Silver and Gold: The Church of Laodicea
Though God is not a communist – “thou shall not steal” – He is concerned with our idolatrous love of money. So attractive is the lure of wealth that, often times, God will describe his people’s love of wealth with the language of adultery! (see Isaiah 1:21-23; Jeremiah 5:1-13; Ezekiel 16; Hosea 2:1-8; 12:7-14; 13:6; Amos 6:1-7; James 2:1-13; James 4:1-10). “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also… No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:21, 24). And the thing with adultery is that it takes the adulterous spouse away from her lover and tarnishes the covenant the two had made.
This is the danger the church in Laodicea is in. Throughout Revelation John makes it clear that wealth and prosperity – though sometimes given as a blessing from God – may more be due to an unholy alliance with the world than with Christ. “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living… Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins” (Rev. 18:2-4).
In contrast to Laodicea stood the church in Smyrna, who, though they were materially poor, Christ says that they are in fact spiritually rich (Rev. 2:9)! But Laodicea? “You say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,’ not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). That is their problem: a divided heart. Though they are the bride of Christ, they are giving their trust and heart and love to riches and prosperity. The result? “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16). There is nothing healthy nor healing flowing out of their hearts. Their works – the fruit of their faith – is half-hearted. Not boiling-hot not nor ice-cold, but lukewarm. Tepid. Indifferent and apathetic.
Wealth will often time have this kind of effect, even on Christians and churches. “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God” (Deut. 8:11-14). So wealthy was the city of Laodicea that, after an earthquake in 60 AD, which destroyed much of the city, they turned down help from Rome to help rebuild! They were a self-reliant people. And sadly, that same self-reliance persisted within the hearts of those Laodicean Christians. “For you say… ‘I need nothing,’ not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (vs. 17).
No wonder Christ introduces himself to this church with the description, “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.” In other words, “Laodicea, here is your God and Savior – the One who is faithful and true to you, despite your half-hearted love for him. The One who is your Life and the means behind you being a new creation. He is your head, your husband, and healer.” John is echoing the same truth here what Paul says in Colossians 1, that Christ is “the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent” (Col. 1:18). He is reminding Laodicea that they exist because of who He is to them and what He’s done for them. And therefore, they need to give their all to Him, as a bride to her Husband. But how?
Look at what He says in verse 18. “I 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.” G. K. Beale, in his commentary on Revelation, makes the connection that in the first vision of Christ in this book we see Christ clothed in a golden sash, his hair white and pure, his eyes flaming with fire (Rev. 1:12-16). And all of this corresponds to exactly what Laodicea needs – gold, white and pure garments, and eye-salve. In other words, what Laodicea needs is Christ. “Their illness can be remedied only through a renewed relationship with Christ, by buying true spiritual resources from Him. Only in Christ are true riches, clothing, and insight.”[1]
And it’s just here where we see, perhaps, the most beautiful line from Christ to his wayward, adulterating church. “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, 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” (vs. 19-20). This is likely an allusion to the great marriage poem in the Song of Solomon. “I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking. ‘Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night’” (Song of Solomon 5:2). What’s he saying? “Though your heart is wandering from me, I have not wandered for you, my bride. I have given my life for you, and I will still pursue you. Will your heart not be melted into love by this and return to me? Will you not renew the intimate relationship we once had, before you gave your heart to wealth and riches? Will you not find all your satisfaction in me?”
And notice: those who do return to their first love – namely, Christ – He will grant them to, like a queen to her king, “sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (vs. 21).
Is this not a probing letter to the American church today? Have we allowed our hearts to be dulled and deadened by the alluring decadence of wealth? Growing in self-sufficiency and allowing a half-hearted, lukewarm praise to bubble up from our lips? “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (vs. 22).
[1] G. K. Beale, Revelation: A Shorter Commentary (Eerdmans, 2015), p. 92-93
Image: By A.Savin – Own work, FAL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=94309456
