Message To Laodicea
Verses 14-16: 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. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm- neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
A Little History About Laodicea
Laodicea was an important, wealthy city with a significant Jewish population. Like other cities in the region, it was a center for Caesar worship and the worship of the healing god Asklepios. There was a famous temple of Asklepios in Laodicea, with a more famous medical school connected with the temple.
An earthquake destroyed the region in a.d. 60. Laodicea refused Imperial help to rebuild. Successfully, they relied solely on the resources they had available to them. They prided themselves on financial wealth, extensive textile industry, and a popular eye salve exported worldwide.
Laodicea was too rich to accept help from anyone. Tacitus, the Roman historian, tells us: ‘Laodicea arose from the ruins by the strength of her own resources, and with no help.’
William Barclay
One of their problems was a poor water supply. This made them vulnerable to attack through a siege. If an enemy’s army surrounded them, they had insufficient water supplies in the city, and the supplies coming into the city could be cut off. This was the reason the leaders of Laodicea were always accommodating to any potential enemy. They always wanted to negotiate instead of fighting.
Jesus speaks to them about being lukewarm. They could relate to this because their main water supply came on a six-mile aqueduct from the hot springs of Hierapolis, so it arrived lukewarm.
The name Laodicea means “rule of the people.” This church is a great example of a church run by majority rule instead of God.
Jesus Describes Himself
These things says THE AMEN: He is THE “so be it”, THE “it is done”.
In Isaiah 65:16 God is called the God of truth; but in the Hebrew He is called the God of Amen. Amen 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 utterly to be relied upon. This would mean that Jesus Christ is the One whose promises are true beyond all doubt.
William Barclay
The faithful and true witness: Jesus says He is this; a faithful and true witness. This is in contrast to the Laodiceans, who will be shown to be neither faithful or true.
The ruler of God’s creation: Other translations read, ‘the beginning of the creation of God’. The ancient Greek word for beginning is arche. The idea behind the word is that of a “ruler, source, origin,” not first in sequential order.
In early Christian writings, we read that Satan is the arche of death, that is to say, death takes its origin in him, and that God is arche of all things…
Barclay
This verse does not teach that Jesus was the first being created, but that He is the ruler, source, and origin of all creation. It has the idea of first in prominence not first in sequence.
To a church such as that in Laodicea – which trusts in itself, its money and its success – Jesus is confronting them with the truth that He alone can bring true spiritual renewal – “the new creation.” He alone can undo the effects of sin. He alone will raise the dead. The Laodiceans must therefore look to Him, in whom creation is renewed, rather than rely on temporal and worldly things as they have been doing.
Riddlebarger
What Jesus Knows And What He Will Do
Like all the other churches, He knew their works. They were neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. Jesus knew they would understand “lukewarm” and how disgusting it was to drink. In the spiritual sense, lukewarmness is a picture of indifference and compromise. It tries to play the middle, too hot to be cold and too cold to be hot. In trying to be both things, they end up being nothing.
I will spit you out of My mouth: Because He found them disgusting, He will spit them out of His mouth. Can you think of a greater curse upon the world than empty religion? Is there any soul harder to reach than the one who has just enough of Jesus to think they have enough? The church at Laodicea exemplifies empty religion. Tax collectors and harlots were more open to Jesus than the scribes and Pharisees in the church at Laodicea.
Satan will have us any way he can get us, but he prizes a lukewarm religionist far above a cold-hearted sinner. The lukewarm Christian has enough of Jesus to satisfy a craving for religion, but not enough for eternal life. Let me put it another way: the lukewarm religionist goes to church on Sunday but has no knowledge of the Scripture because he just doesn’t care. There is no discipleship, no struggle with sin, no sanctification, no personal holiness. Worse, there is no eternal life.
Cold Or Hot
If they were hot or cold Jesus could have done something with them but because they were neither, they were worthless. The thief on the cross was cold towards Jesus and clearly saw his need. John was hot towards Jesus and enjoyed a relationship of love. Judas was lukewarm, following Jesus enough to be considered a disciple, yet not giving his heart over in fullness.
