Revelation 2:1–11 (ESV)
To the Church in Ephesus
2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are
not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of
the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
To the Church in Smyrna
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
Dear fellow redeemed: Because we have seven churches and six weeks, we will start out with two churches this week. We start with the letter that Jesus dictates to the church at Ephesus through their “angel,” their pastor. As you can see from the map, Ephesus is the first church on a path heading north and then back south again. Jesus calls himself him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. He reminds them that the pastors (the stars) and the congregations (the lampstands) are never far from Him.
Ephesus had the cream of the crop in spiritual shepherds. Paul was there for three years, followed by Timothy, Apollos, and John the Apostle, evidently before and after his exile to Patmos.
When he passed by Ephesus earlier, Paul met with some of the pastors and warned them, “and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.” (Acts 20:30–31, ESV) The pastors had heeded Paul’s warning, and so Jesus complimented the Ephesian church for their Christian discernment, for not letting themselves be deceived. 2 “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.
They also were working hard in the Gospel. That’s something that is important in every church, that the services be provided for, that there is constant teaching and reaching out to the lost. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. Let’s admit it, we need to endure patiently down through the years in the churches in which God has placed us. In affirming their discernment and hard work, Jesus also points us to what we should do as Christians in His churches. But there is also a problem in Ephesus. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your
lampstand from its place, unless you repent. We all know what it is like to grow dull toward something. Maybe it is our work, our career, our town, our sports teams, or (god forbid) our spouse or our family. As a result, we also know the importance of becoming refreshed and renewed toward what is important. Jesus warned us about this in the Parable of the Sower, “And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.” (Luke 8:14, ESV)
Jesus gives a similar warning here. To “repent” is literally to change one’s mind, to come to the right state of mind. In this case, it is to return to the first love and the works of love as well. So what kind of doldrums have we been in at Faith and Our Savior, and how are we constantly renewed in our love for Christ and the salvation He brings to us and all mankind?
First, let’s remember that our “first love” isn’t an emotional state we have to renew or achieve. The works of love are what we do for the beloved no matter how weary we may be. So this faithfulness is strengthened by the word and sacrament and by what we do to encourage one another in the word. It is the mutual encouragement and consolation of believers. We next go to Smyrna. Of the seven churches, two receive Jesus’ affirmation and encouragement without any criticism. Smyrna is one of them. Jesus dictates the letter to the angel as the first and the last, who died and came to life. We (and the faithful in Smyrna) have great hope because the One who speaks is the One who was before the beginning of the universe, and who will be present when all comes to an end; He has defeated death itself. As all things pass away, he will give new life and make everything new again. He is the only one who can say to those who suffer, “I know how it is.” 9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan.
As with so many of the tribulations in these letters, it isn’t clear who the enemies are. I’m sure the faithful in Smyrna knew, but for us, these are placeholders for all who pose as upright and religious but are actually slanderers. They accuse us of hate and of evil when they themselves are accusers (like Satan) and hate what is good. This is one of the things that we suffer as faithful Christians.
Those who claim to be good Christians may be the worst. I remember Elmhurst College, where a Christian group put on a presentation about the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, and the chaplain of the college offered to counsel those who supposedly suffered from the violence of those who believe the Bible. Elmhurst is a Disciples of Christ college!! Another part of their difficulty in Smyrna is that they are poor people. Our churches are often like that, especially when there are many who are older. But at the same time, we are heirs of everlasting life. We are rich in that respect, and we should savor that.
In the letter to Smyrna, Jesus also addresses the anxiety of seeing suffering on the horizon. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Jesus doesn’t promise a life without tribulation, but we need not fear it, for it will last ten days – that’s Revelation-speak for a short, definite period of time. We are, without a doubt, on the verge of a totalitarian state. When people in power send agents into traditional churches to investigate and
maybe even prosecute them for “white supremacist violence,” (by which they mean upholding Biblical Christian values) we have come a long way down the road to tyranny.
So our Lord tells us, you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. How many confirmands have had Revelation 2:10 as their confirmation verse? How often have we who have been faithful mourned the spiritual death of those who have lost the faith, turned to impenitence, or forsaken the word and the practice of the Christian faith? Jesus tells us to guard ourselves, so that we may be faithful even unto death, for then we will not die, because in Christ we live. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ And 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’This promise is The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. He tells you what is waiting for those who remain faithful and lost by those who are not. First, He tells us that all the wonderful things intended for us in creation, the Tree of Life from which we were separated will not be ours. While we may die the first death, the death of the body, the second death, the death of the soul will not hurt us.
Remaining faithful is easy, but it is hard. It is easy in that if we will remain in God’s word and sacrament, we will be sustained. It is hard in that we have so many things pulling us away. It is the seemingly minor things like an extra shift at work or laziness that separate us from the word, but never forget Jesus’ promise, … “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,” (John 8:31, ESV)
These are the promises of our Lord Christ. They are most certainly true. AMEN.