“Broken Lampstand”
Revelation 2:8-11
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever suffered for your faith? Even a little? To be faithful and be treated badly seems wrong to us—and it is wrong! There is malice in the world, such cruelty that only comes from the evil one, the destroyer. But our Lord prophesied as much, didn’t he? “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Blessed are you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. Rejoice and be glad! For great is your reward in heaven.”
SETTING & CHARACTER
Allow me to introduce myself: I am Polycarp, bishop of the church at Smyrna, a seaport in the Roman province of Asia. However, for you I’ll introduce myself as Polycarp, bishop of the lampstand at Smyrna, in the kingdom of God. The name Smyrna, means “myrrh.” Myrrh was a perfume used in the anointing oil of the Tabernacle and in embalming dead bodies. My hometown was a wealthy and beautiful place with large, glorious boulevards. The center of town was called the Golden Street. (Today, I know what a real golden street looks like, but then I didn’t know better.) We were among the most prosperous cities in the region, but for some reason, Smyrna always had an inferiority complex when it came to Ephesus. We were just 35 miles upcoast of Ephesus to the north—both seaports, and important centers of commerce. Ironic that in contrast to Ephesus, which is today a deserted ruin, Smyrna is still a large seaport with a population exceeding 200,000.
I was the bishop of the church at Smyrna for over 50 years. I started in my early thirties, teaching the Word, showing the Way. I didn’t know what I was doing, but our church was patient with me, and recognized & accepted the Lord’s calling. As I matured in my faith I continued teaching the Word and showing the Way, and my influence spread throughout the region. In 50 years of ministry you meet a lot of people. I was grateful for the encouragement of my mentor, Ignatius of Antioch. I was grateful for the opportunity to meet a boy named Irenaeus, whose love for God’s truth was so passionate even in his youth. And I stood in opposition to the heretic Marcion, who discarded whatever scriptures did not fit his presuppositions, and led many astray. In any age, there are always those who bow to no authority beyond themselves.
PLOT
Our church was up against it. The enemies of the faith were aggressive and cruel. It was a dangerous thing to be a Christ follower in Smyrna. There was no knowing what might happen to you. In AD 26 Smyrna won the right to erect a temple to the emperor Tiberius. It was a center for Caesar worship. The cult of Empire and Emperor, of Rome and Caesar, was a matter of great pride in Smyrna. Did we Christ followers refuse to sprinkle incense on the fire which burned before the emperor’s statue? Of course we did! To do so would be idolatry. We could not call Caesar Lord when Jesus was our Lord. But our unwillingness to conform was interpreted by our fellow Smyrneans as a disgraceful, even treacherous lack of patriotism.
Now Smyrna was also the center of a large Jewish population with a strong influence on the Roman authorities. Because Judaism was recognized as an official religion, Jews were exempt from emperor worship. The first Christ followers considered ourselves Jews—“heirs of the promise.” However, if the Jews wanted us out of their synagogues, they could turn them over to the Romans, saying, “they say they are Jews, but they’re not,” thereby subjecting us to persecution.
In church history, the most severe persecution has come from religious people. The persecution at Smyrna was made especially poignant by the fact that the great enemy was the local community of Jews. They were God’s people racially, but not really, and were in fact blaspheming God as they persecuted His church under the guise of serving Him. It was economic pressure from these Jews that brought the church to poverty, and slanderous accusations by them (“Satan” means “accuser”) that led to persecution.
You might be surprised that in the midst of wealthy and prosperous Smyrna any of its citizens should have been poor. Some of our number belonged to the lower ranks of society. Others, I’m proud to report, had such unselfish love for the underprivileged, they had contributed generously to their needs. But neither of these factors constituted persecution. Rather, in our resolve to go straight in business, we renounced shady methods and thereby missed some of the easy profits which went to others less scrupulous than themselves. And many Jews and pagans refused to trade with us or employ us when they learned we were Christ followers. Make no mistake—it does not always pay to be a Christian.
It was as these storm clouds were darkening, we received a letter. I remember it vividly—at the time I was a young man, no more than 20. It was a letter from the Apostle John, our dear brother. (Well, to be accurate, I should say that it was written by John. The sender was One even greater than he.) A special meeting was called for the reading. We all packed ourselves inside Quintas’ house. The room was vibrating with excitement—perhaps John had sent word of the Lord’s return! It would be soon; we all knew it had to be. He would not allow his faithful people to endure such economic and political injustice at the hands of his enemies! It was difficult to contain our eagerness to hear the good news of deliverance this letter would surely announce. The door was barred and the church called to order by Papias, who stood first to pray, before openingthe scroll and reading these words: [READ Rev. 2:8-11]
The immediate prospect for us was one of increased suffering and even death. This was a certainty. Many a church has had to learn to live with that—could we? It is a test. It is the devil’s action, but God’s intention. And I’m so proud to tell you that we did not lose our first love. If we must suffer for the sake of Christ, then suffer we would. After all, he had faced the same treatment, and had shown us the Way.