In Rev. 3:19, where the word zealous is associated with this same word hot, we know His deepest desire is that they (we) be hot, with an on-fire love for Him. Yet, if they would not be hot, Jesus preferred cold rather than lukewarm.
O my brethren and sisters, have you ever really thought what an insult it is to God when we come before Him with lukewarm prayers: There stand the heavenly mercy-seat; the road to it is sprinkled with the precious blood of Jesus, yet we come to it with hearts that are cold, or we approach it leaving our hearts behind us. We kneel in the attitude of prayer, yet we do not pray. We prattle out certain words, we express thoughts, which are not our real desires, we feign wants that we do not feel. Do we not thus degrade the mercy-seat? We make it, as it were, a common lounging-place, rather than an awful wrestling-place, once besprinkled with blood, and often to be besprinkled with the sweat of our fervent supplication.
Charles Spurgeon
Alas, this state of lukewarmness is so congenial with human nature that it is hard to fetch men from it. Cold makes us shiver, and great heat causes us pain, but a tepid bath is comfort itself. Such a temperature suits human nature. The world is always at peace with a lukewarm church, and such a church is always pleased with itself.
Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon described the lukewarm church in his sermon “An Earnest Warning Against Lukewarmness”:
They have prayer meetings, but there are few present. When more attend the meeting they are still very dull, for they do their praying very deliberately and are afraid of being too excited.
They are content to have all things done decently and in order, but vigor and zeal are considered to be vulgar.
They may have schools, Bible classes, preaching rooms, and all sorts of agencies; but they might as well be without them, for no energy is displayed and no good comes of them.
They have deacons and elders who are excellent pillars of the church, if the chief quality of pillars be to stand still, and exhibit no motion or emotion.
The pastor does not fly very far in preaching the everlasting Gospel, and he certainly has no flame of fire in his preaching.
The pastor may be a shining light of eloquence, but he certainly is not a burning light of grace, setting men’s hearts on fire.
Everything is done in a half-hearted, listless, dead-and-alive way, as if it did not matter much whether it was done or not.
Things are respectably done, the rich families are not offended, the skeptical party is conciliated, and the good people are not alienated: things made pleasant all around.
The right things are done, but as to doing them with all your might, and soul, and strength, a Laodicean church has no notion of what that means.
They are not so cold as to abandon their work, or to give up their meetings for prayer, or to reject the gospel.
They are neither hot for the truth, nor hot for conversions, nor hot for holiness, they are not fiery enough to burn the stubble of sin, nor zealous enough to make Satan angry, nor fervent enough to make a living sacrifice of themselves upon the altar of their God. They are ‘neither cold or hot’.
Verses 17-22
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
What Jesus Has Against Them
The Church at Laodicea lacked a sense of spiritual poverty. They took a look at their spiritual condition and said, “rich.” They looked again and said, “wealthy.” They looked a third time and said, “we require nothing.” They were the opposite of “blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus spoke of in Matt. 5:3.
The loss of a sense of need, as the drowsiness that besets a freezing man, is fatal.
Havner
Not only was the church at Laodicea spiritually poor, they were blind to it. Jesus looked at their spiritual condition and said “wretched.” He looked again and said “miserable.” He looked a third time and said “poor.” A fourth and final look He saw that they were spiritually naked.
Laodicea was famous for its healing eye salve, but the Christians of the city were spiritually blind. The city was also famous for fine clothing, but the Christians of the city were spiritually naked. Mental darkness is worse than a loss of sight, but a loss of spiritual vision is even worse.
The Laodiceans are typical of the modern world, which revels in that which the natural eye can see but is untouched by the gospel and does not see beyond the veil of the material to the unseen and real eternal spiritual riches.”
Walvoord
The contrast between what they thought and saw in themselves and what Jesus thought and saw in them is shocking. The contrast between the wealth and affluence of the city they lived in and their spiritual poverty is shocking as well.
What Jesus sees in us is more important than what we see in ourselves. The church in Smyrna thought themselves poor when in actuality they were rich (Rev. 2:9). The church at Laodicea thought themselves rich when in actuality they were poor.
