! That’s Laodicea.
Laodicea was one of three sister cities in the valley of the Lycus River. Colossae (famous for it’s cold water springs), Hierapolis (hot water mineral springs), and Laodicea were in the region of Phrygia, some forty miles south east of Philadelphia.
If this was the last stop for the letter carrier of Revelation, he could return to Ephesus (his starting point) by traveling one hundred miles due west.
Laodicea was founded in the third century BC by Antiochus II, the Seleucid king who named the city after his wife Laodice. It was at the cross roads of the north-south highway (Pergamum - Attalia) and the east - west highway (Antioch - Ephesus).
Being a vital crossroads city made it a major commercial success.
In John’s time Laodicea had a great reputation as a banking center. When Cicero was traveling in Asia Minor it was at Laodicea that he cashed his letters of credit. Laodicea was one of the wealthiest cities in the world.
Laodicea famous textile industry specialized in black woolen fabric. It was also a medical center. The medical school was famous for two things, ointment for the ears, and ointment for the eyes. To this day doctors use the symbol of a staff with two serpents wrapped around it. This is the symbol of Aesculapius, the medical cult in Laodicea.
The most serious problem with Laodicea was its lack of reliable water. The Romans built a stone aqueduct that piped water several miles to the city from springs in Hierapolis. The stones were designed to remove the mineral deposits. Even then the water was lukewarm and barely drinkable.
Like the other cities in the region, Laodicea was subject to earthquakes. In 60 AD the city was destroyed, but they were wealthy enough to rebuild it without outside help. Today the town of Denizli is close to the original site.
The gospel probably came to Laodicea while Paul was at Ephesus (Acts 19). Although Paul mentions the church (Colossians 4) he does not mention visiting it personally. Epaphras, Paul’s companion, worked in these three cities.
Characteristic vs 14
Jesus identifies himself for Laodicea as the amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
As with the letter to Philadelphia, the characteristic of the Lord is taken from outside the opening vision of Christ. In the Old Testament God is literally, the God of the Amen or the God of truth (Isaiah 65:16), one who is completely trustworthy and truthful.
This designation applied to Jesus is in stark contrast with the untrustworthy Laodiceans. This designation is similar to Paul’s teaching in Colossians 1:15 & 18. Remember Paul had given instructions that the letter to the Colossians be read to the believers in Laodicea as well.
Jesus may well be appealing to the Laodicea believers knowledge of Paul’s epistle and that Jesus as supreme Creator and Ruler of the universe has every right to critique his wayward church.
Compliment
NONE! Like her sister church in Sardis, Laodicea receives no compliment.
Criticism vs 15-17
These believers are neither hot nor cold. They are lukewarm. The most common interpretation has been that hot means spiritual fervor, and cold means outright antagonism to the things of God. I think it is obvious that Jesus prefers outright rejection that spiritual lukewarmness.
However, Laodicea was near two cities. Hierapolis had hot medicinal waters and Colossae had cold, pure, refreshing water. Both were wonderful. What was terrible was the water in Laodicea. The water that came on the aqueduct was lukewarm.
We drink hot and cold tea, and hot and cold coffee, but either at room temperature is disgusting.
Jesus proceeds to tell them that he will spit you out of my mouth. Literally means vomit. That’s how bad they taste to the Lord.
The symptoms of their barrenness are specified in vs 17. First, the church said I am rich. This church claimed material wealth, it was opulent. They felt that they did not lack anything, so they could do with out the Lord’s help.
The congregation was like the city, proud of its banks and affluence boasting that I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. As I mentioned earlier, when Laodicea was devastated by an earthquake in AD 60 it rebuilt without any outside help. Jesus calls this church poor.
Second, the church thought it was clothed with plenty of righteous character. The imagery is drawn from what we know of Laodicea, renowned for its extensive textile industry, particularly of black wool fabric.
Instead, Jesus understood them to be wretched, pitiful...and naked.
Third, the church thought it had spiritual insight. Instead it was blind. Remember, Laodicea was famous for its medical school that exported a powder used for eye salve. This medicine could not cure their spiritual blindness.
Even sadder than these three deficiencies is Jesus’ declaration that they do not realize it. This church had deceived itself about its spiritual condition. Because they depended on themselves, they were impoverished, unclothed, and sightless.
Please note that Jesus rejects anything a church is or does that is motivated by self-righteousness.
Command vs 18-20
All is not yet lost, for this congregation. Jesus cares for members. His command has a biting irony. I counsel you to buy from me things that you do not think you need.
The metaphor buy does not mean that spiritual benefits may be earned or purchased. Jesus supplies them freely by his grace.
Gold refined in the fire is genuine gold rather than fool’s gold. It stands here for righteous character that has been proven genuine through testing. Only Jesus can take a self-righteous person and make them truly holy.
White clothes to wear have already figured in this chapter as the reward for righteousness given to the few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. These garments are provided through the redemptive work of Jesus on the Cross and will cover their shameful nakedness.
This stands in contrast to the black woolen clothing they wore so proudly.
Salve to put on your eyes recalls the miracle of Jesus in which he used some mud in healing the man born blind (John 9).
The Laodicean church claimed that it had spiritual insight, would it now receive the help it needed from Jesus? Their own salve would not heal them of this decease.
All of Jesus’ criticism is out of love. He does not want to lose them. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. Proverbs 3:12
This church must repent earnestly of its self-sufficiency and seek the Lord. It now joins the ranks of sister churches Ephesus, Pergamum , Thyatira, and Sardis in needing to repent.
Jesus not only wants to provide gold, clothing , and sight to this congregation, he wants them to enjoy his person, and his fellowship. vs 20
(Show picture of Jesus outside the door)
Commitment vs 21-22
Jesus knows that some will respond! As with each of the six earlier letters, the one who overcomes or has an ear for what the spirit says to the churches is promised a great reward.
This is the first time Revelation mentions Christ’s exaltation in the language of sitting with my Father on his throne. Chapter 17 further develops this thought as Jesus states that we will sit with me on my throne. A symbol of the rule and reign of God’s people throughout eternity.
This promise is parallel to the one given to the overcomers of Thyatira (2:26).
As we close the opening vision the words in vs 22 give a fitting conclusion. This same Jesus who during his earthly ministry commanded persons with ears to hear, now during his heavenly ministry commands his churches to pay attention. He who has an ear, let him hear reminds us that he does not force us to heed his words.
Yet if the words of the risen Lord to John on the isle of Patmos are indeed what the Spirit says to the churches, you and I need to obey or pay the consequence.
