Let
us pray: Almighty God, we believe that you are the one who
transforms our life through your powerful words. This morning, we
seek your guidance as we meditate upon the read passage. Speak to us
so that we can genuinely commit ourselves to your voice. In Jesus’
name we pray Amen.
Good
morning everyone. We have been meditating upon the seven letters
written to seven churches. As we know Laodicea is the seventh church
and today we are going to reflect on the message given to this
church. The church at Laodicea was probably founded during the time
of Paul. There is no evidence that Paul visited this church, but
there is a reference in Colossians that he wrote a letter to them
that was subsequently lost. Laodicea was in Southern Phrygia, midway
between Philadelphia and Colossae. Laodicea was known as an
independent and wealthy city where wool was a main source of
commerce. Agriculture and commercial prosperity brought banking
industry to Laodicea. The most striking indication of the city’s
wealth is that the city was rebuilt without financial aid from Rome,
following the devastating earthquake of A.D 60. The major weakness of
this city was its lack of an adequate and convenient source for
water. The water had to be brought in from springs near Dazili
through a system of stone pipes. The revelation that John receives
identifies Jesus as Amen exclusively to this church. The Amen insists
that the church pay careful attention to what he is saying. From this
letter, I would like to briefly share three points.
Luke
warmness: to be avoided
When
we refer to verses
15&16, they say “you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that
you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither
cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” The
church of Laodicea is like the water of Laodicea which is lukewarm in
nature. In fact, water from the hot springs in Hierapolis, six miles
away was brought to the city by aqueducts. By the time it reached
Laodicea, the water was no longer hot, it was lukewarm. Cold water
from Colossae was also piped in, by the time it reached Laodicea,
this water was lukewarm as well and not very palatable. The
therapeutic properties of hot water and refreshing quality of cool
waters are missing in this. In the same way, the church in Laodicea
was providing neither refreshment for the spiritually weary, nor
healing for the spiritually sick. It was totally ineffective and thus
distasteful to the Lord. Jesus expects his church to be a place of
healing and refreshing or else he would abandon them.
What
I would like to convey from this is that we are expected to take a
standpoint. Double position, half-knowledge, half-truths, middle
paths are always dangerous. Especially in our theological
articulations and spiritual journey we have to be firm in our
conviction and should not to be carried away by false doctrines and
teachings. Let us examine ourselves this morning whether we are like
the Laodicean church which is lukewarm.
False
Perception: Way to Blindness
Verse
17 says, “for you say, ‘I am rich, I have
prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are
wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
The
church of Laodicea is economically rich like the city of
Laodicea. When the people looked at themselves they considered
themselves as a perfect church. They were very proud of their riches
and probably felt that they were above other churches. Moreover, they
were famous for three basic things- wealth, fashion and medicine.
Laodicea is a centre for
banking and finance but Jesus says they are “poor”. Secondly,
they are known world-wide for soft, raven-black wool but Jesus says
they are “naked”. Thirdly, Laodicea is famous for its healing eye
creams but Jesus says they are “blind”. The city and the church
are wretched and pitiful because they do not know their true
condition. They are miserable but do not recognize it. They think
they need nothing but, in fact they need everything.
It
is always good to know our limitations, so that we can improve and
correct ourselves. The danger is to have a perception that we are
perfect and we have accomplished everything in life while we are
lacking the basic stuff. There is always a danger in a theological
community to consider lay people inferior to us. Though we might be
academically excellent, if we do not have the Christian virtues like
love then we are poor, naked and blind in the sight of God.
Earnest
Repentance: The Need of the Hour
Chapter
3:19 says, “Be earnest, therefore and repent.” Although Christ’s
language was strong, the condition of the Laodiceans was not final.
Christ issues them a call to repentance in verses 18-20. The strong
language is a stern warning to them to repent and return to their
first love. They must overcome complacency and turn with joy to God.
Christ challenges the Laodiceans to buy from him gold refined by
fire. The language is clearly metaphorical. This is the gold of
faith. The church is challenged to cover her nakedness with garments
of purity and sincerity; in addition they need eye salve to anoint
their eyes. We are in Lenten season and it is a time of repentance.
Let us examine ourselves and repent earnestly. Many times we are
worried about structural sin and also claim sin is relative, but our
conscience says how much we have gone astray from the love of God. It
is the right time to come back to the love of God. St. Maximus, the
confessor, once wrote: God’s will is to save us, nothing pleases
him more than our coming back to him in true repentance.
As future
pastors and leaders of the church, unless we give up the lukewarm
nature and realize our limitations and correct ourselves our churches
are going to remain as church in Laodicea. May the God who has called
us for ministry renew us through this meditation. Amen
T. Jebin
BD II
T. Jebin
BD II
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