Spiritually Poor Vs. Poor In Spirit
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:3
The poor in spirit is not a man’s confession that he is by nature insignificant, or personally without value, for that would be untrue. Instead, it is a confession that he is sinful and rebellious and utterly without moral virtues adequate to commend him to God.
The poor in spirit recognize they have no spiritual “assets.” They know they are spiritually bankrupt. Poverty of spirit cannot be artificially induced by self-hatred; the Holy Spirit and our response to His working in our hearts bring it about.
This is the first beatitude (Matt. 5:3-12) because this is where we start with God. Everyone can start here. It isn’t first blessed are the pure or the holy or the spiritual or the wonderful; it’s first blessed are the poor in spirit.
Those who are poor in spirit will receive the kingdom of heaven. “Poverty of spirit” is an absolute prerequisite for receiving the kingdom of heaven. As long as we harbor illusions about our own spiritual resources, we will never receive, from God, what we absolutely need to be saved.
Jesus placed His call to be poor in spirit first for a reason because it puts His following commands into perspective. They cannot be followed by one’s own strength, but only by a beggar’s reliance on God’s power. No one mourns until they are poor in spirit; no one is meek towards others until he has a humble view of himself. If you don’t sense your own need and poverty, you will never hunger and thirst after righteousness; and if you have too high a view of yourself, you will find it difficult to be merciful to others.
“Poor in spirit” does not mean lacking in spirit, be it courage, the Holy Spirit, or religious awareness. But rather, that poverty is not only a physical condition but also a spiritual one. “Spiritually poor” is believing yourself to be lacking for nothing when in truth, you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
What Jesus Wants Them To Do
I counsel you to buy from me: The change in Laodiceans (and Christians in 2021) had to begin with understanding spiritual poverty. As long as we believe we can meet the need for wealth, clothing, or sight for ourselves, we can never receive them from God.
Gold refined by fire: We understand gold. It can bring riches to its owner. If we receive from Jesus His riches, then we will truly be rich indeed.
White garments that you may be clothed: If we clothe ourselves with His white garments, then our nakedness (our true selves) will be covered when we stand before God. The shame of our nakedness would no longer be revealed.
Anoint your eyes with eye salve: Laodiceans were famous for their eye salves so the Christians understood this analogy. Jesus wanted them to seek spiritual sight that only comes from Him. He was to be their “eye salve.”
Therefore be zealous and repent: The ancient Greek word for zealous comes from the same word as hot in Rev. 3:16. He would rather they be hot than lukewarm or cold. He wanted them to stop or turn from what they were doing and get on fire for Him.
Jesus Still Loves Them
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: Jesus’ great love was expressed in His rebuke. The word for love in as many as I love is not agape, but phileo. Jesus’ heart to this church is, “Even though I rebuke you, I still love you. Even though I chasten you, I am still your friend.”
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: Jesus gave this lukewarm church The Great Invitation. He knocked at their door, asking entry to come in and dine with them, in the sense of sharing warm, intimate time. It only happens as we respond, but the promise is made to all: If anyone hears My voice.
The idea of Jesus at the door applies to the sinner and the saint (believers) equally. Why does He stand outside and knock? He is God, He could just come on in but He doesn’t. He lowers Himself to work out His eternal plan by waiting for our invitation to come in.
The occupant must open the door. That is, he must repent of his pride and self-sufficiency, his human wisdom, and his cowardly neutrality.
H. Morris
Dine with him: Here Jesus speaks of a specific meal known as the deipnon. It was the main meal of the day. It was long and leisurely. This speaks of a depth to the relationship.
An Overcomers Award
We do not have to be Christians who are compromising and lukewarm. We can change and become one of Jesus’ overcomers. Our reward will be to sit with Jesus on His throne. But first, we must overcome indifference, compromise, and self-reliance.
This is the worst of the seven churches, and yet the most eminent of all the promises are made to it, showing that the worst may repent, finally conquer, and attain even to the highest state of glory.
Clarke