Revelation 3:14-22
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God’s creation: “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 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. Therefore I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white robes to clothe yourself and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you with me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” Revelation 3:14-22 (NRSVUE)
As I researched these verses, it struck me how much we are like the church in Laodicea. The church in Laodicea was wealthy due to its banking industry, production of wool, and they made salve for eye conditions. We are rich (at least compared to most of the world population). In these verses, the church in Laodicea is being warned not to become complacent, so that when they hear Jesus knocking, they will open the door. Like the city of Laodicea, it is easy for us to become complacent and forget all of our blessings come from God.
But, if we are wealthy like the church in Laodicea, we may also not realize that we are “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked”. Ouch! So how do the rest of the verses tell us how to avoid these pitfalls? First of all, we are to “buy gold refined by fire so that you may be rich”. We need to go to Jesus to have faith that lasts, even when tested through the fires of life. Secondly, we are to “buy white robes to clothe yourself and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen”. We do not have to hide our nakedness from God, he already knows our deepest secrets, but He will offer us forgiveness, so our sins are not laid out for all to see. Lastly, we are to look to God for the “salve to anoint our eyes so that you may see”. With this salve, we will be able to see our shortcomings, our “lukewarm” attitudes, and then ask for forgiveness.
All of these instructions keep us humble and focused on the fact that our talents and possessions are gifts from God. When we use these gifts to grow in our love for God and others, we are opening the door for Christ to enter into our lives and work through us to further God’s kingdom here on earth.
Questions for Reflection:
- Have you ever had a time when you felt lukewarm in your faith? How did you overcome this?
- What does it look like for you to have Jesus knock on your door and you to hear Him?
Prayer:
Lord of all, help me identify areas of my faith life where I am lukewarm. Guide me to listen, so that I may hear you knocking. Amen
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