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14“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
15“ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!
16So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
17For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
19Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
21The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ” (Revelation 3:14–22 ESV)
Which is the richest city in the world? Based on the latest rankings, the current richest city in the world measured by GDP is New York City. Since many super rich people live in this city, its GDP is good. Although it is called the richest city in the world, homelessness is a huge problem there. In 2022, the homelessness rate is 0.89%. If you were a New Yorker, are you aware of your own city’s actual needs and problems?
To you, Laodicea might not be a famous city, but it is one of the many rich cities in the ancient world. It is famous for the production and export of black wool, the manufacturing of common and costly garments, and the invention of an effective eye salve. In AD 62, it was destroyed by an earthquake. Without the help of the state, the earthquake-struck city was rebuilt by its wealthy citizens. All in all, it is a wealthy city.
There was a Christian community in Laodicea. Like all churches around the world, no congregation is free of any problem. Jesus Christ sent a message to the believers in Laodicea and pointed out their problems. In short, the believers thought they were rich and prosperous.They thought they needed nothing. However, they had not realised that they were wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked instead. To sum it up, the church in Laodicea lacks self-awareness.
- Divine Names (Revelation 3:14)
The Amen
In this letter, the Lord Jesus addresses Himself as the Amen. In the Old Testament, amen means truly, surely and certainly. In the New Testament, it indicates affirmation, in truth, verily and it is so. In His earthly life, Jesus often used amen to authenticate a particularly important or solemn truth. In Isaiah 65:16, God is called the God of truth. Jesus is called Amen for a reason, because He is the God of truth incarnate.
On the contrary, many individuals are not truthful. Their lives are full of lies and deceit. Many of these people are pathological liars. Sadly, we live in a world full of pathological liars. The saddest thing is that, many of these folks are famous people in the political and business arena.
The church in Laodicea needs to know Jesus Christ as the Amen, and so do we. If we really do, we would try to be more truthful and would strive to lead a life of integrity.
The Faithful and True Witness
The second title of Jesus Christ is the faithful and true witness. Another title to define the first further.
The Lord Jesus is God’s only Son. In short, He is God. By the way, the God of the Bible is a triune God. In a simple language that most people can understand—God is one, but He has three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One of the attributes of God is truth. Also, faithfulness is another character trait of God. When Jesus was living on earth, He faithfully executed the salvation plan according to the heavenly Father. After Jesus conquered death on the cross, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19). Although Jesus is up in heaven now, He still faithfully prays for His followers and ministers to their needs.
Since the Lord Jesus is faithful and true, all believers are secured in His promises. If we commit our faith to Jesus Christ, and trust Him as Lord and Saviour, we will be forever saved. God will not change His salvation plan.
As Jesus Christ is the faithful and true witness, the church in Laodicea should reflect on His attribute, and respond accordingly.
What it says in the Bible about Jesus Christ is true. If you are a non-believer, please respond to what it says. If you claimed to be a follower of Jesus, do your words and works reflect the characteristics of Jesus Christ?
The Beginning of God’s Creation
14“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. (Revelation 3:14 NIV) 14“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. (Revelation 3:14 ESV)
Jesus Christ identified Himself as the beginning of God’s creation. The Greek word used here was translated as “the beginning” (ἀρχή archḗ). It does not mean that Jesus Christ was the first person God created, but rather that He is the source or origin of creation. In the Old Testament, Jesus Christ is regarded as the Divine Wisdom (Prov. 8:22–23), a tradition applied by Jewish Christians to Jesus Christ as the pre-existent and the agent of creation (1 Cor. 1:30; Jn 1:1).
In the early church era, some heretics teach that Jesus Christ is a created being. Modern cults, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, uphold the same belief. The church in Colossae is suffering from such a heresy. As Colossae is a neighbouring city of Laodicea, it is likely that the sister church at Laodicea was also affected by this erroneous teaching.
Based on the NIV version of the Bible, Jesus Christ is said to be the ruler of God’s creation. A clear indication that He has the supreme authority over creation and that He is the origin of created being (John 1:3; Colossians 1:15–18). In a nutshell, Jesus Christ is not a created being.
