Letter to the church at Laodicea

The Letter to the Church at Laodicea in Revelation 3
RELATED TOPICS	Laodicea Apostle John
SERMONS, ESSAYS AND OPINIONS
CONTENTS

The letter to the church at Laodicea is a call for the church to stand out from the rest of the town and be useful. Jesus spoke into the context of the Laodiceans who were known for the poor quality luke-warm water supply and also their material wealth, famous eye-ointment and textile industry. The letter is found from Revelation 3:14-21

"To the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write: "The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Head of God's creation, says these things: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;' and don't know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me. He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Context

Laodicea lay along one of the major trade routes of the Roman Empire. Imports from the east via the Black Sea to the Dardenelles, along with trade with the western provinces of Rome made Laodicea one of the wealthiest cities in the Roman Empire. Besides a great accumulation of wealth, the Laodiceans also prided themselves in a lucrative textile industry, along with being the leader of eye medications for the Empire.

Message

Revelation 3:14-18 shows Christ's disapproval of the congregation of Laodicea.

The people who lived in this region knew that the water brought to Laodicea via the aquaducts was not the best in the area. The water was not refreshing, it was lukewarm and full of minerals like iron and calcium. This was in contrast to the hot springs of nearby Hierapolis and cool pure water of nearby [[Colossae]. The imagery of the Laodicean aqueduct suggests that both hot and cold water are useful, whereas lukewarm water is useless. Thus the Laodicean church was being called to stand out and be useful.

Furthermore, the appearance of being wealthy, being a leader in textile production and also a leader in ointments for the eyes was well known throughout Asia Minor. Revelation 3:17 shows that the Laodicean congregation was however, poor, naked and blind, despite it's worldly prominence.

So this was a message by Christ instructing the Laodiceans to correct their way of thinking in regard to their pursuit of material things back to their original purpose which. The church was being called to rely on Jesus and pursue spiritual things and spread the good news throughout the region.

The letter concludes with a positive image in Revelation 3:20 where Jesus affirms that he is standing outside and waiting for them to let him enter and eat with them. This image is among the most famous in Revelation, and is the subject of the famous painting The Light of the World by Holman Hunt. It is a metaphor of intimate fellowship.

Links

• Wikipedia - Laodicean Church

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