Revelation 2:8 – 11” To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life. I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.”
If Ephesus was a center of worship to the goddess Artemis and the Oracle of Delphi, Smyrna was a center of emperor worship. Although Smyrna started out with temples to several Greek gods, the citizens of Smyrna erected the first temple to Dea Roma, the spiritual goddess of Rome, in B.C. 196. Dea Roma was the spiritual symbol of the Roman Empire. For most of the citizens of Smyrna, it was probably a no – brainer. Smyrna was already a busy trading center due to its location at the lower end of a rich valley that produced high quality wine. In addition, Smyrna also had an excellent harbor. Why not add one more goddess to those already honored if it meant currying favor with Rome? In AD 23 Smyrna won a competition to build the first temple to worship Tiberius Caesar. Later the emperor Domitian demanded worship of himself as a god. (Domitian was also the one who sent John to Patmos.) This worship was thoroughly organized; all one had to do was to go to the temple once a year, offer a pinch of incense, recite the phrase “Caesar is Lord,” and get a certificate. Presto! You were good for another year, and you had established yourself as a loyal subject of Rome. You could rest assured that everyone would do business with you and that there would be no harassment from Roman officials.
But Christians refused to acknowledge anyone else as Lord apart from Jesus, and Domitian was obsessed with making sure EVERYBODY worshiped him! For Christians in Smyrna, this collision of wills must have meant tremendous financial hardships. So even though there were many rich people in Smyrna, the Christians existed in grinding poverty due to their faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today throughout the world, there are those who are paying the same price for their faith. The question facing those of us who are NOT suffering financially for our faith is this: have we already offered incense on Caesar’s altar? Have we already compromised, “going along to get along.”
A second question is this: what constitutes true riches? The Christians in Smyrna were extremely poor and yet Jesus commended them, saying that they were actually rich! Those believers were rich in faith and rich in their trust in God. Money is actually a worthless commodity; you can’t eat it, wear it, or do much of anything with it. If you have paper money, it can burn up. If you have on – line bank accounts, they can be hacked. Here in Ghana there is a new scam in which people call you up, claiming that someone has accidentally deposited money into your mobile money account. They are actually attempting to establish a link with your account. The second you access your account, these scammers collect your pin number and drain your account. Jesus told his followers in Matthew 6:19 – 21 “ – Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” As we think about the Christians in Smyrna, we should ask ourselves where is OUR treasure?
Not only were the Christians facing persecution from the Roman government, but there was evidently a large Jewish synagogue whose members were also aggressively persecuting the Christians. It is possible that some of these Jewish leaders were acting as did Saul prior to his conversion; they truly thought they were trying to eliminate heretics. On the other hand, many of the members of this synagogue might have been persecuting the Christians because they were coming under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and were reacting against that conviction. There may have been those members who were trying go gain favor with Roman officials in hopes of better business deals with Imperial Rome. Most houses of worship contain a mixture of members, some of whom truly are seeking God and many who have joined due to cultural or business reasons.
What’s so important about this message from Jesus to the Church of Smyrna? JESUS IS AWARE OF THEIR SUFFERINGS! JESUS KNOWS ALL THE DETAILS OF THEIR SITUATION! JESUS EVEN KNOWS WHAT IS ABOUT TO BEFALL THEM! Many times when we suffer, we wonder if anybody knows or cares what is happening to us. Take heart! Jesus knows! Jesus is aware! Jesus cares!
What about the warnings about imprisonment and additional persecution? Generally, Rome didn’t bother putting someone in jail unless they were facing death sentences. Jesus is warning these believers that they may have to pay for their faith with their lives. (Polycarp, a bishop in Smyrna at this time, was stabbed and burned while being martyred for his faith. The story of his death is incredible; however, similar stories are coming out of countries closed to the Gospel.)
“Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.” What is important here? Jesus is telling believers to hold on, to keep the faith, and to never fall away. Those who remain faithful will ultimately be victorious.
Years ago, there was a famous American ski racing champion who shared one of the secrets of his success: he said that he never worried about the finish line; instead, he visualized a finish line beyond the finish line and tried to increase his momentum accordingly. Here Jesus is telling the Christians in Smyrna that they will receive crowns and that hell will never touch them. What a promise!
PRAYER: Father God, we thank you that you are faithful and that you reward those who seek you and who follow hard after you. Lord, help us to be faithful even if we must die for our faith. Help us to love you so much that no sacrifice will be too much for us to make. And thank you for your promises of eternal life and heavenly rewards. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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