If you refer to the Old Testament, Jesus Christ is the great “I AM” (Exodus 3:14). The Lord Jesus is the One who is free from all limitations and constraints of time. He inhabits eternity (Isaiah 57:15).
This truth applies to our lives in many practical ways. As Jesus is timeless, He is the Lord of human history. He knows every single detail about every individual.
The Lord Jesus knows the church in Laodicea inside out, and He also knows the spiritual condition of every single congregation in this world.
- Divine Knowledge (Revelation 3:15–17)
15“ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!
16So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
17For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. (Revelation 3:15–17 ESV)
Jesus Christ knows the spiritual condition of the church in Laodicea very well. He knows that the congregation is neither cold nor hot. He is aware of their lukewarmness. So, what does Jesus mean by “lukewarm” here? Throughout church history, scholars have come up with various interpretations. Here’s the first interpretation.
The First Interpretation
One school of thought indicates that the lukewarmness here is a symbol of compromising their beliefs. According to this school of thought, Christians should be fervent in faith. They conclude God wants Laodicean Christians to be on one extreme or the other but not in the compromising middle.
The Second Interpretation
The second school of interpreters relate this Bible passage with the water transportation system in Laodicea. They stated that the hot springs of Hierapolis was good with healing qualities. On the other hand, the cool spring water of Colossae was refreshing. Based on the temperature analogy, these scholars presumed the water coming through the aqueduct to Laodicea was lukewarm and useless.
The Third Interpretation
The third school of scholars cited the ancient view that hot and cold waters had positive medicinal benefits, but on the other hand, lukewarm water would induce vomit.
The Fourth Interpretation
The fourth school of scholars regard cold, hot, dry and wet as the four potent medicinal elements that formed the basis of creation. As both cold and hot were connected to health, lukewarm was seen as middle ground and was considered to be inert and powerless.In other words, the Laodicean church lacked potency. Thus, Jesus’ condemnation it is not about the spiritual temperature but the ineffectiveness of the church.
My Interpretation
The Lord Jesus knows the works of the Laodicean church. He knows that they are neither cold nor hot. He reveals that they are lukewarm. The Laodicean believers firmly believed that they were rich and needed nothing, but the Lord told them that they were wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.
To a certain extent, I agree with the assumptions of the fourth interpretation. However, my interpretation deviates from it. Based on the usage of words and the context of this passage, I reckon that the lack of self-awareness was the problem of Laodicean church.
The Laodicean church is very confident that they are sufficient in almost all aspects in life. However, they were unaware of their spiritual reality. This kind of self-sufficiency is repulsive to the Lord Jesus.
- Divine Counsel (Revelation 3:18–21)
18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
19Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
21The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:14–21 ESV)
The Laodicean believers thought they were sufficient, but in fact, they were not. Lack of self-awareness was their problem.
Jesus Christ is the Head of His church. As He is all-knowing, He knows the actual needs of the Laodicean Christians. The Lord counselled them and told them that they should purchase three things from Him. The first item was gold refined by fire. The second was white garments to cover their nakedness. The third was eye salve for their blindness.
Not only Jesus Christ is omnipotent, He is all-loving as well. As He loves His church so much, that He reproves and disciplines the Laodicean Christians.
Purchase Gold from Christ
According to my understanding, there is no 100% pure gold in this world. No matter what, the obtainment of pure gold or high quality of gold needs refining.
Why should the Laodicean believers purchase gold refined by fire from Christ? What does gold refined by fire mean?
The production of pure gold involves the removal of impurities. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the Laodicean believers had to remove sinful behaviours from their lives. Although the Laodicean church considered themselves spiritually healthy, but as a matter of fact, they needed to greatly improve their conduct.
Concerning the attainment of moral purity, only Jesus Christ can transform self-righteous people and make them truly holy. For sure, a person must have the intent of being holy, but it takes the transformative work of the triune God to complete it. The refinement of spiritual character is the genuine wealth of Christians.