How about you folks? You follow Christ—do you suffer for his sake? Many of your contemporaries around the world find themselves in situations of intense persecution like what we faced, but you do not. I wonder why that is. Is it because you have laws to protect you against that sort of thing? Or is it because you do not stand out in your culture? Do you bow to their idols, perhaps even unwittingly? Do you proclaim Christ?
If one great lesson is that suffering is certain, the other is that it is limited. For the church at Smyrna, it would be for ten days some time in our near future. There would in the goodness of God come an eleventh day, and all would be over.
TENSION
Jesus himself experienced the very same poverty and slander, arrest and death, of which he wrote to our church. Notice that the letter was not just a stern call to suffer and to endure. With the call to suffer there comes a promise of accompanying grace. If Christ seldom makes offers without demands, he also seldom makes demands without offers. He offers his strength that we may meet his demands. So this letter, so full of sufferings, is full of consolation and comfort also.
Christ appeals to us to be faithful and not fearful. Now faith and fear are opposites—they cannot coexist. Faith banishes fear. Faith produces faithfulness. Trust in Christ, and we will prove ourselves trustworthy. Rely on Christ, and we will prove ourselves reliable. Depend on Christ, and we will prove ourselves dependable. Have faith in Christ, and we will be faithful—faithful if necessary even unto death. The way to lose fear is to gain faith.
You see, a fearful person hoards his money, and rarely gives it away, because he thinks it will protect him. A faithful person gives money, because she wants to participate in the Lord’s work and be a blessing to others.
A fearful person never tells others about Jesus, because she doesn’t want to face ridicule or rejection. A faithful person tells others about Jesus, because he wants to see them born anew into His kingdom.
A fearful person has only dread and terror for the day of death. A faithful person views death with the contempt of a beaten foe, and the hope of entering the Master’s presence.
In the coming years, many of our number would be martyred for their faith. I was no exception.
CLIMAX
It was 22 February, in the year 156. I was 86 years of age, and they were finally coming for me. I was tracked down at my hiding place, an empty home outside the city, where one of our own had lived before being taken the year before. I didn’t want to go into hiding, but the entreaties of my congregation eventually won the day. There was a sharp knock, and two of the Emperor’s finest demanded I surrender myself. I made no attempt to flee. Instead, I opened the door and welcomed them in. I offered food and drink to my captors and asked permission to retire for prayer. To my pleasant surprise, my request was granted, and I spent two hours in fervent prayer. I prayed for my church. I prayed for my captors. I prayed for myself, that my faith would not fail in this hour. Then, we boarded a chariot and they drove me into the city. The officer in charge urged me to recant. “What harm can it do,” he asked, “to sacrifice to the emperor?” I refused. On arrival, I was roughly pushed out of the carriage, and brought before the proconsul in the amphitheater. A crowd had gathered—an angry mob of pagan and Jew alike. Ol’ Polycarp would be tried publicly. The proconsul was a man of great political and military power. A hard man, with a set jaw and piercing eyes. He was used to this sort of business, but not perhaps with one so old. He addressed me: “Have respect for your old age … swear to our Lord Caesar.” When I made no answer, he said again, “Swear, and I will release you; revile the Christ!” To which I replied, “Eighty and six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” The procounsul persisted. “Swear to our Lord Caesar! I have wild beasts, if you will not change your mind, I will throw you to them.” I looked at him and said “Bring them on.” “As you despise the beasts, unless you change your mind, I make you to be destroyed by fire.” Infuriated Jews and pagans rapidly snatched up wood for the pile. I stood by the stake, asking not to be fastened to it, and prayed “O Lord, Almighty God, the Father of Thy Beloved Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received a knowledge of Thee. I thank Thee that Thou has thought me worthy, this day and this hour, to share the cup of Thy Christ among the number of Thy witnesses!” I stood, the fire was kindled, my time was ended, but my eternity began.
CONCLUSION
The message to my church at Smyrna is the same today. We must not be fearful but faithful—to look not at the suffering, but beyond it to the all-controlling God, and to the risen Christ. A willingness to suffer for Christ proves the genuineness of our love for him.
Smyrna was famous for its arena and games. So we had no difficulty imagining the Christian life as a race or contest. It requires diligent training, energy, and exertion. The pace will be fast; the going hard. There will be sweat and pain. But at the end stands him who is first and last, the victor par excellence, and in his hand is the crown of life, which every conqueror receives.
If we are true, we shall suffer. But let us be faithful and not fearful. Jesus Christ, the first and the last, who died and lived again, knows our trials, controls our destiny, and will invest us with the crown of life at the end of the race.