Purchase White Garments from Christ
Before the Fall of humankind, our ancestors were both naked and were not ashamed (Genesis 2:25). After Adam and Eve sinned against God, nakedness has become a symbol and reality of shame. And that is why, in the Old Testament world, nakedness represents the ultimate humiliation of people (2 Samuel 10:4; Isaiah 20:4; Ezekiel 16:37–39; Nahum 3:5).
Laodicea is renowned for its black wool, but the church there was suffering from spiritual nakedness. The saddest thing is that the Laodicean Christians did not know their own spiritual condition. If they really wanted honour, they must purchase white garments from Jesus Christ.
Does the situation of the Laodicean believers remind you of the story “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen? The story goes something like this: An emperor hired two tailors who promised to make him a set of remarkable new clothes that would be invisible to anyone who was either incompetent or stupid. When the emperor went to see his new clothes, he saw nothing at all. Since these tailors are swindlers, they did not make any clothes for the king at all. As the emperor was afraid of being judged as incompetent or stupid, he pretended to be delighted with the so-called new clothes. Also, he worn the new clothes in a grand parade through the town. People pretended to see the new clothes, but not until a child yelled out, “He hasn’t got any clothes on!”
The Laodicean believers thought they were adorned with spiritual garments, but in reality they were stark naked spiritually.
The Lord Jesus not only reminds the Laodicean believers of their spiritual nakedness, but He also states that only He can cover their shamefulness.
If you a non-believer, the question I would like to pose to you is, do you know your own spiritual state? Let me remind you that all humankind are sinners, and all of us need to deal with our sinfulness. In conclusive terms, we all need to receive Jesus Christ into our lives as Lord and Saviour.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, how do you rate your own spiritual health now? No matter how good or how bad your spiritual health is, there is always room for improvement!
Purchase Salve from Christ
According to some ancient sources, in the first century, there was a medical school located in Laodicea. Also, there was a famous eye doctor practicing there. Interestingly, eye salve was made of Phrygian powder in this city. Quite likely, Laodicea was once a medical centre.
Although Laodicea was a place that could heal eye problems, the Christians were suffering from spiritual blindness. Isn’t it sarcastic?
The Laodicean believers might have thought that they had spiritual insight, but in fact they were suffering from spiritual blindness.
As the Lord and Saviour of the church, Jesus Christ gave a wise counsel to the church in Laodicea. He told them to purchase salve from Him, so that they could see.
One of the many reasons that people cannot see Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of the world is because they are spiritually blind.
Dear friends, Jesus can reveal to you that He is really God’s only Son and the Saviour of the world—all you need is to ask Him.
As believers in Christ, we might have blurry spiritual visions about ministry from time to time. We might suffer from spiritual nearsightedness now, but Jesus can heal us now—all you need is to ask Him.
Hear and Open the Door
As to the church in Laodicea, Jesus Christ calls for responsive hearing. He wants His followers to understand His counsel and respond accordingly. By means of a pictorial description, Jesus Christ expresses His undying love towards the Laodicean Christians. The Lord is pictured standing outside their place of residence, patiently waiting for His people to repent from their wrongdoings. Most important of all, He wants them to open their door, so that He can come in their house and have fellowship with them. It is a picture of restoration of broken relationship.
I guess many people have suffered from broken relationships before. A restoration of broken relationship is too good to be true.
Jesus is waiting for you to respond to His saving grace. Friends, open your heart and let Him in.
The Lord Jesus wants to fellowship with His people. Believers in Christ, are you willing to share your needs and thoughts with Him?
- Divine Reminder (Revelation 3:22)
22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ” (Revelation 3:14–22 ESV)
What is the mission of Christians? The most common one that believers would blurt out: make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19)—a standard Sunday School answer. However, we have many other missions as Christians.
The Lord Jesus wrote seven letters to seven different churches, and reminded each church a specific mission. As for the church in Laocidea, their mission is to have self-awareness. Definitely, Christians are in the business of making disciples, but we should always be aware of our spiritual connection with our Saviour. Without the self-awareness of our own spiritual condition, our ministry of discipleship would become futile.
The Lord Jesus wants the church in Laodicea to respond to His message, and He wants all believers to react in a positive way too. Do you understand His message? Are you willing to respond to His heartfelt plea?
Kenneth Thumb Ministry 譚約珥事工 